Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation

The Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation traces its origin to the medieval choir school of Durham Cathedral — recorded as operating from at least 1183, with the formal Durham School foundation dated 1414. The foundation today operates three schools: Durham School (the senior school, ages 11-18), the Chorister School at Durham Cathedral (the boys' choir of the cathedral, ages 3-13) and Bow Preparatory School (the co-educational prep, ages 3-13). The combined Foundation educates around 740 pupils. The Head Master of Durham School is Kieran McLaughlin.

The Foundation is set in the medieval precincts of Durham Cathedral — the eleventh-century Romanesque cathedral built over the shrine of St Cuthbert, the great Northern English saint, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. The cathedral close is among the most beautifully preserved medieval ecclesiastical sites in England.

The schools are members of the HMC, the Cathedral Schools Association and the IAPS, and inspected by the ISI. The Cathedral choral tradition produces a strong musical programme — Durham Cathedral Choristers' School trains the boys of the Cathedral choir, one of the foremost cathedral choirs in the country. Senior School pupils benefit from a strong feeder relationship to Durham University — the third-oldest English university (founded 1832, after Oxford and Cambridge), located in the same medieval precincts as the Cathedral and the school.

The Foundation operates a substantial bursary programme intended to preserve the founding cathedral-school principle of educational access for the boys and girls of County Durham regardless of family means.