Nestling unobtrusively alongside St Mary’s Church at Church Green, Witney, Henry Box School presents an image of cosy tranquillity. For more than 300 years this was the town’s grammar school, and for much of that time it was for boys only. It became a comprehensive school in 1968, by which time it was also admitting girls, and is continually striving to build on the standards of excellence set by its founders, Henry and Mary Box.

Since 2001, the school has had Specialist Language College status, and in 2006 was awarded a second specialism in science and mathematics, as well as being praised by Ofsted for its “positive ethos”.

“We pride ourselves on the fact that we are still a traditional school in many ways, so we do value our history,” said Nicola Edmondson, the school’s 18th headteacher, and the first woman to hold that position. “We ensure that the children are aware of their history, and have a great sense of pride in the school. Many of our values to do with politeness and caring for others are very much traditional values.

“Unusually for a comprehensive school, we still offer Latin, so even our younger students in Year 9 will have tasters in Latin, and a number each year do Latin at GCSE and A-level. We also have some doing Ancient Greek. So it’s got that traditional element to it., Nicola explained. “At the same time we are a forward-looking school, and our strapline is ‘Building on tradition, educating for the future’. So although we’ve got this very historical sense to the school, and beautiful historical buildings, we have also very much got an eye to the future.”

The school was founded in 1660 after Henry Box bequeathed money in his will for a free school for the children of Witney. A local man and former student of Oriel College, Oxford, Box made his fortune through the grocery trade, becoming a member of the Worshipful Company of Grocers, which formed the governing body of the school until 1902. There is now a memorial to Henry Box in St Mary’s Church, where the school holds an annual Founder’s Day service.

Now the school is gearing up to celebrate its 350th anniversary with a year-long programme of events, which will emphasise not only the history of the school but also its place in Witney.

“One of the great things about the 350th celebration has been how ex-students and other people connected to the school have come forward and been really keen to get involved in reunion-type events,” said Nicola. “Many of the children’s parents and grandparents came to the school, so there is a real sense of being at the heart of the community in Witney.”

After four years in the planning, a number of exciting projects are coming to fruition. Last October saw the launch of a new book, The Henry Box School – Its Place in History, by local historian Jane Cavell, and this has been on sale in Waterstone’s and WH Smith in Witney.

“It is selling really well,” said deputy headteacher David Bell, who has been leading the anniversary celebrations. “It is structured in 50-year chapters, and within each chapter there is a history of the UK, with the history of the school as the centrepiece, plus a history of Witney. The idea was to have a coffee table book for people to dip into.”

Next month will see the official unveiling of some new stained-glass windows. “We wanted something within our buildings that would last a fair amount of time, so we commissioned a stained-glass window artist, Nicola Kantorowicz, to produce three windows, one for each 100 years of the school’s history,” David explained. “The first 100 years has an agricultural theme, the second centres on the blanket-making industry in Witney, and the third is concerned with science and technological advances.”

Another major event will be the opening of a £1.5m, state-of-the-art music facility in the autumn. “We are hoping we may have a royal visit for the opening,” said Nicola. “It is going to be fantastic and is very much needed, because the facilities we have at the moment are not really up to the job.

“It is something all the children will use and benefit from, so it is a very exciting part of what we are doing this year.”

Other projects include a production of the musical Grease in March, various sporting and musical events, and a drama production in December that will reflect the history of the school. There are also anniversary mugs, fridge magnets and keyrings, which have been marketed and sold by students of the school’s recently-formed Enterprise Academy. “We are really looking forward to the celebrations,” said Nicola. “We are hoping to get lots of children involved, so 2010 is going to be a very exciting year for the school.”

With thanks to Nicola Edmondson (headteacher), David Bell (deputy headteacher), Annabelle Houghton (coordinator of the 350th anniversary celebrations) and Selina Polcaro (publicity administrator) for help with information and pictures.