Sexey's School dates back to a
trade school which opened on 6 April 1891 with 15 boys. The first Head Master was William Albert Knight. The Head Master and the boys moved into temporary premises in a house known as 'The Glen' on Quaperlake Street in Bruton. At the end of its first year there were 40 boys at the school learning basic subjects including practical mechanics, land measuring and elementary science. The school was moved to its current site in 1892 in new buildings designed by
Norwich-based architect
George Skipper. The new buildings were formally opened on 19 April 1892. Sexey's was a
grammar school until the
Education Act 1944, after which it became a
Voluntary Controlled school. In 1991 it adopted
Grant Maintained status and in September 1999 it became a
Voluntary Aided school. It remained an all-boys school until 1977 when it became fully
co-educational. Boarding facilities were expanded in the 1980s with the building of two new boarding houses – Lisbury House and Coombe House – making Sexey's one of the largest schools of its type in the country. In 2007 there were 512 pupils. As a state boarding (and day) school, Sexey's has complex funding arrangements with both state (government funded) and independent income (for the boarding facilities). In 2013 the then
Secretary of State for Education,
Michael Gove, described Sexey's as "one of the most outstanding schools in the country," during an interview on the
Andrew Marr Show on
BBC One. In 2019 two catering managers were convicted of defrauding the school of over £16,000. In 2019, after a number of poor
Ofsted results and on the recommendation of the Regional Schools Commissioner, the school considered merging into the
Sherborne Area Schools' Trust multi-academy trust. But following extensive parental engagement by Sexey's parents, governors and government representatives who were in opposition to the move, the Sherborne Trust decided not to proceed, stating there was "not an alignment of values or partnership working with Sexey's". The Regional Schools Commissioner considered what the next step should be. Ofsted inspection visits in 2020 and 2021 found that leaders and those responsible for governance were taking effective remedial action. The school has two Ofsted 'Good' results, one for boarding (social care) and one for education. The report in January 2023 raised the school’s education grading to ‘good’ in all five areas of the inspection framework and is the third ‘good’ report the school has received following their Ofsted Social Care and SIAMS judgement. Inspectors said that “Pupils thrive at Sexey’s School. They are happy and safe. Staff know them well as individuals. Pupils recognise and appreciate this” and that “the school has high academic expectations of all pupils. Staff start from the position that all pupils can succeed.” ==Boarding==