WGS Launches 500 Years of History

The release of 500 balloons on Friday October 21st marked the start of the celebrations commemorating more than five centuries of education at WGS.

Wolverhampton Grammar School students will be releasing one balloon for each year of the school’s existence as part of its annual Founder’s Day Service. The service which sees all 689 WGS students walk from the school, to St Peter’s church in the city centre, will be particularly significant this year as the school looks towards this special milestone in its history.

“Founder’s Day is a very important day in our calendar,” comments Vincent Darby, Head of WGS.  “To be on the verge of the 500th anniversary of our founding is a remarkable achievement and something of which the school and indeed, the city of Wolverhampton should be extremely proud.”

Wolverhampton Grammar School was founded by local wool merchant, Sir Stephen Jenyns who as Lord Mayor of London was knighted by the newly crowned King Henry VIII. Three years later in 1512, Sir Stephen founded WGS as a free school for the instruction of poor boys of the town in ‘good morals and learning’. The school, which for many years was a traditional boy’s grammar school, is now a leading co-educational independent school with a national reputation for excellence.

“The school has gone through many changes in its 500 years. We now provide education to 689 boys and girls aged between 7 – 18 who come to us from all over Wolverhampton and the surrounding areas, and the values and qualities that were present at the founding of the school still form part of the busy, happy successful school we are today,” continues Mr Darby.

“Cities such as Wolverhampton often suffer a bad press, but as we look towards our quincentenary, everyone here  is rightly proud of what Wolverhampton Grammar School  has achieved over the past 500 years. Just as it is proud of the part it has played – and will continue to play - in the development of the city of Wolverhampton,” he concludes.