Our History

St. John’s School was founded 1858, it consisted of a small wooden building divided into two halves one half was used as the ‘school house’, the residence of the Head Mistress and the other half used by the school children. It was known as St. John's National School, Clay Hill.

 

In 1876 the school was placed under the education scheme, this entailed appointing a new head teacher and refurbishment of the school building. In June 1880 the school inspectors thought ‘the school to be in efficient working order. The children read and write credibly but are weak in arithmetic and the infant class is rather backward’, although the inspector was extremely pleased with the school’s choir.

 

In 1888, work began with the construction of a new school building that was completed 1889. In 1899, the attendance register shows that there were 50 senior and 38 infants at the school. In the early part of the 1900's, a grant was given to school amounting to 22 shillings for the seniors and 17 shillings for the juniors, although there is no indication as to what it was to be spent on.

 

In 1961 the school was described as a two-teacher school with the pupils varying in number from 30 to 40. The building had one large room for the juniors, a small room for the infants and two very small cloakrooms, one of which also served as the caretaker’s store. Washing facilities were an all-purpose butler’s sink. The church hall was at that time rented by the school.  There was a large school field at the rear and a playground in front of the school facing onto Theobalds Park Road.

 

In 1968 the school was extended and in 1971 the school had 54 juniors and infants.  Subsequent extensions were carried out to the school building and the parish hall adjacent to the school was acquired and now forms the school hall.

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