History & tradition
 The
first foundation of the School is recorded in 1675, when Henry
Smith, an alderman of London, bequeathed £150 towards the
purchase of land for a "free school". The remainder
of the money was raised locally and in 1684 the vicar of Reigate,
the Rev. John Williamson, was appointed Master. The numbers
in the school at that time were very small - the will of one
Robert Bishop, who died in 1720, suggests that there were
only "four poor boys", although the master would
also have taught other boys on a fee-paying basis, some of
whom would have lodged with him as boarders.
The connection between the school and the parish church of
St. Mary's continued for many years, with successive Headmasters
being also vicars of the church. In 1862 the school was re-formed
as a Grammar School, with a proper board of governors, the
old school house was demolished and new buildings erected.
At this point the pupils numbered 36, including eight boarders,
but grew rapidly during the following years, requiring additional
buildings in 1870, 1907 and 1928. Under the Education Act
of 1944, the School was taken over by Surrey County Council
before reverting to independent status in 1976. Girls were
admitted for the first time to the Sixth Form in 1976, and
throughout the school  from
1993. The final transformation to the school of today was
completed by the merger with Reigate St. Mary's Preparatory
and Choir School in 2003, with the result that the two schools
together now educate some 1,100 pupils aged from 3 to 18.
With a tradition of established success in the academic field,
Reigate Grammar School has continued to develop its facilities
and development plans are constantly being reviewed by the
Governors. Additions to our facilities since 2000 include
the Peter Masefield dining hall, the Sixth Form Centre, Drama
Studio, the Hamlin Building (housing the Mathematics department)
and, in 2004, a new Music School. Plans are also in hand for
a new indoor swimming pool, which we hope to begin in the
next few years.
Next: Reigate
St. Mary's
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