IN THE BEGINNING...

The school in Church Road was built in 1875, replacing the earlier building situated in the centre of the village opposite the Duke's Head public house, which was later incorporated in the grounds of Lawklan, where one large house once stood. The Headteacher's log book provides a unique history of the life of the village school during the last 100 years.

In the early days, until 1891, the school was supported by fees paid by the parents; either one or two pennies a week, though many attended free of charge. By 1884 the penny-dinners were very popular. These encouraged children to stay on the school premises at lunch time instead of walking home. It also ensured a higher afternoon attendance!

There were four classrooms; hence four classes. The old hall then comprised two classrooms. As was common practice at the time, there were separate playground areas for boys and girls.

Farnham Royal - how it got its Royal tag

 The Domesday Book records the manor as being held by Baron de Furnival of the Verdon family, who gave the service of providing a glove for the king's right hand on coronation day and helping him hold the sceptre. This kind of feudal service is known as a serjeanty. It was a personal service given to the King, and under the arrangement the giver of the service could have tenure of an estate without having to offer military service or rent. For this serjeanty William I gave the Verdon family the manor of Farnham and it was passed down the family to the Talbots, the Earls of Shrewsbury.

 

In 1542 the manor was given by Francis, Earl of Shrewsbury, to Henry VIII together with the coronation serjeanty which passed to the manor of Worksop in Nottinghamshire. The manor stayed in the direct ownership of the Crown until the reign of Charles I, who, always short of money, sold it to the Coke family. Ironically there was a dispute over the coronation day duty as late as 1903 when the courts found that it had passed away from the descendants of the Verdon family.

TODAY...

In 1995, one hundred and twenty years of life at Farnham Royal school were celebrated.

In 2007 the school underwent an OFSTED inspection and a Statutory Inspection for Anglican Schools (SIAS). 

OFSTED commented:

"This is a good school. Parents agree and say that their children are happy here and make good progress. The school values highly its Christian ethos. This underpins its quality as a community in which all adults and pupils care for each other, so that pupils feel very secure and happy and in which their personal development and well-being are outstanding."
 

Click on the link below to obtain our latest OFSTED report: 

During the school's SIAS Inspection (Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools) in March 2007, the inspector noted that the school values and encompasses each of its learners including those from minority ethnic and faith backgrounds, as well as those with special educational needs. The inspector described St Mary's as a school where children speak of feeling special and where they are shown respect and encouraged to do their best within a broad balanced cross curriculum.

Click on the link below to obtain our latest SIAS report:

The School Prospectus can be obtained by contacting the School Office.