History of the School

Our School house was built about 100 years ago by an American family called Ubsell. In 1914 they moved out and Great Ballard School began to use the building. Just after the start of the Second World War the army needed the building and the grounds, so Great Ballard School had to move out. That school is now at Eartham near Chichester.

Meanwhile, in 1895 a boys school was started in Lee on Solent. It was originally named The Royal Naval School. But, when the Royal Navy started their own school they asked the headmaster to rename it. The headmaster was a Scotsman and he chose to rename the school Edinburgh House.

During the Second World War the boys of Edinburgh House School were evacuated to the safety of the countryside. After the war, Edinburgh House School needed to relocate and because all the boys were boarders it didn't really matter where they went. When the headmaster Mr Kefford came to Barton on Sea for a holiday he found that the army had left our buildings and the Great Ballard School didn't want to return, so he moved Edinburgh House School in.

Since then many changes have taken place. In the 1960's Edinburgh House School merged with Marchwood Park School and Gorsecliffe School. In 1995 the girls of neighbouring Fernhill Manor School, which was then 75 years old, also merged and the combined school was renamed Ballard School.