Our History

Merydene School

1953 to 1970 - see also Brookfield and Meryfield Schools

Theobald Street Boreham Wood

Merydene School opened as an infants school and physically joined to Brookfield Junior School sharing a site with Lyndhurst School.  There were 200 children on the roll and at first there were only four classrooms in use because there were only four members of teaching staff.  These were : Miss Bridget Sullivan, Mrs Phyllis Brewster, Mrs Patience Poolman and Mrs Joan Sherman.  The headmistress was Miss Ella Davies.  Mrs F Gunn joined on loan from Furzehill School and the clerical assistant was Mrs Clarke.  The Misses Harkness and Davidson also joined which allowed for six classrooms to be used.  The caretaker was Mr Holmes who left for Cowley Hill School in 1954 and his place was taken by Mr Rogan.

Staff photo - undated

In January 1954 there were 292 on the roll.  The school log stated that "…56 children who travelled by coach now went to Sunday School under the care of Miss West of Furzehill School".

On October 23rd 1954 the school received a royal visitor.  HRH Princess Margaret and an entourage of 400 guests took tea in Merydene School hall after laying the foundation stone at St Michael and All Angels Church, Brook Road.  The log stated that category ‘A’ guests arrived via Brookfield hall entrance while category ‘B’ guests used the Merydene rear entrance.

On May 14th 1955 Anna Neagle visited the school and signed the log book.  She had tea there after laying the foundation stone for the new Methodist Church in Croxdale Road.  In September there were eighty-one new admissions:  nineteen juniors and sixty-two infants most of whom had been transferred from Campions (temporary) Infants School.  (Campions had to accommodate children of all ages until the new schools were completed).  There were three classes of juniors and four of top infants and one class of mixed top and lower infants.

Staff photo - undated

In January 1955 the school welcomed fifty-five new children from Campions School and Foulds School in Barnet.  Parkside School, Aycliffe Road was completed the first week in February and thirty-five children transferred there.  This allowed for 112 children to be admitted to Merydene : forty-five middle infants and the rest age five.

 

In 1956 a further twenty-five were transferred from Campions and in May 1957 all juniors were transferred to Brookfield School allowing Merydene to revert to its original infant status.  By January 1959 the roll was 219 which fell to 167 in September of that year.

 

      Teams - 1960-1

In 1970 the school was amalgamated with Brookfield and renamed Meryfield Junior Mixed Infants. The new name was chosen by the headteacher of Merydene, Mrs E McCleod and the chair of governors for Brookfield, Mrs N Triance J.P.  The log books for both schools stated that the amalgamation had come about because the headmaster of Brookfield, Mr Slatter, had taken up a new appointment at Fairview School, Radlett.  However, as all the schools in Borehamwood changed their education to a three-tier system a year later, when Meryfield became a First School, it can be presumed that this added weight to the amalgamation. 

In 2000 all schools in Boreham Wood reverted to the two-tier system and Meryfield gained primary school status.  Please see their page here for the next part of the story.