A Fascinating History

Although there is some conjecture as to whether Thomas Burton specifically intended to establish a Grammar School, it is accepted that his endowments and chantrey led to the School’s Foundation within Loughborough Parish Church in 1495, later moving into a building in the churchyard and then expanding into various locations within Loughborough, before settling in its current site in 1852.

Follow some of the more significant milestones in the Foundation’s fascinating history on our timeline below:

1495Foundation of Grammar School. For the next 350 years fundamentally a free town Grammar School
159745 Grammar Schools in Leicestershire as Trusts for Free Schools established. Funds devoted to endowment of chantries before the reformation now turned to endowment of education
1748School rebuilt on existing site
1800Three Schools in the Foundation and by 1818 just 20 boys in Grammar School but 120 boys in Reading School and 80 boys in Writing School...all on the same site. 80 Girls in the separate Hickling School.
1818Carlisle lists the ‘Endowed GS in England’ – 8 in Leicestershire
1825Moves to new buildings in Churchgate….opposite the White Hart Pub
1840‘Grammar School Act’ leads to merging of Reading and Hickling Schools to create the Lancasterian School for Boys and Girls. The Writing School renamed ‘High School’...remember this is a boys’ school!
1850New Grammar & Commercial School created for boys, merging Grammar School & ‘High School’ on present site. The Lancasterian School split into boys on Churchgate site and the ‘Upper Girls School’ in Chesterton House.
1851Opening of separate Hickling School for Girls off Ashby Road.
1860James Wallace (Head) adopts the arms of Ralph Lemyngton (executor of Burton’s will) to be the Grammar School’s shield.
1870Establishment of Governing Body for the Loughborough Endowed Schools which unites the Burton & Hickling Charities.
1876Hickling’s School closed as a school for girls, reopens as a High Class Elementary School for Boys....leaves the Foundation and becomes a Junior Technical School in 1917 then Loughborough College School, then Burleigh
1879‘Upper Girls’ School’ moves to Burton Walks and is renamed the ‘Grammar School for Girls’.
1893‘Grammar School for Girls’ changes name to Loughborough High School
1931The Churchgate School is demolished to enable the widening of Leymington Street and the Lancasterian Schools become Limehurst Senior Boys and Limehurst Senior Girls within LEA
1969Fairfield formed after ending of junior boys’ provision at Loughborough Grammar School as buildings are needed for expansion as part of ‘Leicestershire Plan’.
1975Direct Grant ended for both Loughborough Grammar & Loughborough High Schools and Governors decide on independence.
2015Our Lady’s Convent School joins the Foundation.
2018Decision taken to change name to Loughborough Schools Foundation and the Convent, on taking in boys in 2019, to be Loughborough Amherst.