William Hulme's Grammar School is a mixed all-through school in Whalley Range, Manchester, England. History William Hulme (1631–1691) of Hulme Hall, Stockport, was the founder of "Hulme's Charity" later known as the Hulme Trust. Following the premature death of his son, he left provision for the foundation of exhibitions for four students to study for Bachelor of Arts degrees at Brasenose College in Oxford. The income for this charity was originally £64, which came from rents and dues on his many outlying properties. Over the years, this sum grew so much that on several occasions it was necessary to extend the scope of his bequest. In 1881, the Trustees of his charity were empowered to build schools in Manchester, Oldham and Bury. The Manchester school was founded on 26 January 1887 as a grammar school. Originally named The Hulme Grammar School, in 1939 it changed its name to William Hulme's Grammar School. Until 1975 it was a direct grant school; when this scheme was abolished, it chose to become independent. In 2006, the school announced that it was joining the state sector, abolishing all tuition fees and selection. It applied for and gained academy status, making it more independent than most state schools by allowing for the selection of up to 10% of students based on aptitude in foreign languages. It is the first member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference of top independent schools to opt into the state sector. In 2007, the school announced that plans to become an Academy had been finalised and that the United Learning Trust had signed the contract. Plans for extensive building work were revealed, backed by a £10 million investment. Building work, which involved a complete renovation and extension of the Donner Block and the demolition of the Art and Design building, was completed within 2 years. In 2014, the school announced an extension to expand its capacity, including a new Preparatory building. An annual intake of 150 students was to begin from the 2015–2016 academic year. Buildings Old Building The original part of the school was designed by A. H. Davies-Colley in 1886–1887 as a large, high (up to four storeys) building of red brick and yellow terracotta. There is a hall of c.1910 in the same style. Both buildings are symmetrical. The building lies on top of a large tunnel network. In the original building, there is a ground floor