Barnard Castle School

Barnard Castle School (colloquially Barney School) is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the market town of Barnard Castle, County Durham in North East England. It is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC). It was founded in 1883 with funding from a 13th century endowment of John I de Balliol and the bequest of the local industrialist Benjamin Flounders. The ambition was to create a school of the quality of the ancient public schools at a fraction of the cost, whilst accepting pupils regardless of their faith.

Originally the North Eastern County School, the name was changed in 1924, but is still generally known to the inhabitants of Barnard Castle as the "County School". The school is set in its own 50-acre (200,000 m2) grounds in Teesdale, within the North Pennines, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. An on-site prep school caters for pupils aged 4 to 11, while the senior school caters for pupils aged 11 to 18. The school was previously funded by direct grant. Founded as an all-boys school, it has been fully co-educational since 1993. There are around 750 pupils and some 195 members of staff.

Since the 1980s the school has been Britain's most successful at producing top class rugby union players. From this period it became famous for producing England international players Rob Andrew and Tony and Rory Underwood. The school has again become notable for producing over 30 club and international rugby union players since that period, including Mathew Tait, Lee Dickson and Tim Visser, and appearing in three finals of the inter-school Daily Mail Cup. Former pupils in other fields include the pharmacologist Edward Mellanby (the discoverer of Vitamin D); the industrialist Percy Mills; the fashion designer Giles Deacon and the poet Craig Raine.