The school is part of a foundation created by Richard Fitzjames (Bishop of London) with his nephew John Fitzjames (later to become Chief Justice of the King's Bench) whose family crest incorporated the bearded dolphin which remains part of the school crest today.

[2] This Royal Foundation led to a crown being placed above the dolphin on the school crest.

This may be the first school to have a Governing Body with an unbroken record of the proceedings of the meetings of the Governors dating back to 1553.

Approximately 1/3 of pupils aged 7 to 13 board full-time at the school with the majority staying in at weekends.

Forest School / Outdoor Education and Mandarin are offered alongside traditional academic subjects.