400th Anniversary

In 1602 a prosperous merchant called Thomas Cave bequeathed a sum of £250 to establish a school within his ancestral parish of Otley.  The only provision was that the school was founded within four years of his death and that an equivalent sum was contributed by local inhabitants of the town.  If these conditions were not fulfilled then the money would revert to members of the Cave family.  The will was dated the 1st February 1602.  The Free Grammar School of Prince Henry was founded under Royal Charter by King James I on the 30th April 1607 ensuring that the terms of the will were met with a margin of only three days.  Since that date the school has existed as both a selective grammar school and more recently a non selective state comprehensive.  There is clear evidence that the school is currently enjoying its most successful period with high achievement across the whole curriculum. 

Throughout our history we have had many students who have become famous for their endeavours.  Notable among these have been Thomas Chippendale for his craftsmanship in the field of carpentry and cabinet making.

Prince Henry's Grammar School is a Specialist Language College with an emphasis on internationalism.  To mark this we recently received the British Council’s very prestigious International School Award and we are very proud of our global links and the work we do with students and teachers across the world.

To mark our 400th anniversary we plan to stage a series of events.  Specific details of these will be posted throughout the year.  We hope that you will be able to join us in some of these celebrations.

Yours sincerely

John Dean

Acting Headteacher

 

                     

         T.V Appearance on BBC Look North - Wed 3rd July 2007

 

As part of their 400th anniversary, Prince Henry’s Grammar School in Otley contacted BBC Look North to ask if they could be included in their feature on Yorkshire towns with something to celebrate.

It was the ‘enthusiastic’ school secretary Mrs Sheila Gibbon who got in touch with Look North and who also received a telephone call from Harry Gration to arrange their visit.

The visit to Prince Henry’s was originally postponed due to the severe flooding in South Yorkshire, but was luckily rearranged for Wednesday 4th July.

During the visit the two Look North presenters, Harry Gration and Christa Ackroyd saw an exhibition of year 12 and 13 A-level design & textile work and watched the school’s successful and unbeaten Netball team practice.

Harry and Christa talked to a number of students who gave extremely good reasons as to why Prince Henry’s Grammar school is as successful as it is.