About St Birinus School
St Birinus School traces its origins to the significant expansion of Didcot in the early twentieth century. The town’s first senior provision, Didcot Senior School, opened in 1931 on a site off Manor Crescent at a cost of £10,160. Designed for pupils aged 12 to 15, the school initially comprised six classrooms serving 240 children from Didcot and its surrounding villages, later expanding with two additional rooms. Educational expectations at the time reflected prevailing social attitudes: while a small number of academically gifted pupils secured scholarships to private schools in nearby Wallingford and Abingdon, it was widely believed that the town’s predominantly working-class population required a practical and modest education.
Didcot’s rapid population growth in the early 1930s soon placed unsustainable pressure on local schools. By July 1934, the Didcot Post reported that both the elementary and senior schools were heavily oversubscribed, with 422 pupils occupying buildings designed for only 360. The response was the planned development of two new schools on Mereland Road: a boys’ school, which would would become St Birinus, and a primary school known as Greenmere (now Willowcroft).
The County Council purchased land on Mereland Road in February 1932 from Robert Rich at a cost of £100 per acre, having been priced out of sites closer to the railway station where land values had reached £10–£12 per square foot. Construction of the new boys’ school began in spring 1935, and it officially opened on 2 October 1936. The purpose-built site included six classrooms, specialist rooms for woodwork, science and art, and an assembly hall, providing accommodation for 320 pupils with scope for future expansion.
As part of a wider administrative decision, pupils were divided by gender, a structure that would shape secondary education in Didcot for decades. Mr E. L. Hutchings, headmaster of Didcot Senior School, transferred to lead the new boys’ school alongside eight staff, while Miss M. Edwards was appointed head of the girls’ school with a team of seven teachers.
An inspection report from 1939 records a curriculum that combined traditional subjects such as English, reading, arithmetic and science with practical courses including poultry keeping. Science teaching at the time was largely centred on plant cultivation and animal husbandry. During the Second World War, the boys’ school played a vital role within the community, accommodating approximately 250 evacuees. Pupils also contributed directly to the war effort, including the care of three pigs kept on site.
The girls’ school was named St Frideswide, after the founder of the abbey that later became Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. Didcot Girls’ Grammar School opened on the Cockcroft site in 1958, and in 1973 the girls’ schools merged to form today’s Didcot Girls’ School. In 1951, the boys’ school formally adopted the name St Birinus, in honour of the first Bishop of Dorchester-on-Thames.
Today, St Birinus School is a thriving all-boys secondary school with a strong sense of tradition and a clear commitment to the future. The school maintains the highest expectations for both students and staff, guided by its core values of Inspiring Excellence through Care, Courtesy and Commitment. These principles underpin a calm, orderly and supportive learning environment in which academic achievement is valued alongside character, leadership, good manners and contribution to the wider community.
Alongside strong academic outcomes, recognised by Ofsted as a “Good” school in its February 2025 inspection, St Birinus offers a broad and rich curriculum and an extensive programme of extra-curricular activities. Sport, the arts and enrichment opportunities play a central role in school life, ensuring that pupils develop as well-rounded young men prepared for modern society. Close links with local employers, including those associated with the nearby Harwell Science Campus, support a strong careers and leadership programme.
As part of the Ridgeway Education Trust, St Birinus works in close partnership with Didcot Girls’ School and shares a joint Sixth Form, reinforcing collaboration across the local educational community. While rooted firmly in its history, St Birinus remains a modern, forward-thinking school, proud of its pupils, its staff and its enduring contribution to education in Didcot.