The school is situated just off the A689, and near the River Wear in the former district of Wear Valley. This is the former grammar school. In the past the lower site was the site for Key Stage 3, while the upper site was for Key Stage 4. This system no longer exists.
History
Wolsingham had two school buildings – 'Wolsingham Grammar School' on Main Road which then became Wolsingham Secondary School, with the addition of a new building opened in 1958 on the site of the school playing fields. This coincided with the abandonment of the 11+ selection process, but the school retained streaming based on ability. The original school was founded in 1614, with new grammar school buildings opening in 1911. The 1958 building has since been demolished and the old building substantially extended to accommodate all pupils.
In June 1964 12-year-old pupil Sanchia Hayes was killed when her school bus hit a lorry in Frosterley.
The school opened its new £6.4 million building in 2016 and was officially opened by the Duke of Gloucester.
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(June 2023)
John James CBOBE, town planner, Professor of Town and Regional Planning from 1967 to 1977 at the University of Sheffield
Flight Sergeant Thomas Jaye (from Crook, County Durham, 3 October 1922 - 17 May 1943) flew as a navigator with Lancaster AJ-S in the third wave of the Dambusters Raid, and died aged 21, when the aircraft was hit by flak flying to the target over Holland; all the crew died when the aircraft crashed at Gilze-Rijen Air Base at 01.53, piloted by Canadian Pilot Officer Lewis Burpee; he is buried in Bergen op Zoom War Cemetery; there is a memorial at the school, dedicated on 11 November 1998[3]