Old Truronians

26/08/2026

We welcomed brothers Ian and Richard Forbes-Hamilton back to Truro School Prep over the summer. Ian attended the Prep from the late 1980s before moving up to Year 7, while Richard attended from the late 1980s until 1992. They were joined by their sister, Fiona, who was also due to join her brothers at the School, but the family relocated to Devon before she could start.

Ian and Richard have many fond memories of their time at the School, including lessons in the Design and Technology classrooms, swimming lessons, playing in the adventure playground, computer lessons and much more. Their memories were brought to life by the many photographs and journals their parents kept throughout their childhood.

Today, both Ian and Richard have creative careers. Ian is a game accessibility specialist, while Richard is an interdisciplinary artist.

During the tour, they took the opportunity to recreate an old photo from their mum's photo album!

25/08/2026

It was wonderful to welcome Mr Martin Palmer (Director of Music 2004-2022) back to view the new Music Centre where the Music Department will now be based, for the first time recently. Martin was toured by the Head, Mr Johnson, and the current Director of Music, Mr Osmond.

Martin retired as Director of Music in 2022, leaving behind a department he transformed into one of the largest and busiest in the South West. He arrived in 2004 and over the years, was also joined by his children at the School: his daughter Sofie CO22 and sons Thomas CO24 and Benjamin CO26 are all Old Truronians.

After training, Martin worked across three well-regarded London schools. The Royal Grammar School Guildford, King’s College School Wimbledon, and Forest School, before the pull of open countryside brought him west. Meeting then-Head Paul Smith (TS 2001–2012) during an interview sealed the decision, and Martin arrived at Truro School in 2004, sensing an opportunity to build something of his own.

He admits he can’t recall his actual first day. By the time he started, he had already made several visits to meet the county’s musical figures.

Read the full article via the link below 👇

25/08/2026

Professor Nigel Nayling visited the school recently with his wife Ana. Nigel had travelled from West Wales, where he now lives, en route to Cádiz, Spain for work. He attended Truro School firstly as a day pupil and then as a boarder from 1967 to 1977, at the same time as his brothers Kevin CO75 and Simon CO78.

After leaving Truro School, Nigel told us that he moved to Orkney for work before returning to education at Durham University and the University of Bradford to study Archaeology (BA) and Archaeological Science (MA). What followed was a 20-year career in the field, before a transition into academia.

Nigel is a prominent British archaeologist and tree-ring dating expert (dendrochronologist), and is now an Honorary Professor at Swansea University, having spent over 26 years at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David as a Professor of Archaeology.

He specialises in maritime archaeology, using tree-ring analysis to date, source and understand historical shipwrecks worldwide. He is widely recognised for his leading role in the post-conservation analysis and reassembly of the 15th-century Newport Medieval Ship, as well as his collaborative research on major international projects such as the ForSEAdiscovery initiative and several high-profile Iberian shipwrecks.

24/08/2026

Jason Webb CO87 took the opportunity to visit the school whilst on holiday in Cornwall with his wife Carolyn recently. Jason attended Truro School as a day pupil – starting at Treliske in 1976 before attending Senior until 1987. He told us that whilst at school he lived in Falmouth where his parents owned and operated St Michael’s Hotel. He lived on-site there during their working years.

Jason’s memory was incredible during his tour, as he recalled a good number of very humorous stories from his school days involving his friends and former teachers, the names of all his class, his teachers’ names, and even remembered exactly which cars some of the teachers owned at that time!

After leaving, Jason went to the University of Westminster to study town planning before finding a career with HM Customs and Excise.

24/08/2026

"The results speak for themselves." A brilliant story that captures one of the most successful fencing pathways in the UK. As Truro Fencing Club enters an exciting new chapter, Old Truronians Maria Chart CO17, Will Deary CO15 and Max Cromie CO21 offer powerful evidence of why Truro School continues to be recognised as one of Britain’s leading centres for fencing.

If you would like to find out more about our fencing programme, scholarships or boarding opportunities, please get in touch with our friendly Admissions Team on 01872 246062 or email [email protected].

19/08/2026

On behalf of Old Truronian Tim Ball CO88, we wish to share the information and link to his fundraising page for MND Association.

In October last year, his close friend, and Old Truronian, Joff Machell CO88 was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, which came as a big shock to him and his family.

Tim is taking on the challenge to run 60 miles in August.

In October last year, my close friend, Joff Machell, was diagnosed with MND. This came as an huge shock to him and his family. Instead of letting the disease defeat him, Joff decided to fight it, to be positive and to focus his energy into raising awareness of the MNDA and the great work that they a...

14/08/2026

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! The Development and Alumni Relations Team looks forward to following you on your journey, whatever your next steps are! 🎓

14/08/2026

The Truro School Golf Society enjoyed its most successful gathering to date, welcoming 38 golfers to Carlyon Bay Golf Club for the Society’s fifth annual year on the fairways.

Expertly organised by Glynn Hooper, the event brought together a fantastic mix of current pupils, staff, Old Truronians and friends of the School. The record attendance reflects the growing popularity of the Society and the relaxed sense of community it continues to promote.

Played in a Texas Scramble format, the competition allowed golfers of all abilities to enjoy the day, with plenty of teamwork, friendly rivalry and good humour. With sunshine throughout and Carlyon Bay looking at its best, players enjoyed excellent conditions and spectacular coastal views.

⛳️ Read the full article and view all the photos via the link in the comments 👇

13/08/2026

With so much amazing progress at the new Music Centre, we are now looking ahead to the next phase of its life with excitement, as we will soon be able to start hosting incredible musical events and performances.

But we want to bring Old Truronians on this journey too - and so we want to know 🎼 where has music taken you?🎤

We would love to know where music has taken any musical Old Truronians to build a picture of where you are in the world and if music has played a part in that.

If you feel able to share your musical journey, if you studied music in some way whilst at Truro School, or even remember any music teachers who inspired you, we would love to celebrate what you have experienced and to showcase the importance of music education.

Complete the short survey linked in the comments below👇

12/08/2026

The Truro School Art Collection holds almost 300 works by artists who have been hugely influential in the international art world and is a true asset to the institution. Today the Collection continues to be a brilliant educational resource for students at the School, as well as a source of intrigue and inspiration for artists and art enthusiasts across the Cornish and wider community. David Heseltine, former Head of Art (1976-2005), had the insight to begin the Collection in the 1980s to build a resource for all students to learn from ‘real art’.

Included in the Collection are two paintings by Tom Cross, a well-known painter, teacher, and writer. His work spans over 60 years and moves between realism and abstraction, with paintings being completed in Cornwall, Wales, France and Italy – to name a few. Tom also held several educational positions during his career, culminating in Principal of the Falmouth School of Art from 1976-1987. It was during this time that his son and Old Truronian, David Cross CO79, joined Truro School for Sixth Form following the family’s relocation to Cornwall.

The Tom Cross collection is now owned and managed by David and his wife Carol. Mr Heseltine, Mrs Roberts (current Teacher of Art) and Amanda from the Development and Alumni Relations Team were privileged to a viewing of the collection at David’s home recently. The visit offered an opportunity for a moment to reflect on Mr Heseltine’s connection with Tom Cross, how Tom had seen the value of the Truro School Collection and, as a result, had so kindly donated his paintings to be studied by Truro School art students in perpetuity.

Tom Cross’ painting, Road to River, was one of many pieces that were exhibited at the Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery in 2024, which provided an elegant setting for the Collection and an opportunity for the wider community to view such important works of art that have been educating Truro School art students for almost 50 years.