The Minster School was an independent preparatory school for children aged 3–13 in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was founded to educate choristers at

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...

and continued to do so, although no longer exclusively, until in June 2020 it was announced that the school would close at the end of that term. The building is Grade II listed.

Location

The school occupied today's 8

Minster Yard Minster Yard is a street in the city centre of York, England. It runs along the southern, eastern and northeastern sides of York Minster, for which it is named. History The street may have originated as the courtyard of the headquarters buildi ...

, part of a complex of buildings in York, directly across from the

History

The school traced its origins to a "song school" founded in 627 by

Paulinus of York Paulinus (died 10 October 644) was a Roman missionary and the first Bishop of York. A member of the Gregorian mission sent in 601 by Pope Gregory I to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism, Paulinus arrived in ...

, the first Archbishop of York, however the current school was re-founded in 1903. The Minster School had a strong focus on music and, of the 180 pupils, 40 were

chorister A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

s at

. Buildings used by the school have been awarded listed status, among them the school house built 1830–1833, two houses dating back to 1837, and a Georgian building of 1755. The school buildings were used to depict the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

in the 2016 TV series ''

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

''.

Suspension of staff in 2018

In May 2018, the school attracted national press attention when the headmaster and two other senior members of staff were suspended after three ‘unsecured’

air rifles An air gun or airgun is a gun that fires projectiles pneumatically with compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized ''without'' involving any chemical reactions, in contrast to a firearm, which pressurizes gases ''chemic ...

were found on school premises. The

Dean of York 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 ...

faced protests by parents supportive of the staff and angry at the manner of the suspension.

Closure

The school had relied upon income from York Minster. However the Minster's budget for 2020 had been based on expected tourist income in the coming year. The effect on this of 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 identi ...

caused the Minster to say that it was unable to continue assisting the school. The school announced that it would be closing for good at the end of the Summer Term 2020, and would help to find new places elsewhere for their existing pupils.

References

External links

*
History of York Minster School

Yorkshire Film Archive – Stillington, York, and Easingwold (1936–1942)

Profile
on the

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website * ISI Inspectio
Reports
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minster School, York Minster Yard Grade II listed buildings in York Choir schools in England Educational institutions established in the 7th century Defunct schools in York 7th-century establishments in England York Minster Defunct Church of England schools Educational institutions disestablished in 2020 2020 disestablishments in England Buildings and structures completed in 627