Our History

Brookfield School

see also Merydene and Meryfield schools

Theobald Street, Boreham Wood

1953 to 1970 Brookfield School     
see also Merydene and Meryfield schools
 

This school opened as a Junior Mixed Infants and was physically connected to Merydene Infants School.  It shared a site with Lyndhurst Secondary Modern.  The school was officially opened in July 1954 by Mr Ready.  The headteacher was Mr A Adams and teachers were Messrs Ames, Thomas McErlean and Mrs Prosser.  There were 244 children.  The log book records that first visitors were Mrs Paiba school meals adviser, and Mr Wiggins school attendance officer.

Other staff were : Mr Murphy, caretaker.  Mrs Murphy and Mrs Ellis, cleaners.  Miss Finlay, cook and her helpers Mrs Robson, Mrs Harrison, Mrs Varney, Mrs Murphy and Mrs Noel.  More teachers were appointed : Messrs Rampley, Luff, Dobbs, Bowen, Beresford and Miss Alstrop who had to take a new class in the canteen.  The log records January 18th 1954 :

"The children who came to Brookfield by coach from the Ripon Way Estate were transferred to High Canons.  This created 96 vacancies for children living on the Theobald Street Estate, and all children on the waiting list were brought into the school. "

Pupils photographed in 1958

In spring 1954 there were 355 on the roll.  In September there were thirteen classrooms and 524 on the roll and at the end of 1955, two mobile classrooms were added.

Mr Back was chair of governors.  A teacher’s salary was £40 a year.  The assembly hall was used three nights a week by the Theobald Street Community Association.

October 23rd 1954 the school received a royal visitor.  HRH Princess Margaret and an entourage of 400 guests who 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 should use Merydene rear entrance.’

January 1956 there were twelve teachers and 477 children on the roll as the first class of forty-four children transferred to Parkside Junior Mixed Infant school which was temporarily housed in Campions School, whilst Parkside was awaiting completion.

In 1963 the roll had dropped to 336.  The deputy head Mr P Smith took over as head from Mr Adams.  In 1966 the children took swimming lessons in the pool of the Thatched Barn Hotel on the A1 By-pass.  The mobile classrooms were dismantled.

July 1970 Mr Smith died of a heart attack. Deputy head, Mr M Vickers took up the post of acting head before Mr Slatter was appointed.  In September the school was amalgamated with Merydene 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 JP.  The log books for both schools state 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 in 1974 when Meryfield became a first school, it can be presumed that this added weight to the amalgamation.  

In 2000 all county schools in Boreham Wood reverted to the two tier system and Meryfield gained primary school status.