Priory School is a

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea began as a f ...

, Hampshire, England. It is situated in the northern area of Southsea bordering

Fratton Fratton is a residential and formerly industrial area of Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. Victorian style terraced houses are dominant in the area, typical of most residential areas of Portsmouth. Fratton has many discount shops and "greasy sp ...

, and lies close to

Fratton railway station Fratton railway station is a railway station in the city of Portsmouth, on Portsea Island in England. It was opened in the Fratton area of Portsmouth on 1 July 1885 as an interchange station between the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway an ...

on the A2047. Stewart Vaughan is the Headteacher at the school. Priory school is an academy and part of the Bohunt Education Trust.

History

The current site was originally purchased by the Portsmouth School Board in May 1890 for £3000, at the time the area was known as "The Wilderness" due to the lack of development activity. On the site were several buildings in a heavy state of disrepair, among the buildings were ''Howard's Cottage'' reputedly the oldest building in Portsmouth and home to the ghost of Lady Temple. The construction of the school cost £9,704 and took two years, the buildings were completed in May 1892. Later extensions of the school site led it to cover the site of an old priory and a farm called ''Priory Farm''. In 1905 it was decided that the Francis Avenue School for girls should move to a building next to the boys school. This school, which cost £25,000 to build, was opened on 4 November 1907. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the building was requisitioned by the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

to create the 5th Southern General Hospital, a facility for the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

to treat military casualties. During the 1920s the school became heavily over-crowded and an extension to the girls school was completed in 1934. Portsmouth was considered a high-risk target during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the girls school moved to

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

. On 10 January 1941, German bombing led to the destruction of the boys school and the extension at the girls school. The boys moved to the St Ronan's Road School, with the old boys school being left as a bombed out wreck for the next twenty years. In 1946 the girls school became the Portsmouth Southern Grammar School for Girls. The Southern Grammar School for Boys was on Eastern Road and went on to be part of

Portsmouth College City of Portsmouth College is a sixth form college on Tangier Road, Baffins, in the city of Portsmouth, England. Admissions The principal at City of Portsmouth College is Simon Barrable. The college is located just off the ''Eastern Road'' whi ...

. In the late 1950s the boys school was demolished and replaced with a gymnasium for the girls school. A lecture theatre was completed in the 1960s. In 1974 the boys school returned to the site, this time merging with the girls school to form Priory comprehensive school. The school became a specialist sports college with the opening of the Priory Tennis Centre in 2006 and it became an

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, sponsored by the

Bohunt Education Trust Bohunt School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in the rural village of Liphook, Hampshire, England. The school was opened in 1978. History In 2009 the BBC reported that Bohunt students had achieved higher than the nati ...

, in September 2014.

Notable former pupils

* Prof

Jim Al-Khalili Jameel Sadik "Jim" Al-Khalili (; born 20 September 1962) is an Iraqi-British theoretical physicist and science populariser. He is professor of theoretical physics and chair in the public engagement in science at the University of Surrey. He is a ...

OBE, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its Royal Charter, royal charter in 1966, along with a Plate glass university, number of other institutions following recommendations ...

* Ben Close, professional footballer who plays for

Doncaster Rovers FC Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...

* Tommy Leigh, professional footballer who plays for Accrington Stanley FC * Stephen Morgan, MP For Portsmouth South *

Dan Nlundulu Dan Nlundulu (born 5 February 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League One club Bolton Wanderers. Born in France, he represents England internationally. Club career Southampton Nlundulu signed a two-year contr ...

, professional footballer who plays for

Southampton FC Southampton Football Club is a professional football club based in Southampton, Hampshire, England. The club competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Their home ground since 2001 has been St Mary's Stadium, befor ...

Jake Thomson Jake Samuel Thomson (born 12 May 1989) is a semi-professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for AFC Stoneham. Before playing in non-League football, Thomson played in the Championship for Southampton. A youth international footballer f ...

, former professional footballer

Portsmouth Southern Grammar School for Girls

Marilyn Cole Marilyn Cole (born 7 May 1949) was ''Playboy'' magazine's January 1972 Playboy Playmate, Playmate of the Month. She was the magazine's first full-frontal nude centerfold. She also became 1973's Playmate of the Year, becoming the only Briton to h ...

, January 1972

Playmate of the Month A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

, and Playmate of the Year 1973

Notable former teachers

* Mary James (educator), 1970-4 (at the girls' school)

References

External links