History
The foundation of Trent College was proposed In 1868 by Francis Wright at a meeting of the Midland branch of the Clerical and Lay Association. His vision was to open a boarding school for "boys of the middle class" as a more affordable alternative to the public schools. The foundation stone was laid by William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire. Today, the school still retains its ties with the Cavendish family through the Duke's descendant, Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire, who is president of the Board of Governors.
The school opened in April 1868 with 53 boys on roll and within four months, the number had risen to 118, and by 1870, 225 boys were registered as pupils. The school’s initial success was hit by the outbreak of Scarlet Fever in 1873 and the death of its first Headmaster, Thomas Ford Fenn, in 1883. Francis Wright was actively involved with the school until his death in 1873. In 1875 a school chapel was opened in his memory.
In 1975, the school welcomed its first girls into Sixth Form following the trend set by many previously single-sex independent schools. It became fully coeducational in 1992.
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