The Word of God is the Fountain of Wisdom , established = , type = Preparatory

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

, religious_affiliation =

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, head_label = Head , head = Louise Salmond Smith , chair_label = Chair of Governors , chair =

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

Stephen Waine , founder =

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Edward Story Edward Story (or Storey; died 1503) was an English priest, Bishop of Carlisle, 1468–1477, and Bishop of Chichester, 1477–1503. Story was educated at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, where he was elected a fellow about 1444. In 1450, he was appo ...

, county =

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

, country = England , local_authority = , urn = , dfeno = 938/6128 , enrolment = ≈120 , gender = Mixed , lower_age = 3 , upper_age = 13 , houses = 4 , colours = Red , publication = ''The Prebendalian'' , free_label_1 = Former pupils , free_1 = Old Prebendalians , website = http://prebendalschool.org.uk/ The Prebendal School is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

preparatory school in

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...

, situated adjacent to the

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of the ...

precinct. It is a boarding and day school educating the cathedral choristers. The school has ancient origins as the medieval cathedral song school at the thirteenth-century school house in West Street. In 2020, ''The Telegraph'' named The Prebendal School as one of the best-value independent schools in the country.

History

The Prebendal is the oldest school in

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

and probably dates back to the foundation of

in the eleventh century when it was a 'song school', teaching and housing the choristers. It was later extended to admitting other boys from the city and neighbouring areas. In 1497, it was re-founded as a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

by the

Bishop of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East and West Sussex. The see is based in the City of Chichester where the bishop's seat ...

, who also attached it to the

Prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

of Highleigh in Chichester Cathedral, hence the name of the school. The thirteenth-century school house with its narrow tower still stands in West Street. Long

dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

, on the top floor, contains 300-year-old panelling, featuring some historic graffiti. Two adjoining eighteenth-century houses have been added, while the addition in 1966 of the east wing of the

's Palace, which is next door to the main school buildings, provides considerable extra space. Further renovations have provided an assembly hall, new classrooms and an art room. There is a modern science

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...

and an ICT room. In 2012, the school expanded into adjoining period properties on West Street. Girls were introduced into the school in 1972. The school is now a

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

, day and boarding preparatory school for children between 3 and 13 years of age. Due to its poor financial position, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, the school confirmed in April 2021 that it was seeking external financial support. In July 2021 it confirmed that it had been acquired by the Alpha Schools Group. In December 2021, it was announced that girls would benefit from the same opportunity to be Choristers at the cathedral whilst being educated at the school.

Structure

The school consists of the Pre-Prep (Nursery to Year 2) and the Prep (Years 3–8). Each pupil is a member of a school house, which are named after former

Bishops of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East Sussex, East and West Sussex. The Episcopal see, see is based in t ...

. There is also a boarding house that accommodate up to 46 boarders. The school remains open for Choristers in the weeks prior to Christmas, Easter and the

Southern Cathedrals Festival The Southern Cathedrals Festival (known for short as "SCF") is a 5-day music festival held in rotation among the cathedrals of Chichester, Winchester and Salisbury in England, in the penultimate week of July. The festival was restored in 1960 aft ...

. The Nursery, Pelicans, is open throughout the normal school holidays.

Academia

Pupils are taught the

Common Entrance Common Entrance Examinations (commonly known as CE) are taken by independent school pupils in the UK as part of the selective admissions process at age 13, though ten independent schools do select at 11 using different test papers. They are set ...

or Common Academic Scholarship examination to senior

independent schools An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

, offered by the

Independent Schools Examinations Board Common Entrance Examinations (commonly known as CE) are taken by independent school pupils in the UK as part of the selective admissions process at age 13, though ten independent schools do select at 11 using different test papers. They are set ...

. School examinations take place once a year during the summer term. However, the teaching is underpinned by the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB) core skills of Thinking and Learning, Reviewing and Improving, Communicating, Collaboration and Leadership. The PSB is designed to encourage strong partnerships between parents and schools that promote an understanding of how each individual child learns. In 2018, 1:1

iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...

s were introduced for older pupils and technology was embedded throughout the daily curriculum enabling pupils to develop skills that would enable them to incorporate purposeful technology into school life in preparation for senior school. This facilitated a smooth transfer to remote learning in 2020 when schools had to close due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In 2019, 71% of Year 8 leavers were awarded a scholarship to their senior school. In 2020, this had risen to 82%. Scholarships gained in recent years have included schools such as

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

, Harrow,

Charterhouse Charterhouse may refer to: * Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order Charterhouse may also refer to: Places * The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery * Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey London ...

, Lancing,

Portsmouth Grammar School The Portsmouth Grammar School is a co-educational independent day school in Portsmouth, England, located in the historic part of Portsmouth. It was founded in 1732 as a boys' school and is located on Portsmouth High Street. History In 1732, ...

and

Benenden Benenden is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish is located on the Weald, to the west of Tenterden. In addition to the main village, Iden Green, East End, Dingleden and Standen Street settlem ...

Music

As a

choir school This article contains a list of choir schools sorted alphabetically by country. Australia *St Andrew's Cathedral School , motto_translation = The Way of the Cross is the Way of Light , established = , type ...

educating the cathedral choristers, the school has an extremely strong music department. Concerts take place throughout the academic year. many concerts are informal, but a number are performed in

. Music competitions are also arranged in school: the inter-house music and house singing competitions being notable examples. Since 2006, the school has applied a policy of "Music for All", in which each pupil receives a

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

education during their time, with a wide variety of instruments on offer. There are many groups, including two choirs, a full orchestra, concert band, ensembles of string, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments, a Baroque trio and many other chamber groups.

Sport

The school enjoys eight acres of playing fields that run alongside the historic city walls. Good use is made of other local facilities, including those of the adjacent

Chichester College Chichester College is a college of further education in Chichester, West Sussex, England. It has a second campus at Brinsbury, near Pulborough. It is a member of the Collab Group which represents the largest colleges in England. Chichester Coll ...

and Westgate Leisure Centre.

Outdoor education

The Prebendal School is a Beach School, offering fortnightly outdoor learning sessions at

West Wittering West Wittering is a village and civil parish situated on the Manhood Peninsula in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies near the mouth of Chichester Harbour on the B2179 road southwest of Chichester close to the border with Ha ...

and

Bracklesham Bay Bracklesham Bay is a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in West Sussex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site. It is a coastal bay on the west side of the Manhood Peninsula in West Sussex, England. The bay lo ...

for the Pre-Prep. The school has a well-equipped outdoor classroom on site that is used across the curriculum.

Forest School Forest School or Forrest School may refer to: Educational philosophy * Forest school (learning style), a learner centred outdoor learning approach. Religious philosophy * Thai Forest Tradition, a Theravada school of Buddhism in Thailand. * Sri La ...

sessions take place either on the school campus or in the Bishop's Palace Gardens.

Heads

The following list includes Heads of the school prior to its re-founding in 1497:

Old Prebendalians

Alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

are known as Old Prebendalians. Notable Old Prebendalians include: *

William Juxon William Juxon (1582 – 4 June 1663) was an English churchman, Bishop of London from 1633 to 1646 and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1660 until his death. Life Education Juxon was the son of Richard Juxon and was born probably in Chichester, a ...

(1582–1663),

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

(1660–1663) *

John Selden John Selden (16 December 1584 – 30 November 1654) was an English jurist, a scholar of England's ancient laws and constitution and scholar of Jewish law. He was known as a polymath; John Milton hailed Selden in 1644 as "the chief of learned ...

(1584–1654), jurist, philosopher and parliamentarian *

William Cawley William Cawley (1602 – January 1667) was a regicide and seventeenth century English politician. He was born in Chichester in 1602, the son of John Cawley, a wealthy brewer, and was educated at Chichester Grammar School, Oxford University an ...

(1602–1667), politician and

regicide Regicide is the purposeful killing of a monarch or sovereign of a polity and is often associated with the usurpation of power. A regicide can also be the person responsible for the killing. The word comes from the Latin roots of ''regis'' ...

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

* William Collins (1721–1759), poet *

James Hurdis James Hurdis (1763–1801) was an English clergyman and poet. Life Born in Bishopstone, East Sussex, Hurdis studied at St Mary Hall, Oxford, and Magdalen College, Oxford, later becoming a Fellow of Magdalen College. Hurdis was curate for the E ...

(1763–1801), clergyman and

Professor of Poetry The Professor of Poetry is an academic appointment at the University of Oxford. The chair was created in 1708 by an endowment from the estate of Henry Birkhead. The professorship carries an obligation to lecture, but is in effect a part-time po ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

(1793–1801) *

Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, (3 August 179121 October 1860), of Goodwood House near Chichester in West Sussex, was a British peer, soldier and prominent Conservative politician. Origins He was born "Charles Lennox", the son an ...

(1791–1860), MP for

(1812–1819) and

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official respons ...

(1830–1834) *

Horatio Nelson, 3rd Earl Nelson Horatio Nelson, 3rd Earl Nelson, (7 August 1823 – 25 February 1913), was a British politician. He was the son of Thomas Bolton (a nephew of Vice Admiral The 1st Viscount Nelson) by his wife Frances Elizabeth Eyre. On 28 February 1835 his ...

(1823–1913), politician *

Edward B. Titchener Edward Bradford Titchener (11 January 1867 – 3 August 1927) was an English psychologist who studied under Wilhelm Wundt for several years. Titchener is best known for creating his version of psychology that described the structure of the mind: ...

(1867–1927), psychologist who developed the theory of

structuralism In sociology, anthropology, archaeology, history, philosophy, and linguistics, structuralism is a general theory of culture and methodology that implies that elements of human culture must be understood by way of their relationship to a broader ...

MacDonald Gill Leslie MacDonald Gill (6 October 1884 – 14 January 1947), commonly known as MacDonald Gill or Max Gill, was a noted early-twentieth-century British graphic designer, cartographer, artist and architect. Biography Born in Brighton, Gill was the ...

(1884–1947), graphic designer, cartographer, artist and architect *

Christina Bassadone Christina Victoria Bassadone (born 27 December 1981) is a British sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are ...

(1981–), sailor who competed in the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

* Isaac Waddington (1999–), singer, pianist and finalist on the ninth series of ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...

References

External links

The Prebendal School websiteProfile on West Sussex County Council websiteOfsted Inspection Reports
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prebendal School, The Choir schools in England Preparatory schools in West Sussex Education in Chichester Educational institutions established in the 15th century 1497 establishments in England