Chetham's School of Music

Chetham's School of Music traces its origins to 1653, when Chetham's Hospital was founded under the will of Humphrey Chetham as a charitable school for poor boys of Manchester and the surrounding parishes. The Chetham's Hospital occupied the medieval buildings of Manchester's medieval College of Priests, immediately adjacent to Manchester Cathedral, and is the oldest charitable school in northern England. In 1969 the school transformed into Chetham's School of Music as one of the founding UK Specialist Music Schools.

The school operates today in the medieval Chetham's buildings in central Manchester and is co-educational ages 8-18 with a substantial boarding population. The Principal is Tom Redmond. The school is one of only five UK schools formally recognised by the DfE as a Specialist Music School. The school's central Manchester location and proximity to the Royal Northern College of Music produces a strong feeder relationship to the RNCM. The school operates substantial Music and Dance Scheme scholarship funding.