Trent College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school located in

Long Eaton Long Eaton is a town in the Erewash district of Derbyshire, England, just north of the River Trent, about south-west of Nottingham and some 8½ miles (13.7 km) south-east of Derby. The town population was 37,760 at the 2011 census. It ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the no ...

between

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

and

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gain ...

. Founded in 1868 as a local ’

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Co ...

alternative’ to the more famous public schools, it is now a coeducational school and a member of the

Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) is an association of the head teachers of 361 independent schools (both boarding schools and day schools), some traditionally described as public schools. 298 Members are based in the United ...

. It has over 1,000 pupils, including 760 pupils in the Senior School and 330 pupils in the Junior School (

The Elms School The Elms School is a co-educational independent boarding prep school located in Colwall, Herefordshire, England. Including its pre-prep department, it caters for children from 2 to 13 years old. The Interim Headmasters for 2022/23 are David Pea ...

). On the 28 March 2014, the governors announced that Bill Penty would be taking over as Head from September 2014 onward.

History

The foundation of Trent College was proposed in 1868 by Francis Wright at a meeting of the Midland branch of the Clerical and Lay Association. His vision was to open a boarding school for "boys of the middle class" as a more affordable alternative to the public schools, and to counter the

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

leaning of the schools set up by the Woodard Trust. The foundation stone was laid by

William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire, (27 April 1808 – 21 December 1891), styled as Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1831 and 1834 and known as Earl of Burlington between 1834 and 1858, was a British landowner, benefactor, nobleman, ...

. Today, the school still retains its ties with the Cavendish family through the Duke's descendant,

Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire Peregrine Andrew Morny Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire, (also known as "Stoker"; born 27 April 1944) is an English peer Peer may refer to: Sociology * Peer, an equal in age, education or social class; see Peer group * Peer, a member of the ...

, who is president of the Board of Governors. The school opened in April 1868 with 53 boys on roll, and, within four months, the number had risen to 118. By 1870, 225 boys were registered as pupils. The school’s initial success was hit by the outbreak of

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects child ...

in 1873 and the death of its first Headmaster, Thomas Ford Fenn, in 1883. Francis Wright was actively involved with the school until his death in 1873. In 1875, a school chapel was opened in his memory. In 1975, the school welcomed its first girls into Sixth Form following the trend set by many previously single-sex independent schools. It became fully coeducational in 1992.

Buildings and facilities

The Warner Library was built by pupils in 1929 and contained about 6500 books, fiction, non-fiction and reference materials. The Obolensky, a modern lunch hall/meeting place, was opened in February 2008 and is named after Russian Prince Alexander Obolensky, a former pupil of Trent College. A new library (a conversion of the former dining hall conserving original wood panelling) was opened in 2010 and is named 'The

Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has ...

Library' after the school's president. The former Warner Library was converted into a Computer Science lab in 2016. File:TCView.jpg, Trent from the top Sports Field File:TCLibrary.jpg, The School Library (Opened in 2010)

The Chapel

The foundation stone of the Chapel was laid after the death of Francis Wright. The building, which cost £300 and was designed by a Mr Robinson of

, has been re-modelled three times: first in 1949 by

Sir Albert Richardson Sir Albert Edward Richardson (London, 19 May 1880 – 3 February 1964) was a leading English architect, teacher and writer about architecture during the first half of the 20th century. He was Professor of Architecture at University College Lond ...

, president of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purp ...

; the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. ...

was redesigned after a new organ was installed in 1976; and finally, in 2001, the pews and lighting were replaced. The west door curtain was a part of the interior of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

at the coronation of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. The wooden collection plates are carved from olive wood from the

Garden of Gethsemane Gethsemane () is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem where, according to the four Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus underwent the agony in the garden and was arrested before his crucifixion. It is a place of great reson ...

outside

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, where

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

was arrested before his crucifixion. These were a bequest from the Broadhurst family. As an Anglican school, pupils are required to attend chapel services throughout the week. In addition, boarders are required to attend Sunday services as well.

Pastoral Care

Houses

The Trent College House system incorporates all pupils, from Year 7 right through to Year 13. Each student is allocated into one of the 5 houses which can be identified either through the colour of House ties or badges. The houses are named after prominent figures in the history of Trent college.

Tutors

Normally pupils have the same tutor in their first year (Year 7); a new tutor for their four years in Senior School and another tutor for their two years in Sixth Form. In summer 2010 the pastoral care programme was rated as 'Excellent' for Pastoral Care and 'Excellent' for Pupils Personal Development by the

Independent Schools Inspectorate The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is approved by the Secretary of State for Education – under section 106 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 – to inspect independent schools in England. These schools are members of associations ...

Boarding

Trent has been a boarding school since its foundation and welcomes pupils aged 11 and above. Each boarding house is run by a Head of House and assisted by prefects. The houses can accommodate between 30 and 54 students in single or double study bedrooms. Pupils are not required to board and most boarders generally return home for the weekend. There are four boarding houses at Trent – two houses which have boarders from ages 11–18 (Shuker for boys & Bates for girls), one girls Sixth Form only (Martin) and one boys boarding house from years 11-13 (Blake). The houses are named after prominent figures in the history of Trent college.

Co-Curricular

Music

Every year the school hosts a number of concerts which feature its music groups. Many of its students are members of ensembles outside of school, such as The Nottingham Youth Orchestra and The National Children's Orchestra. The main musical event is the Spring Concert which is held at the

Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...

annually.

Sport

Trent has a strong sporting tradition, and its athletes often compete at county and national level. The school has produced a number of successful athletes who have represented England at international level. On 29 March 2014, the Rugby 1st XV won the Natwest Cup Vase, beating Queen Elizabeth's Hospital Bristol in the Semi-Final and Exeter College in the Final.

Notable alumni

Former pupils are known as "Old Tridents" and are entitled membership of th
Old Tridents' Society
* Reginald Philip Abigail, District Commissioner of

Arakan Arakan ( or ) is a historic coastal region in Southeast Asia. Its borders faced the Bay of Bengal to its west, the Indian subcontinent to its north and Burma proper to its east. The Arakan Mountains isolated the region and made it access ...

during the fall of Burma in 1942 *

Rex Alston Rex may refer to: * Rex (title) (Latin: king, ruler, monarch), a royal title ** King of Rome (Latin: Rex Romae), chief magistrate of the Roman Kingdom People * Rex (given name), for people with the given name * Rex (surname), for people with t ...

, Cricket commentator *

Albert Ball Albert Ball, (14 August 1896 – 7 May 1917) was a British fighter pilot during the First World War. At the time of his death he was the United Kingdom's leading flying ace, with 44 victories, and remained its fourth-highest scorer b ...

VC MC,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare an ...

and

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

* John Birch, former Master of the Choristers at

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of th ...

*Sir

Howard Colvin Sir Howard Montagu Colvin (15 October 1919 – 27 December 2007) was a British architectural historian who produced two of the most outstanding works of scholarship in his field: ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 ...

, architectural historian * Harry Daft (1866 – 1945),

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

footballer * Thomas Fitton, cricketer and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

officer *

David Gillmore, Baron Gillmore of Thamesfield David Howe Gillmore, Baron Gillmore of Thamesfield, GCMG,(16 August 1934 – 20 March 1999) was a British diplomat. He retired in 1994 after a distinguished diplomatic career in which he was a leading light in John Major's extrication of the ...

* Georgia Groome, actress * Simon Hopkinson, cook and author *Reverend Kenneth Hunt,

footballer and Olympic gold medallist *

Holly Kenyon Holly Jane Kenyon (born 21 November 1980) is an English actress who won a scholarship to study at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in central Hollywood. She appeared in ''The Kindness of Strangers'' (2010) and was invited to attend the f ...

, actress * Clopton Lloyd-Jones, scorer of only goal of 1880 FA Cup Final *

Vivian MacKerrell Vivian Alan James MacKerrell (23 May 1944 – 2 March 1995) was a British actor of the 1960s and 1970s. He was the basis for the character of Withnail in the film ''Withnail and I''. Early life Vivian MacKerrell was the son of Janetta Mary Boyn ...

, actor *

Alexander Obolensky Prince Alexander Sergeevich Obolensky KStJ (russian: Александр Серге́евич Оболенский; 17 February 1916 – 29 March 1940) was a Rurikid prince of Russian origin who became a naturalised Briton, having spent most of ...

, Russian prince and rugby international *Lieutenant-Colonel

Richard Parsons Richard Parsons may refer to: * Richard Parsons (diplomat) (1928–2016), British ambassador to Hungary, Spain and Sweden * Richard Parsons (businessman) (born 1948), former chairman of Citigroup and the former Chairman and CEO of Time Warner * Ri ...

, Army

marksman A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting using projectile weapons (in modern days most commonly an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle or a sniper rifle) to shoot at high-value targets at longer ...

Kukrit Pramoj Mom Rajawongse Kukrit Pramoj ( th, คึกฤทธิ์ ปราโมช, , ; 20 April 1911 – 9 October 1995) was a Thai politician, scholar and professor. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand 1973–1974. He was ...

, thirteenth Prime Minister of Thailand *

Seni Pramoj Mom Rajawongse Seni Pramoj ( th, หม่อมราชวงศ์เสนีย์ ปราโมช, , ; 26 May 190528 July 1997) was three times the Prime Minister of Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and ...

, three times Prime Minister of Thailand *

Geoffrey Whitehead Geoffrey Whitehead (born 1 October 1939) is an English actor. He has appeared in a range of television, film and radio roles. In the theatre, he has played at Shakespeare's Globe, St Martin's Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic. Early life White ...

, actor *George Edward Ffrench (1899-1918)

Staff

Simon Hodgkinson Simon Hodgkinson (born 15 December 1962) is a former international rugby union player. He represented England at fullback between 1989 and 1991, gaining 14 Test caps. Career Hodgkinson made his debut against Romania in Bucharest in 1989 and w ...

, former England international rugby player * Abraham Shuker, cricketer and founder of the Trent Association (now called the Old Tridents' Association)Trent Association

References

External links

Trent CollegeProfile
on the

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