Thanks to the local philanthropist Henry Perin, Perins School has been educating the youth of Alresford for over 300 years and is one of the oldest schools in the county.  Henry Perin died in 1696 leaving funds in his will to build a school in Alresford to educate “19 poor men’s sons”.  He stipulated that 6 boys should come from New Alresford, 5 from Old Alresford, 4 from Bishops Sutton and 4 from Cheriton.  The school was founded in 1698 and a group of trustees, the rectors from the four parishes, was established to oversee the school.

The school was built on the corner of West Street and The Dean in Alresford. The building still stands and is now home to the Shapla Indian restaurant.  Perins moved to its current location in 1910 having outgrown the original building though this continued to be used for borders.  The new Perins School provided 7 new classrooms including a science laboratory and was seen as a major development in education.

The school has developed and grown significantly since then with the addition of new facilities and more classroom blocks which have been added over the years.  The school’s latest additions are a purpose-built Maths block, which opened in the spring of 2014, and the Perins Cafe which was completed in January 2016.

Perins’ history reflects the progression of education through the ages as it has changed to meet society’s needs.  Over the coming years, our aim is for Perins School to be at the cutting edge of educational reform as we seek to perfect what we do best – developing well-rounded individuals ready to make their way in the world.

The School also saw a change in Headteacher in September 2015 and welcomed Mr Steve Jones to Perins. With Mr Jones’ arrival came many new initiatives and a new ethos for the school, including the introduction of the new House system.  The houses; Ventus, Ignis, Terra and Aqua stand for VITA which is the Latin for ‘Life’.

Perins School has changed its name nine times since it was founded in 1698 yet it has always been referred to locally, simply as ‘Perins’. Today Perins School is a comprehensive school for students aged 11-16 with 1,180 students on roll.  Perins converted to academy status in August 2011.