History - St Mary's C of E Infant/Primary School

St. Mary's Infants School, Church End, was founded in 1824 in a barn by the vicar, William Wilson. He was encouraged by Samuel Wilderspin (1792?-1866), who conducted his brother Joseph Wilson's school at Spitalfields on the principles of Robert Owen. William Wilson became an advocate of infant education and his school quickly won a reputation at least equal to that of Wilderspin's.

In 1828 a school was built in the churchyard for 150 children between 2 and 7 years of age. Wilson followed closely Wilderspin's methods, stressing the value of 'instruction by amusement' and exhorting teachers to have an affectionate regard for the children. The school was a preparatory school for poor children, who went on to St. Mary's National school. The foundation of other infants schools in the parish may have contributed to the decline in attendance, to 76 in 1847, but by 1882 140 children attended and the school was known as the Central infants chool. It became a voluntary Controlled school in 1951. The building of 1828, standing west of the church, has a dignified 5-bay front of yellow brick. The three central bays, which contain the entrance porch and tall round-headed windows, project slightly under a raked parapet. The flanking bays, of which one has been altered, were both originally two-storeyed, the lower windows being set in arched recesses.

In 1928 the building was restored and later extended.

Chronology: