Aldworth Science College - History

History

The history of Aldworth school can be traced back to 1646, when the Blue Coat School was opened in Cross Street (originally Cow Cross Lane). It was due to an Alderman of the City of London named Richard Aldworth (whose mother, Jane South, was from Basingstoke) that the school was able to open, when he left £2000 in his will. The school provided education for ten boys from underprivileged backgrounds. The boys would be educated, clothed and fed from the age of 7 until they 16, when they would be found jobs or enrolled in apprenticeship schemes. The school got its name from the distinctive uniforms the boys wore.

In 1811, the Blue Coat school was incorporated into the National Schools system and forced to share its building with National boys. The master at the time William Brown (1801-1814) complained that it was not cost efficient to continue to educate the Blue Coat boys. In 1862, the school was rebuilt to accommodate 292 children, including girls who transferred from the National School in Church Square. However, standards in the school continued to decline and in 1876 the decision was taken to close the Blue Coat school after the remaining six pupil were placed in 1879. The building continued to be used as a school until 1896, when it closed due to bankruptcy and the building was leased to a shoemaker and eventually sold to the 'Aldworth Printing Works' in 1926. The building was demolished during the town development in 1966. In 1994, on the site of the old school, a statue of a 'Blue Coat Boy' was unveiled. This statue was cast from a mould of another statue at the larger Blue Coat School in Reading, also founded by Richard Aldworth.

A new school was built in 1963 on Western Way called Richard Aldworth School and a stone plaque from the Old Blue Coat School building was incorporated in the main entrance. However, this is the only historical connection the Western Way school has with the old Blue Coat school. This later became Richard Aldworth Community School. In 2005, the school gained status as a Specialist Science College and changed its name to Aldworth Science College.

Due to funding from earning the science status, certain areas of the school have been redeveloped. Major work was carried out over the summer of 2008, including the renovation of the three storey Dartmouth Block to make it easily accessible for disabled students. There is now a new IT suite on the ground floor, named after the late Mr John McGrath, former Head of IT and Business Studies at the school. An extension was also built onto the Dartmouth Block during the academic year 2011-12 to house a new drama studio.