Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School is a co-educational state grammar school for pupils aged 11–18 with boarding provision for boys, located in Newport, Shropshire. As of 2024, boarding fees are £14,553 per year for years 7-11 and £15,954 per year for Sixth Form. Haberdashers' Adams was founded in 1656 by William Adams, a wealthy member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers (one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London). In July 2022, the school announced that it would become fully co-educational, starting from September 2024.
History
Haberdashers' Adams was founded in 1656 by Alderman William Adams,www.british-history.ac.uk a wealthy City of London merchant and haberdasher, who was born in Newport. Adams had no children and never married, so therefore decided to leave a bequest for the foundation of the school, which was first opened on 25 March 1656, during the politically unstable and volatile period of the English Interregnum. Having received permission from Oliver Cromwell to found the school, Adams sought to further ensure the school's continued existence by appointing the Master and Wardens of the Haberdashers' Company as governors in perpetuity. As one of the few schools founded during the Interregnum period, the school's articles of foundation were reconfirmed by a private act of Parliament the (12 Cha. 2. c. 12 ), upon the Restoration of the Monarchy; a copy of which is held in the school archives.
Adams endowed the school with a large agricultural estate at Knighton in Staffordshire,www.haberdashersarms.com providing income for future generations. The act establishing the school made the land exempt from land taxes (tithes and rates) until 1990. The school was endowed with 1,400 books soon after its foundation, which at the time represented one of the largest school libraries in England. Only seven of these books are still in the school's ownership, with the rest having been sold at various times when the school has suffered financial hardship.
The Knighton estate was eventually sold off in several portions over the course of the 20th century, and the proceeds of the final sale were used by the Haberdashers' Company to purchase Longford Hall as a boarding house for the school.
Haberdashers' Adams developed slowly, and did not expand beyond its original building, now known as Big School, until the turn of the last century, when Main School (also known as the S-Block) was built in the 1920s. Over the course of the next 90 years Adams' expanded rapidly, acquiring a number of buildings on Lower Bar in Newport for use as boarding houses; this in turn greatly expanded the school's town centre site. In the 1960s a new science block, connected to Main School was built, whilst a senior boarding master's house was created on land adjacent to Big School. During this period the school also built a new gymnasium, which was subsequently converted into a theatre in the mid-2000s. It has since been converted into a Sixth Form Common area following the construction of the new music block.
During the First World War, 362 Old Novaportans (former pupils) served in the Armed Forces, of whom 45 died and 77 survived with injuries. After the War a memorial fund was set up to assist the sons of the deceased, and an appeal raised £1,000. A tablet listing those who died was unveiled in the Main School building in 1921. In 1948, the Old Boys' Club erected another tablet alongside this to those who died in the Second World War. Both memorials are now displayed in the School Library.
In the modern era, the school's status has been expressed in a number of statutory arrangements. In 1950 the school became a voluntary aided school then after a brief spell as a grant-maintained school in the 1980s, Adams again faced the threat of closure or conversion to co-educational comprehensive status in the early 1990s; this was avoided by a successful campaign, organised by parents and governors, against the wishes of Shropshire County Council. In the late 1990s and 2000s Haberdashers' Adams again enjoyed voluntary-aided status; throughout its history the Haberdashers' Company has been key in supporting the school's vision and offering financial support for some of the more ambitious construction projects.
In the late 1950s, 2 girls from the local state school informally attended Science 6th form classes (qualification posted by male attendee at those same classes). In 1993, girls were admitted to the sixth form for the first time, bringing to an end Haberdashers' Adams' long tradition of educating boys only. The 1990s also saw the construction of the Wood and Taylor Centres for the study of design technology and maths. The Maths block has since been changed to an English block following the construction of the new Paddock block, reflecting the school's status in the later 1990s as a technology college. In the early 2000s, the school began to raise funds for the construction of a new state-of-the-art sports hall and fitness suite to replace dilapidated facilities. The Paddock Block was constructed in 2019 to contain Maths, Art and a new hall was built to accommodate the expansion of the school to include the new Sa'adu house.
In 2002, a history of the school by former headmaster David Taylor and his wife, Ruth, was published.
The late 2000s saw the school celebrate its 350th anniversary (in 2006), completion of a new science block and conversion of the former gymnasium into a performing arts centre (this, in turn, was converted into a Sixth Form Centre, which opened in 2013). The dilapidated music department was condemned for health and safety reasons in 2006; The Coach House, on Salters Lane, which backs onto the school grounds, was acquired by the Haberdashers' Company and converted into a new music department, which opened in 2013 alongside the new Sixth Form Centre.
In 2007, Haberdashers' Adams' Federation Trust (HAFT) was created in order to join Adams' Grammar School with the re-built Abraham Darby School (which later became Haberdashers' Abraham Darby Academy) in a loose federation. Under this trust, both schools would share the same board of governors. In September 2011, Adams' Grammar School was converted into an academy under the 2010 Academies Act and the federation was amended so that both schools would be combined under the ownership of HAFT. HAFT was later renamed as Haberdashers' West Midlands Academies Trust. In September 2023, the Haberdashers' West Midlands Academies Trust was joined by Castle House School, an independent preparatory day school in Newport, which subsequently became known as Haberdashers' Castle House.
In 2014, the school was publicly criticised by a former pupil who claimed that there was a culture of racism, sexism, and homophobia among students and staff and that "the fundamental doctrine that Adams' taught was that we should define ourselves by our perceived superiority to others". This was disputed strongly by the school's headmaster along with a number of former students.
In 2018, headmaster Gary Hickey changed the school's name from Adams' Grammar School to Haberdashers' Adams. This was reportedly done in order to reflect the school's "historic links" with the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.
In 2023, a decision was announced that girls would be admitted into year 7 for the first time, and in September 2024, the first intake of year 7 girls started studying at the school.
Admissions and performance Haberdashers' Adams is a selective school which admits both boarding and day pupils.
Academic performance In 2022, Haberdashers' Adams was downgraded to Good by Ofsted. Ofsted noted that the "effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement" and that staff "are not receiving effective regular supervision". The school was not compliant with regard to a number of safeguarding principles, including failure to fulfil the basic safer recruitment of staff and volunteers. In relation to the boarding provision, Ofsted recognised in February 2026 that the school meets all the national minimum standards for boarding schools and meets the requirements for the grading: good. “Boarders told inspectors that they enjoy boarding and feel happy and safe”. The school has been scored as average with a Progress 8 score of −0.02 by the Department for Education.
School life
The headteacher is Daniel Biggins, who began in the role in September 2025. Before this, Gary Hickey was the headteacher for over a decade.
House system Haberdashers' Adams has an extra-curricular house system which is the basis of inter-house sports competitions. Houses are named after Shropshire-born notables.
Owen House, named after the poet Wilfred Owen, was called Clive House after Clive of India until 2021 when it was renamed after criticism of Clive. Darwin House, named after Charles Darwin. Talbot House, named after John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury. Webb House, named after merchant naval officer and swimmer, Captain Matthew Webb. Sa'adu House, formed in the school year starting 2021, named after NHS worker and former pupil who died in the COVID-19 pandemic, Alfa Sa'adu.
House events include the House Music Competition; Dixon Cup, which covers drama and public speaking; Smedley Cup and House 7s, which are both rugby competitions; and other sports competitions such as House Cross Country and House Swimming. Intra-house geography, history, poetry and languages competitions also take place.
Boarding houses and student leadership
The school owns a number of dedicated boarding houses. The present junior hall (Longford Hall) is located by the school's playing fields about a mile away. In 2017 the Haberdashers' enabled the school to purchase and re-furbish Beaumaris Court, a former care home, to become the school's new senior boarding house, Beaumaris Hall. This new facility replaced the three senior boys' boarding houses which were situated in large Georgian townhouses facing the High Street.
Longford Hall was built in 1785 for Colonel Ralph Leeke, political agent to the British East India Company; the building was designed by Joseph Bonomi, who was an associate of Robert and James Adam.
The hall is located on top of a low rise and overlooks farmland towards the Lilleshall Monument. As with many such buildings, the first 100 feet in front of the hall comprises manicured grass, bordered by a ha-ha to prevent animals from entering; today the ha-ha is best known amongst pupils for forming a part of the school's annual house cross-country course. There are a small series of formal gardens, including a "Quad". Behind the hall is a selection of buildings around a central square including a dovecote, once part of the estate's home farm.
Upon entry into the school in year 7, boarders are assigned to dormitories; upon moving to Beaumaris Court boys are assigned to double or, in some cases, single rooms, when these are available.
Combined Cadet Force The Haberdashers' Adams CCF is available to year 8 students and above, as a result of which the school sends many officer candidate students to Sandhurst and Royal Air Force College Cranwell. The CCF also plays a role in Newport civic life, parading every year on Remembrance Sunday. The CCF recruits each new school year in September or October from year 8 and, demand permitting, the Lower Sixth. Cadets generally pass out in May or June of the same year.