Latest news with #LadyMargaretBoswell
BBC News
23-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
UK's ‘oldest' primary school celebrates 350th birthday
A primary school in Kent that is believed to be the 'oldest primary school' in the UK is celebrating a very special birthday! Lady Boswell's School, in Sevenoaks, is celebrating 350 years since it opened back in has changed at the school since then… including the number of school was originally opened for 'the 15 poorest children in the parish' but now has 437 pupils. To celebrate the special occasion, pupils at the school are leading tours and showcasing artefacts for the schools pupils and staff will also be enjoying a birthday picnic. Kate Phillips, Chair of the school governors said: "Here we are in 2025 celebrating our school's 350th anniversary, and we think we are the oldest [primary] school in the country."We are all very proud of this amazing school and the part that we are playing at this point in its history." This week pupils have also been digging into the history of their of the people they have learnt about is Lady Margaret Boswell, who their school is named after. She was very wealthy and well-connected with Queen Elizabeth I. In 1675, Lady Boswell said that £30 of he money (about £5,220 today) should be spent each year on educating the 15 poorest children in the from there Lady Boswell's Primary School was born!
BBC News
23-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
UK's 'oldest' primary school celebrates 350 years in Sevenoaks
A primary school in Kent thought to be the oldest in the UK is celebrating 350 years since it Boswell's School, in Sevenoaks, had just one teacher when it was set up for "the 15 poorest children in the parish" in it is a school of 437 pupils, who will be leading tours, showcasing artefacts and enjoying a picnic on Friday to celebrate the school's history.A spokesperson for Lady Boswell's said: "We are all very proud of this amazing school and the part that we are playing at this point in its history, as guardians of such a thriving institution." Lady Margaret Boswell was wealthy and well-connected, with Queen Elizabeth I often coming to stay at her home, Bradbourne House, and her husband, Sir William Boswell, an important in 1675, Lady Boswell transferred her estate to a trust and instructed that £30 of it, the equivalent of about £5,220 today, be spent each year on educating the 15 poorest children in the education was not readily available until the 1800s, meaning Lady Boswell put the children of Sevenoaks more than 100 years ahead of the rest of week, pupils have been digging into the school's rich history and will be sharing their research and findings with parents and former pupils and staff on spokesperson said: "In its inception, the school was just one master and 15 'poor scholars' from across the town, and it has flourished across the years, providing an education for generations of Sevenoaks people."
