The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools. Located in the precincts of Westminster Abbey in central London, and with a history stretching back beyond the 12th century, the school's notable alumni include Ben Jonson, Robert Hooke, Christopher Wren, John Locke, Jeremy Bentham, and A. A. Milne. Boys are admitted to the Under School at age seven, and to the senior school at age thirteen; girls are admitted only at sixteen. The school has around 750 pupils; around a quarter are boarders, most of whom go home for the weekends, after Saturday morning school. It is one of the original nine English public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868.
