Beginnings Ruthin School was founded in the wake of Edward I's conquest of Wales. Whilst the precise date of the foundation is not certain, Keith Thompson argues in his history of the school that 1284 is the most likely date and
Reginald de Grey the most likely founder. In any event, it is clear from the
Taxatio Ecclesiastica of 1291 that a collegiate church and school existed at Ruthin by that date. Evidence of Ruthin School in the subsequent centuries is sparse. Surviving documents such as a
Confirmatio of 1314/1315 which recognised the existence, rights and liberties of "
collegio de Ruthin fundato per Reginald de Grey" indicate the existence of the School but nothing more is known of the size of the establishment. Following
Owain Glyndŵr's attack on Ruthin in September 1400, it appears that the collegiate church, and presumably also the school, continued to function unscathed until the dissolution of the former in 1535. Evidence for the school's continuation over the following decades is sketchy, but it is known that in 1561 the tithes of the sinecure of
Llanelidan were applied to the use of the school, which suggests that pupils at that time would have been from local homes.
Re-foundation In 1574,
Gabriel Goodman, the
Dean of Westminster and an
Old Ruthinian, built a two-storey, limestone building to house the school in the shadow of the Church. The school appears to have prospered, and in 1595 Dean Goodman successfully petitioned Queen
Elizabeth I to grant the tithes of Llanelidan to the school in perpetuity. Following its refoundation, the grammar school educated the sons of local gentry, including the
Grosvenor,
Kenyon and Trevor families. Former pupils included
Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon and
Sir John Trevor sometime
Master of the Rolls and Speaker of the
Speaker of the House of Commons. Prior to the relocation, the
Manorhaus was a boarding house for the school.
Relocation and twentieth-century In 1893 the school moved from the immediate vicinity of the church to a building designed by
John Douglas on its site on the eastern outskirts of the town. In 1923 Lord Kenyon opened the Memorial Cricket Pavilion to honour those Old Ruthinians who had died during the
First World War. As the century progressed, the demand for places increased, and in 1949 Bishop Wynne House was inaugurated. Just over a decade later, a new school hall comprising a refectory, kitchens, classrooms, and a theatre were constructed. Expansion continued, and in 1971 a preparatory department was established in the former Archbishop Williams' house. The quatercentenary of the School's re-foundation was commemorated by the launch of plans for the construction of a new wing consisting of dormitories, a music room, classrooms, locker rooms and other facilities, plans which culminated in 1980. The School's septcentenary was commemorated by a visit of
Queen Elizabeth II, the School's
Visitor, and the
Duke of Edinburgh on 16 March 1984 when a clock in the central tower was unveiled.
Twenty-first century On the hundredth anniversary of the school's relocation, the Hall was further extended and in 2006 the Hewer Hall, a sports facility, was opened by
The Princess Royal.
Controversies The school attracted national attention in February 2017, after leaked emails from the Principal (addressed to the students and parents) concerning a crackdown on behaviour caused controversy. The principal stated that he wished to expel students who engaged in romantic relationships and/or give them inferior references for university admissions, stating that he would "always" "definitely" give a worse reference; and that he would "not hesitate" to expel students who engaged in sexual activity. After the e-mails were released, Belfield released a contradictory statement that if the student was making high marks, he would not reduce the quality of his or her recommendations even if he or she was dating. It was discovered Belfield was trying to engage in relationships with several students after hundreds of sexualised text messages that he had sent to the school's female pupils emerged. He complimented his students 'breasts' and asked about their 'virginities', as well as boasting about how he used to meet students abroad. In January 2020, following an unannounced inspection, Care Inspectorate Wales, which oversees the welfare and safeguarding of children, published a damning report on "inadequate" policies and procedures that are in breach of discrimination and human rights laws, stating "serious shortfalls" meant pupils are "not appropriately safeguarded". In the years following the 2020 inspection, Ruthin School introduced a number of changes to address safeguarding, governance, and academic provision. This included adjustments to pastoral structures and a review of leadership and operational procedures. The school has continued to deliver strong academic results and retains a significant international boarding population. More recent developments have included the introduction of additional subject options at GCSE and A Level, an expanded co-curricular programme, and ongoing work towards accreditation with High Performance Learning (HPL), an educational framework designed to support academic and personal development.
Buyout Ruthin School was acquired by Ruthin Education Limited, a new company formed in early 2023, with Chinese businesswoman and philanthropist Shangmei Gao leading the takeover, though she and other initial directors soon resigned from the specific school company, with the school's operations transferring to this new entity under a new board, maintaining its international focus, particularly strong ties with China, and its independent, co-educational status with new leadership. ==Traditions==