Wray Endowed is an unusual primary school in North Lancashire, because it is not a church school, though it enjoys excellent relationships with both the Parish Church and the Methodist Chapel.  It has had a Board of Trustees ever since 1684 under Richard Pooley’s will.

The Trustees own the school buildings, and hold a certain amount of money which they invest as wisely as they can and use the interest for the benefit of the pupils of the school.  These days this mainly takes the form of a grant (currently £130) to every child who leaves for the secondary school, provided that they have been at Wray School or at least two years.  There is also a fund under another donor’s name which currently awards £100 to every young person who has received the first grant, if and when they go into a degree course at a college or university.  The Trustees can with the permission of the Charity Commissioners use capital when it is really needed, and under this heading they supported the building of the additional two classrooms to the tune of £10,000.

The old instrument of trusteeship dated from 1884 (the second date over the school door) and was hopelessly out of date, since for instance it assumed that the Trustees were also the ‘School Managers’, and could hire and fire staff and dictate the curriculum.

The present Board of Trustees has been locked in a correspondence with the Charity Commissioners for the last five years, seeking to modernise the instrument of government (the mills of God have nothing on the Charity Commissioners when it comes to speed of action).  At last it is complete, accepted, and in action.  A copy will be kept by the School office for any one to read if they wish.

The important clause concerns the make-up of the Board.  There are six members: two representing the ratepayers of Wray, one each representing the ratepayers of Roeburndale, the Parish Church, the Methodist Chapel, the School.   In addition the Board can co-opt two other members.   Each trustee holds office for five years.

The current board consists of the following people:

The dates shown mark the end of each person’s five year term, when they come up for re-election or replacement.  The Trustees propose to use the Wrayly Mail and the village notice-boards to advertise the fact with relation to those Trustees for whom there is no established body – that is, the three representatives of local ratepayers.  In the event of more than one person wishing to stand, an election will be arranged.

                                                                                                  Robert Partington

                                                                                                  Chairman

                                                                                                  Trustees of Wray Endowed School