On 22nd October, 1924, the Foundation Stone of Varndean School's building was laid. The Brighton Municipal Secondary School for Girls at York Place was on the brink of moving from it's small original home, to the school's current site on Balfour Road. The move was to bring a new name and numerous advantages to the pupils and staff, notably a spacious new building complete with a hall, gym and dedicated subject rooms, not to mention the expansive playing fields and school grounds.
From the laying of the Foundation Stone it took a year and three-quarters to turn a dream into a reality and, on Friday 4th June, 1926, Varndean School was formally opened by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education, the Duchess of Atholl.
To mark 100 years of Varndean School on this site we are holding a series of events to commemorate our school community over the years:
Visit to The Keep, 22nd October, 2024
To mark 100 years since the laying of the Foundation Stone we took some students to The Keep, where we looked at photographs, uniform items and some key record books. Many thanks to Andrew and Lynn from The Keep for assisting us. Please see more photos below.
New School Podcast
We are launching a brand new official school podcast featuring past and present connections. If you have any fond memories of your time at Varndean and you would like to feature in the podcast or would like to find out more, please get in touch!
Guest Speakers
If you would like to come in to speak with us and current students, please get in touch.
More events will follow as we approach the anniversary of the opening of Varndean School.
For more information on the history of our school please see the History and Alumni page:
