Birmingham Blue Coat School  The Blue Coat School is a preparatory school in Birmingham, England for children aged 2 to 11. It has 15 acres of gardens and playing fields. There are three sections to the school - Buttons Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep. The school was founded in 1722 as a charity school under the guidance of Reverend William Higgs, Rector of St Philip's Church, now Birmingham Cathedral. At its outset, it provided food, clothing and education to 32 boys and 20 girls from poor families, aged between nine and 14. The school was originally located at 5 St Philip's Place (formerly the Prudential Assurance building). The old school site is now commemorated by a blue plaque. In 1930, it moved from the northeast corner of St. Philip's Square to new buildings designed by Henry Walter Simister at its current location on Somerset Road, on the border between Edgbaston and Harborne. During the 1880s, the older boys were instructed in phonology by Marie Bethell Beauclerc, a pioneer in the teaching of shorthand. John D Myhill. "Blue Coat: A History of the Blue Coat School, Birmingham, 1722-1990". Meridian Books, 1991.