[1] The school was founded in 1874 by William Girdlestone, it has 25 acres (10 ha) of gardens and grounds.

[1][2] The school was the subject of a BBC television documentary, Britain's Youngest Boarders, first broadcast in September 2010.

The school's major sports are football, rugby union and cricket in the Michaelmas, Lent and summer terms respectively.

The sports hall includes two full-length cricket nets and an air rifle range.

Boys can also ride and do clay pigeon shooting and in their last term they do an outward bound course on Dartmoor.