Each pupil is assigned to a house – Darcy, Rokeby, Beresford or Armstrong – which are named after former Church of Ireland Archbishops. Successive Archbishops have chaired the Board of Governors for over four centuries. In 2008, the Royal School celebrated its quatercentenary along with the four other 1608 Royal Schools. To mark the occasion, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the school. A history of the 1608 Royal Schools was produced in the same year by former Headmaster, Mr Thomas Duncan.