History

Our History

In 1710 Edward Colston founded Colston's Hospital, which was originally an all-boys boarding school for '100 poor boys' located in the centre of Bristol. He tasked the Society of Merchant Venturers with the management of the school, although he visited regularly to make sure that the boys were being appropriately educated. 

In 1861, about 140 years after Colston’s death, Colston's Hospital was moved to the former Bishop's Palace in Stapleton, where the school still stands today set in over 30-acres of beautiful grounds. This forward-thinking approach from the school’s Governors explains why the school is so lucky to have all of its facilities on site today. (The original Colston's Hospital building was then demolished and a concert hall built; now The Beacon, formerly Colston’s Hall.)

Day-boys were admitted to Colston's School in 1949 and girls were later admitted to the sixth form in 1984. In 1991 the school merged with the Collegiate School, a girls' school in Winterbourne, and was named Colston's Collegiate School until 2005, when it once again became Colston's School until 2022.

In September 2022, our brilliant school officially became Collegiate School, Bristol, following a detailed name consultation process.

Today, Collegiate is a wonderfully diverse and inclusive co-educational school, with approximately 800 students, aged between 3 and 18, across our Pre-School, Prep and Senior Schools and Sixth Form.

• The beautifully-equipped Chatterton Hall can accommodate up to 190 people at any one time, for functions and events ranging from House assemblies to welcome drinks and the Sixth Form Professional Projects showcase. But did you ever wonder who it was named after? Click HERE to find out more...