[6] A free grammar school in Rivington village was founded by James Pilkington, Bishop of Durham in 1566 when a charter was granted by Queen Elizabeth I.

Most of the school's endowments were provided by the bishop in the Diocese of Durham in Lindake, Wolsingham, Whickham, Heighington, Stanhope, Stockton, Auckland, Silksworth and Hetton-le-Hole and brought an income of £30 per year from rents.

In 1574 the school recovered rents for the same properties, whilst in 1583 by Thurston Anderton purchased the same farms from the Crown, the ownership would have been freehold and leasehold.

Higher Knowle farm is still active, Lower Knowle is a ruin, both located on the slope of Rivington Pike, Grut farm was once located opposite the entrance of the current Rivington and Blackrod High School driveway.

Blackrod Grammar School was founded by John Holmes, a London weaver, in whose will of 1568 rental income from property in London was left to trustees to pay a schoolmaster in Blackrod, and a further legacy of rental income paid for a scholar to attend Pembroke College, Cambridge.

[19] In 1627 Elizabeth Tyldesley left rental income from land and property at Graveoak in Bedford to provide a free school in the county of Lancashire.

By 1807 the trustees had accrued a significant sum to which in 1812 John Ainscough left a legacy including the income from mortgages on a toll road between Wigan to Preston.

[24] The school chapel was built in 1892 with a donation from Mr and Mrs Daniel Marshall, in memory of their son Frederick.

A stained glass east window was installed in 1912 commemorating James Pilkington, the Bishop of Durham and donors to the chapel.

The side lights illustrate events in the career of the bishop, his Mastership of St John's College, Cambridge, fleeing to Europe, teaching children in Zurich, and revising the Book of Common Prayer with Matthew Parker, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The west window, a memorial to those killed in the First World War, was unveiled on 8 March 1922 by R. T. Johnson, headmaster between 1894 and 1904 and dedicated by Henry Henn, the Bishop of Burnley.

The window's three lights show, a laurel crowned figure representing victory, a knight in full armour, depicting faith and three Marys kneeling before the angel at the tomb of the risen Christ.

One was in memory of a former headmaster, Mr Jenner and the second to celebrate the centenary of the Association of Old Rivingtonians in the same year.

[8][26] After the end of the Second World War, pupils placed a memorial book in the chapel bearing the names of those who lost their lives, this reads as follows: Roll of Honour to those who laid down their lives in the war, 1939-1945[27] Wallasey Grammar School evacuated the entire school to Rivington and Blackrod Grammar in 1941, during World War II, a former pupil David Owen recalled 'Wallasey Grammar brought a new meaning to class war' and that the other school introduced them to Rugby Union, events are also recorded in media from Old Wallaseyans.

[27] The level pitch in front of the school was created between 1883 and 1884, at a cost of £210, the funds raised by a bazaar.

The cricket pitch was laid and drained in 1907, by a bequest of £100 in memory of T. Heaton made by his grandson, William of Lostock.

Traditionally the school bell was not rung whilst a good game of cricket was being played.

The motto on the seal was in Latin and translated to 'who spares the rod spoils the child', the bishop is holding a birch rod in the right hand and bible in the left hand, open at the third chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians, religion being a key element in the early school with the birch and motto indicating use of corporal punishment in education.

Work started in April 1929 the extension foundation stone was laid 10 July 1929 by Alderman Ernest Ashton, Mayor of Chorley, who had been governor for many years.