About the School

It all began at Easter 1980 when the owner of the former Tutorial School decided to close that school. Following ‘the announcement of closure’ a meeting took place – no one seems to know who called it, but it was at that meeting that the seeds were sown for a new school.

The first major task was finding premises, the Tutorial site having been sold for development. It was pure coincidence that, at the same time, another school closure was announced – this time a state school at Wragby. The premises were part of the Nostell Estate and Lord St. Oswald readily agreed to lease the building to the new venture.

Further accommodation was required and eventually it was discovered that Chapelthorpe Hall might be available, although it was immediately apparent that a lot of hard work would be necessary before the beautiful old house was suitable as a school – having been used for many years as a carpet warehouse. Once planning permission had been obtained a willing army of parents, teachers and friends set to work throughout the Summer so that in September, the new Wakefield Independent School was ready to open.

Most of the staff from the Tutorial School were excited and keen to be involved in the new venture – Mrs Margaret Milner was appointed Head and Mrs Muriel Ford was Head of the Junior/Infants Department.

Since those early days the School has steadily grown. The Nostell Centre was opened in 1995 and, finally, the School came together on one campus with the acquisition of the Rectory and the departure from Chapelthorpe in 1998.

The Governors are proud of the achievements of pupils and staff – particularly in relation to the recent Ofsted Inspection which shows Wakefield Independent School as 'Outstanding' in many areas.

So much has happened since that first meeting all those years ago, but we now look forward to the future with confidence and reaffirm our commitment to provide a sound education, bringing out the best in every pupil.