A History of Crispin

Crispin’s existence in its current guise dates back to 1973 with the amalgamation of Elmhurst Grammar School and Strode Secondary Modern School. The new school was to be located on its present site on Church Road in Street. Crispin provided education for students aged 11 to 16 following the raising of the school leaving age in the same year.

The roots of Crispin’s predecessor schools are to be found in the earlier part of the Nineteenth Century. In 1831 a non-denominational British School was established at West End in Street. In 1859 the school moved to a site in the High Street, Street. The school catered for children aged 5 to 14. Following the 1870 Education Act the school became a Board School in 1874 which was governed by an elected school board. Following the contentious 1902 Education Act, the school became a Council School controlled by the local authority.

Elmhurst Grammar School was founded in 1920 which covered a wide catchment area including Street, Glastonbury, Somerton, Langport, and the surrounding villages.

In September 1962 the secondary aged children moved from the High Street to the newly built Strode Secondary Modern School. Strode College and Strode Theatre were built at the same time.

In 1973 comprehensive education came to Street with the aforementioned union of Elmhurst and Strode schools.

Since the mid-1970s there have been numerous additions and improvements to the school including the addition of a new English Block in 1993, the Masana Block in 2005, and the new Science Block in 2015.

2017 saw the establishment of the new House system with four houses - Corvus, Falco, Sturnus, and Tyto.

October 2020 saw the opening of the new Innovation Hub which is a three storey state of the art replacement for Practical Block.

 In 2023 Crispin became a member of the Wessex Learning Trust.

Last Updated: June 2024