Hinchingbrooke School

Hinchingbrooke School is a large comprehensive secondary school situated on the outskirts of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, historically in Huntingdonshire. Originally all of the surrounding land—including what is now Huntingdon Town—comprised the grounds of Hinchingbrooke House. There is still an avenue of trees leading from the start of Hinchingbrooke House towards the town, which was the old entranceway through the grounds. It is now an academy.

History
Hinchingbrooke School was founded as Huntingdon Grammar School in 1565. Among its pupils in its early history were Oliver Cromwell and Samuel Pepys.

On 1 September 1939 it opened in a new building on Brampton Road. The girls from Highbury Hill High School in London were evacuated for safety and attended the premises from 1939 to 1943. In 1970 the school began to take pupils of all abilities and soon became fully comprehensive. At the same time the school changed its name and moved to new premises in Hinchingbrooke Park and the renovated Hinchingbrooke House.

In 2006 Hinchingbrooke School became a Specialist Sports College. It is now an academy.



Hinchingbrooke sixth form
The sixth form is located in the historic Hinchingbrooke House itself, with most classrooms and student areas within the Grade I listed building.

Hinchingbrooke main school
The main school includes sports facilities, such as a swimming pool, the Fisherhall Dance Studio, a 3rd generation Artificial Grass Pitch and a fitness suite. Some of these are open to the public. A new sports hall has recently been constructed.

Notable former pupils

 * Nick Knight (photographer) OBE
 * Darren Bent (footballer)
 * Jamie Morrison (musician and producer)

Hinchingbrooke sixth form

 * Carla Humphrey (footballer)

Huntingdon Grammar School

 * Charles Fraser Beckingham, academic
 * Potto Brown, philanthropist
 * John Butcher, Conservative MP from 1979–97 for Coventry South West
 * Patrick Collinson CBE, historian
 * Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector from 1653–58
 * Robert William Edis, architect
 * Sir Michael Foster (physiologist)
 * Amaryllis Garnett, actress, daughter of author David Garnett of the Bloomsbury Group
 * Charles Goodchap, Australian politician
 * Liz Hodgkinson, author
 * Tom Margerison, Chief Executive from 1969–71 and Chairman from 1971–75 of London Weekend Television (LWT)
 * Paul Northfield, record producer
 * Albert Peatfield, cricketer
 * Samuel Pepys, diarist (briefly in 1644)
 * Matthew Robinson, television and film director and producer
 * Richard Rutt CBE, Bishop of Leicester from 1979–90
 * Mark Souster, sports correspondent, former Rugby Correspondent for The Times
 * Charity Taylor, pioneering prison governor, married to Stephen Taylor, Baron Taylor