History
There was probably a school associated with the Cathedral from the time of the foundation of the see in the late 7th century. Thus Hereford Cathedral School is likely to be among the oldest in England. The earliest documentary record of its existence dates from 1384 (some ten years prior to the arrival of the first scholars at Winchester College) when Bishop Gilbert appointed Richard Cornwaille as school master and authorised him to rule over the school with birch and rod. The school's library is named after Bishop Gilbert.
The school remained relatively small in size until the inter-war period. It attained direct grant status in 1945 and by 1970 had expanded to 370 pupils, all of whom were boys and many of whom were boarders. In 1973, the school became co-educational. The 1970s also saw it change back to independent status. In 1978-1979 the school was rocked by the scandal of Roger Toll, a young mathematics master who was caught spying on girl pupils in the gymnasium changing-room. After a meeting of the governors, Roger Toll was summoned to the office of the headmaster and was told that the matter would be taken no further. Roger Toll continued in his post. In 2005 the school was again rocked by the scandal of Roger Toll, who was arrested and was discovered to have secretly filmed many girls undressing: indeed, he had filmed almost every girl who had attended the school for a period of twenty-five years. The school issued a press release praising Roger Toll, who was considered to be an exemplary master in all other respects. Roger Toll was jailed for 27 months.
The school also participated in the Assisted Places Scheme after its introduction in 1980 until its abolition in 1997.
As of September 2006, Paul Smith is headmaster, succeeding the long-serving Dr. Howard Tomlinson.
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