Kirkham Grammar School

Kirkham Grammar School, initially taken over by the Thirty Men of Kirkham in 1585, fell into neglect and lacked a schoolmaster for seven years in the early 1600s. It was resurrected by Isabell Birley, an alehouse owner, in 1621 when she donated £30 to the Thirty Men of Kirkham for the school's refurbishment. 

The school's sustenance was assured by the bequest of money and land by a former pupil, Henry Colburn, in 1655, and thus commenced the longstanding relationship between the Worshipful Company of Drapers in London and the school, lasting until 1944 when they renounced control of the school. 

In 1938, the Drapers enriched the school with sizeable extensions. Between 1909 and 1911, the school building was built and included a headmaster's house. However, the school temporarily ceased its independent status in 1944, converting to a voluntary-aided boys' grammar school. The Norwood Science Building, a significant extension, was added in 1965 and expanded later. 

The school reverted to an independent, co-educational status in 1979. Pupil enrolment increased from 500 to 900 in the final decade of the 20th century. In 1994, the school entered into partnership with BAE Systems. Accommodation for teenagers participating in BAE Systems' taster weeks was provided by the school in July 2013. 

The school applied to be a Pre-Games Olympic Training Camp for the 2012 London Summer Olympics. A cricket academy is run by Andrew Flintoff at the school. In recent years, several alumni have played rugby at the highest level, including Richard Wigglesworth and Kieran Brookes for the England squad, and Kieran Marmion for Ireland. Daniel Bibby, an old boy of the school, was the first to become an Olympian in 2016, earning a silver medal in the Rio Games for Great Britain in Sevens rugby.