History of Temple Grove

Temple Grove was founded in 1810 by the Rev. Dr. William Pearson, a school fellow of the poet William Wordsworth and a friend of the Prime Minister, Spencer Percival, murdered in 1812.  It was originally located in East Sheen, south-west of London, in a mansion named for its previous owner, Sir John Temple.  Among its pupils in the early years were two sons of the 1st Duke of Wellington; the Marquess of Dalhousie, later Viceroy of India; A.C. Benson, author of “Land of Hope and Glory”; M.R. James, writer of ghost stories and Provost of Eton College; Lord Grey, Britain’s longest serving Foreign Secretary (1905-1916); and wartime air ace Sir Douglas Bader.

 

In 1907, the school had moved to the healthier surroundings of Eastbourne and in 1935 it moved again to Heron’s Ghyll, in Ashdown Forest, East Sussex.  In the 20th century, the distinctive ethos of Temple Grove, its charismatic headmasters and staff and its setting in a rural idyll all played a formative role in inspiring the young imaginations of many who went on to achieve success in their chosen fields, including Pen Hadow (polar explorer), Mark Pougatch (sports commentator) and Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP (former Chancellor of the Exchequer).  But boarding prep schools fell out of fashion and, unable to attract enough pupils, the school was forced to close in 2004 after 194 years.

 

The Trustees and former pupils of Temple Grove school, of which current Chairman Nigel Prescot is one, were determined that the spirit of Temple Grove would continue, in a different form and with a contemporary role, into its third century.  Re-born as Temple Grove Schools Trust, they defined a new mandate of inspiring excellence in schools in disadvantaged areas, sharing best practice between all sectors of primary education.

 

In 2007, the Trust enabled the creation of three primary academies by co-sponsoring with the Haberdashers’ Livery Company the conversion of three community schools in south-east London; these have grown to five academies.  In 2012, the Trust sponsored the conversion of Sherwood Park Community School in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, into Temple Grove Academy, raising its performance from Ofsted “Special Measures” to “Good”; in 2024, Temple Grove Academy joined the Skinners’ Academies Trust.

 

In 2024, the Trust entered into a partnership with Farmington Institute to promote Teacher Scholarships and Headteacher Forums, with the aim of promoting excellence in pedagogy in the primary phase of education.  In these ways, the Trustees are building on the ethos of the old Temple Grove school in new forms into the 21st Century.