Pocklington School

Pocklington School is a co-educational private boarding and day school in Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1514 by John Dolman. The school is situated in 50 acres (20 ha) of land, on the outskirts of the small market town, 12 miles (19 km) from York and 26 miles (42 km) from Hull. It is the 67th oldest school in the United Kingdom and celebrated its 500th anniversary in 2014.^[1]

Introduction

The most common entry points are at Pre-School and Reception, at Pocklington Prep School and the First Year (Year 7), Third Year (Year 9) or Sixth Form in Pocklington School. Pupils can however be accepted for all school years subject to vacancy. All pupils are interviewed as part of the admissions process. Academic scholarships and exhibitions are offered to candidates for the First Year, Third Year and Sixth Form of Pocklington School. A limited number of Sixth Form Bursaries, worth up to 100% of the day tuition fee, are available to Sixth Form applicants.

The current head is Becky Lovelock,^[2] who took over the role in September 2025.

Pocklington School has a number of traditions, such as the year group naming convention (first year, second year, etc.). Its motto Virtute et Veritate is Latin for With courage and truth.^[3]

There are four day houses: Dolman (named after the school's founder John Dolman), Gruggen and Hutton (named after former headmasters Rev. Gruggen and Rev. Hutton) and Wilberforce (named after the 18th/19th-century anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce who attended the school).

The school has an armed forces centre, located on the edge of campus in the Annand VC Cadet Centre.^[4] The Combined Cadet Force takes part in various competitions each year and cadets can attend camps around the country.

The school sports hall is housed in the train shed of the former Pocklington railway station, designed by George Townsend Andrews.^[5] The school runs outreach programmes engaging other schools, and working in the local community, as well as an app called Chatta to improve communication among preschool children, and has won awards for this work.^[6]

The School’s alumni or “Old Pocklingtonians” includes actors, bishops, scientists and politicians.

William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce is the school's most notable pupil. He attended Pocklington School from 1771–76 and is famous as the parliamentary campaigner who brought about the abolition of the slave trade and the emancipation of slaves.^[7] A statue of a freed slave sculpted by Peter Tatham (1983–93) is in the centre of the St Nicholas Quadrangle. A bronze statue of Wilberforce as a boy, by York sculptor Sally Arnup, stands near the school foyer. Dr John Sentamu unveiled the new statue in autumn 2007, which was erected in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire.^[8] Pocklington School appeared in a television programme entitled In Search of Wilberforce, made by former BBC news presenter Moira Stuart, and first shown on BBC 2 on 16 March 2007.

Notable alumni

The school's alumni are known as "Old Pocklingtonians".^[9]

• Richard Annand , attended 1925–32, awarded the Victoria Cross in 1940 during the Battle of France. His final visit to the school was in 2002 to unveil a copy of his citation. This can be seen in the Senior School Reception entrance. The new CCF Centre, opened in 2009, is named after him.^[10]
• Scott Boswell, cricketer.^[11]
• Prof. Mark Child , attended 1947–1955, Coulson Professor of Theoretical Chemistry, Oxford.^[12]
• Sir James Cobban , attended 1920–29, educationalist, headmaster of Abingdon School, 1947–70.^[13]
• Cecil Cooper, Dean of Carlisle^[14] from 1933 to 1938.
• Martin Crimp, attended 1968–74, playwright.^[15]
• Alexandra Dariescu, attended 2002–2003, Piano soloist.^[16]
• Arthur Stuart Duncan-Jones, attended 1890–1897, Dean of Chichester for 25 years, speaker on foreign affairs and on Christian attitudes to war.^[17]
• Adrian Edmondson, attended 1969–75, co-writer/actor in Bottom and The Young Ones.^[18]
• Stewart Eldon , attended 1966–71, British Ambassador to Ireland.^[19]
• Andrew Farquhar , attended 1966–72, Major General, General Officer Commanding 5th Division, awarded the Legion of Merit by the U.S.A. in 2005.^[20]
• David H. French, archaeologist^[21]
• Sebastian Horsley, artist and writer.^[22]
• John How, attended 1894–1899, Bishop of Glasgow and Primus of the Church of Scotland. In the 1930s, he was Chaplain to George V, Edward VIII and later George VI.^[23]
• Ralph Ineson, actor and voice-over artist.^[24]
• Richard Leonard, attended 1973–80, former leader of the Scottish Labour Party.^[25]
• Stephen Maxwell, author and politician.^[26]
• Lord Moran , attended 1894–99, personal physician to Winston Churchill, author of The Anatomy of Courage and The Struggle for Survival, his personal accounts of looking after Churchill.^[27]
• Oswald Longstaff Prowde, attended 1890–1895, English civil engineer^[28]
• Robin Skelton, attended 1937–1943, poet and literary scholar.^[29]
• Sir Tom Stoppard , attended 1950–54, playwright. His portrait, presented to the school by Peter Stoppard (1949–1953), hangs in the senior school reception entrance.^[30]
• Frank Swindell, Archdeacon of Singapore^[31] 1916–1929.
• The Right Reverend Graham Usher, attended 1981–1989, Bishop of Norwich^[32]
• Alick Walker, attended 1936–1943, palaeontologist^[33]
• Peter Walker , attended 1959–68, Air Marshal, director, Joint Warfare Centre, Europe.^[34]
• Rob Webber, attended 1994–2004, England international rugby union player (hooker).^[35]
• William Wilberforce, attended 1771–1776, politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to stop the slave trade.^[7]
• Sir Dawson Williams , attended 1867–1872, consultant physician and longest-serving editor of the British Medical Journal^[36]

References

1. ^ "Photograph records Pocklington School's 500th anniversary". York Press. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
2. ^ Abbott, Will (29 October 2024). "Becky Lovelock named new Head of Pocklington school". York Press. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
3. ^ Pine, L. G. (1983). A Dictionary of mottoes. London: Routledge & K. Paul. p. 258. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
4. ^ "New centre for cadets at Pocklington School". This is Hull and East Riding. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
5. ^ Bairstow, Martin (1990). Railways In East Yorkshire. Martin Bairstow. ISBN 1-871944-03-1.
6. ^ Horner, Ed (24 April 2021). "Pocklington school celebrated with education award". York Press. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
7. ^ "Pocklington History – William Wilberforce". www.pocklingtonhistory.com. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
8. ^ "Statue unveiled – Pocklington Post". Pocklington Post. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
9. ^ "Home". Old Pocklingtonians. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
10. ^ Condell, Diana (17 January 2005). "Captain Richard Annand, VC". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
11. ^ "Another knock for luckless White". York Press. 10 July 2000. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
12. ^ Ianconescu, Reuven & Pollak, Eli (10 January 2006). "Mark Sheard Child". Molecular Physics. 104 (1): 3–9. Bibcode:2006MolPh.104....3I. doi:10.1080/00268970500464988
13. ^ "Obituary: Sir James Cobban". The Independent. 27 April 1999. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
14. ^ "Images Of Cumbria – Institution Of The Dean And Chapter Of Carlisle". www.stevebulman.f9.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
15. ^ Sierz, Aleks (November 2006). "NTQ Checklist: Martin Crimp". New Theatre Quarterly. 22 (4): 361–363. doi:10.1017/S0266464X06000546
16. ^ Beale, Robert (18 March 2014). "RNCM's award-winning graduate Alexandra Dariescu returns to Manchester". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
17. ^ "The Very Rev. A. S. Duncan-Jones". The Times. No. 53144. 20 January 1955. p. 10. ISSN 0140-0460
18. ^ Cavendish, Dominic (25 October 2022). "'The Young Ones? I think The Good Life has aged much better". The Daily Telegraph. No. 52,081. p. 9. ISSN 0307-1235
19. ^ "Transcript of interview, 2016". Churchill Archives Centre Repository. 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
20. ^ "Ex-York army chief on new challenge". York Press. 19 June 2003. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
21. ^ Mitchell, Stephen (20 April 2017). "David French obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
22. ^ "Obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
23. ^
24. ^ "Ralph's rapid rise". York Press. 6 December 2002. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
25. ^ "Old Pocklingtonian is new leader of Scottish Labour Party". Old Pocklingtonians. Pocklington School. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
26. ^ "Obituary: Stephen Maxwell, polotical activist, 69". The Scotsman. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
27. ^ "'Bitesize' Project Archive 1514 – Lord Moran". Pocklington 500. Pocklington School. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
28. ^
29. ^ Silkin, Jon (27 August 1997). "Obituary: Professor Robin Skelton". The Independent. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
30. ^ "Sir Tom opens school arts centre". York Press. 2 May 2001. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
31. ^ SGE Books Archived 3 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine
32. ^
33. ^ Benton, Michael J. & Gower, David J. (September 2002). "Alick D. Walker 1925–1999: an appreciation". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 136 (1): 1–5. doi:10.1046/j.1096-3642.1999.00022.x
34. ^
35. ^ "Back to school for Wasps star Rob Webber". York Press. 13 November 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
36. ^

External links

• Pocklington School
• Old Pocklingtonians - Link currently unavailable (Long Term)
• Composer Jason Carr's website