Hanley Castle High School
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| Motto | DUCET AMOR PATRIÆ |
|---|---|
| Established | 1326 |
| Type | Academy |
| Religion | Non-denominational Christian (collective worship) |
| Headteacher | Lindsey Cooke |
| Chairman of Governors | Jeff Robinson |
| Founders | Lechmeres |
| Location |
Church End Worcestershire WR8 0BL England Coordinates: 52°04′34″N 2°14′08″W / 52.0762°N 2.2356°W |
| Local authority | Worcestershire |
| DfE URN | 116981 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1003 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Partnership Governors | Prof Tony Beech (University of Birmingham), Barbara Hinton (Upton upon Severn Educational Foundation), Beulah Pope, (Old Hancastrian) |
| Alumni | Old Hancastrians |
| Website | Hanley Castle High School |
Hanley Castle High School, formerly known as Hanley Castle Grammar School, was probably founded in 1326, making it one of the oldest schools in England. Located in the village of Hanley Castle, 1.4 miles (2.2 km) from the small town of Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, for much of the 20th century it was a selective boys grammar school that grew from about 50 to around 200 day-pupils and boarders. In 1972, the school opened its doors to girls. In 1974 it became a mixed gender, voluntary controlled comprehensive school and it started to intake pupils at age 14 on transfer from the Hill School in nearby Upton-upon-Severn. The school reverted to being an 11–18 school in the 1990s and the population of students grew over time to around 900 in 2012. In 2011 the school became an academy.
The campus comprises 17th century Grade II listed buildings that are still in use alongside those of the major expansions of the late 20th, and early 21st century. The school serves a large, mainly rural area roughly bounded by Malvern to the west, Worcester to the north, and the county of Gloucestershire to the south.
In 1326 a chantry school was established to teach local children music, reading and writing, so that they could become part of the choir of St Mary's church. Deeds dating from 1523 and 1544 are the earliest extant documents, and the Church of England episcopal archives record a Philippus Frye as being a master at the school in 1582. In 1633 new trustees were installed, and in 1733 the school house was rebuilt on funds donated by Sir Nicholas and Mr Edmund Lechmere. For several centuries, the school functioned under the patronage of the baronets and hereditary peers of the Lechmere family who have been settled in Hanley Castle, Worcestershire, since the 11th century. The baronets were traditionally chairmen or members of the board of governors until at least the mid-1970s. The school's emblem is the same pelican that is the central feature of the Lechmere family coat of arms. In 1868 in order to improve the teaching standards, a new headmaster was installed by the trustees, the school was rebuilt in 1869 and divided into an endowed grammar school for the sons of the middle classes and an elementary school providing the labouring and agricultural classes with a basic education. Following further changes in 1893, the primary school was named St Mary's Primary School and was relocated in the nearby hamlet of Cross Hands and the grammar school provided education for boys from the age of 8 to 17.
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