(founded 1552) is a leading British
Independent School (sometimes called
Public School ) located in
Shrewsbury in the county of
Shropshire . It is a member of the
Headmasters' And Headmistresses' Conference . It is in the main a
Boarding School for boys aged 13 ("Year 9") to 18 ("Year 13") though day pupils are also accepted. The current enrollment is about 670 students.
On November 30th 2005, the
BBC {Link without Title} confirmed that as of September 2007, Shrewsbury School would be accepting girls in the sixth form, initially aiming to admit 30 girls and eventually increasing this to accommodate 100 female students, and breaking the 453-year-long tradition of being a boys-only school.
However, in March 2006, the Headmaster announced that this would be delayed for a year, due to construction delays with accommodation for the girls.
Shrewsbury School ("The Free School") was founded in
1552 by
King Edward VI , and in
1571 was augmented by
Queen Elizabeth I . In 1868 the school was named one of the nine ‘great’ schools of England (along with
Charterhouse ,
Eton ,
Harrow ,
Merchant Taylors' Rugby ,
St Paul's ,
Westminster and
Winchester ) in the
Public Schools Act passed by the British Parliament. Headmasters include Sir
Thomas Ashton ,
Samuel Butler ,
Benjamin Hall Kennedy ,
C.A. Alington , and Sir
Eric Anderson . Sir
Thomas Ashton , the first headmaster, gave the school a classical and humanistic tone that has been retained, though sciences and other studies are now also prominent in the curriculum.
Charles Darwin made the following quote about the school:
Nothing could have been worse for the development of my mind than Dr. Butler's school, as it was strictly classical, nothing else being taught, except a little ancient geography and history. The school as a means of education to me was simply a blank.
Ex-pupils are named 'Old Salopians', and include:
