Our History

The Early History of Education in Elstree

1814 to 1968 : The Two Schools : The Day and Sunday School and Elstree Mixed and Infant School

Elstree Hill North

This is the story of the first school in Elstree which moved up the hill and eventually became St Nicholas Church of England School.

1. Day and Sunday School

1814 to 1884 : The Original School

North of Artichoke Public House

Elstree Hill North

The Artichoke and the school

23rd May 1814, The Copyholders’ of Titburst and Kendals, which was an area of land between Elstree and Radlett, gave consent to the trustees of the Day and Sunday School to build a Schoolhouse in ‘Elstrie’.  In Stephen Castle’s book - The Book of Elstree & Boreham Wood, pp. 58 - 59 there is a picture of a wood engraving of the Artichoke Inn, Elstree Hill North, 1823 - 4.  He says that the buildings to the right were possibly the Alms Houses & School and this ties up with the OS map of 1866.  The Herts Directory 1832 shows Sarah Wroot, schoolmistress.

Kelly’s Directory 1838 mentions the school as a public school "…supported by subscription and voluntary contributions".  The mistress was Miss Huggins and the school was built to accommodate 100 boys and girls.  In other directories the mistress is named as Miss Harriet Harrison and because she is the mistress named in following Kelly’s directories up until 1874, it is reasonable to assume that Huggins was a misprint.  The directory also states that it was built in 1813 which does not agree with the consent document dated May 25 1814, (county archives; photocopy in our file) for the erection of a Day and Sunday School. 

[Craven & Company Commercial Directory, 1854, gives reference to a National School in Elstree whose children donated a stained glass window to St Nicholas Church upon its reconstruction in 1853.]

In January 1871 there were 150 mixed children on the roll and sixty-four infants although the actual average attendance was about 70% of this.  The school was inspected on the 5th May and the report read as follows :

"The order is very good but desks are wanted for the older child, and a Galley for the little ones.  Books, too, should be provided in more abundance particularly for the older child.  There is very little failure in the examination most of what there is in the Arithmetic.  The Needlework seems particularly well cared for.  The instruction of the child under 7 shows care and honest work on the part of the Mistress. A deduction is incurred under Article 32 (c) as the school staff is insufficient to satisfy that Article.  The fifth and ninth supplementary the failure to comply with the 9th supply is waived this year in consideration that the date of inspection has been anticipated.  But unless the Rule be strictly observed in future, the Grant will be deducted.  *The fifth and ninth supplementary Rules taken together require that one or more classes (as defined by those rules) be presented above the second standard and not in or below it."

At the time schools had to offer at least three standards from one to three.  In November 1872 an extra payment of 1d was charged weekly for the eldest child in each family.  This charge was refunded if the whole family attended on a regular basis.  Unfortunately this was not always possible and the log shows that attendance was always poor, mainly due to sickness or inclement weather.  Snow and rain prevented attendance and sometimes children were sent back home because they arrived ‘wet through’.  Some of the illnesses recorded were ringworm, tuberculoses, measles, whooping cough, endemic fever, chicken pox, influenza, and diphtheria.  In 1886 an epidemic of diphtheria caused the school to break up early for the summer holidays.  On July 8th only eighteen children reported to school and it closed that day until 27th September when even after eleven weeks only twent-four turned up after an average weekly attendance of 150. 

According to the school log books dating from 1871, children moved into the new school in 1884 built to accommodate 200 children.  The original building no longer exists having been replaced by houses for the employees of Lord Aldenham at the turn of the 19th century.

2. Elstree Mixed and Infant School

1884 to 1968 - became Elstree National Schools, Elstree Church of England School and Elstree C of E Junior Mixed and Infants School

Elstree Hill North

On 31st March 1884 the children moved out of the old school near the Artichoke, into the new school situated further south and up the hill near St. Nicholas Church.  The school consisted of one building whose large room held five separate classes.  Later dividers were erected to create individual learning areas.  The school was designed in the aesthetic style and was very modern for its time.  The separate infants section was called Elstree Infants School.  According to the log book, it was officially opened by the Bishop of St. Albans on 28th April and Blanche Challenor was the headmistress.  She had been there from 1874 to 1884 when Ada Anne Worsley Neale took over.  This does not agree with Kelly’s Directory 1878 & 1882 which state that in 1878 the mistress was Miss Florence Bastick and in 1882 there were two mistresses, Miss Emily Betteridge and Miss Mary Townsend, who was in charge of the infants.  It may be that these were all teachers in the school and the title ‘mistress’ was no longer confined to the head or sole teacher.

In 1886 the mistresses were Miss Fanny Gwillian and Miss Eliza Smith in charge of the infants.  Before the diphtheria epidemic the average weekly attendance was 150.

1887 saw a rise in fees. The eldest paid 3d, siblings 2d, and families had been paying for copy and service books for three years.  The school year ended on January 31st and began new registers on February 1st.

In 1890 Kelly’s Directory, the mistress was Miss Jane Osborne with Eliza Smith as the infants’ mistress, but the 1894 edition names the mistress as Miss Isobel Osborne!.  I assume that Isobel was the correct name as she is entered under this name until 1898 when she was superseded by Miss Sarah Ainsworth.  Eliza remained. 1898 Kelly’s Directory states "National School (mixed & infants), rebuilt in 1884 for 230 children; average attendance, 85 boys & girls & 55 infants.; Miss Sarah B. Ainsworth, mistress; Miss Eliza A. Smith, infants’ mistress".

School group in the 1890s

In 1893 the school admitted seven children from the railway huts in Boreham Wood whose parents were "…engaged in the formation of a tunnel on the Midland Railway", but after a year they left to go to a small private school, unnamed, which had just opened in Boreham Wood.  In 1896 children from Boreham Wood over the age of seven had to be admitted to the Elstree school as the mission hall in Theobald Street ceased to be a school.  Instead the first purpose built school, the National School No. 2, in Boreham Wood was erected a few yards away for sixty-six infants only leaving the remainder and the juniors to walk to Elstree by means of a footpath in Allum Lane across the fields to Elstree Hill.

In 1902 Mrs M Bouvard was in charge of the juniors and Eliza the infants.  Kelly’s directory of 1912 states that it was a "Public Elementary School for 134 mixed & 55 infants; average attendance, 155 boys & girls & 55 infants". Mrs M. Bouvard was the mistress and Miss Eliza A. Smith the infants’ mistress. (The 1918 directory repeats this).

School group in 1903

At the turn of the 20th century the schools were known as Elstree National Schools.  In 1918 there was more sickness this time an epidemic of ‘flu when the average attendance for the week amounted to forty-two.  The doctor ordered the school to be closed for two weeks in October then again from 2nd of December until 13th January.  M. Bouvard was the headteacher from 1899 until 1918.  In 1921 cookery classes were given in Boreham Wood and the girls attended through the week.  However, a diphtheria epidemic throughout the year prevented the girls from going regularly.  In 1922 Miss Maud Best and Miss Linda Seabrook had replaced both the mistresses and remained until 1950 and 1947 respectively.

School group c. 1905

In 1930 it was called Elstree Church of England School.  The school nurse was Mrs D Lucroft, the cleaner Mr W Mallett, caretaker Mr W Hope who was superseded by Mrs Parsons and then Mrs White.  There were three attendance officers from Middlesex and Harrow, for the ‘border children’, and Mr Whittaker from Hertford.  Teachers were : Mrs Lizzie Hunt until 1947, Miss Winnifred May until 1938.  The school had a dental surgeon, Mr A C Wilson, who regularly examined the childrens’ teeth.  His first recorded inspection was March 18th 1930 when he examined the thirty-two children who were born in the years, 1922 to 1924.

School group - undated

The school nurse also visited regularly every two or three weeks and she often found that some heads were ‘verminous’ and those children were sent home.  Diseases such as scarlet fever, whooping cough and tuberculosis were prevalent as well as tonsillitis, colds and influenza.  Every October ‘fires were started’ to warm the classrooms until April.  However, sometimes, as in 1931, there was a sudden cold spell in September and the log records that on the 21st the temperature of the schoolroom did not rise above 50F and so the fires were started the next day.  Even then they did not heat efficiently and the following January the temperature in the infants’ room at 9.00am was not above freezing point.  Many children were absent with colds and ‘flu.

The older girls of about twelve in number started attending domestic classes at the County Council School in Boreham Wood (Furzehill School) one afternoon a week to learn cookery, laundry and sewing and this practice continued for a number of years.  Girls who passed the entrance examination went to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Barnet.  Every May, about the 23rd or 24th, there was a half day holiday to celebrate Empire Day.  Other holidays were given for ‘attendance’ and elections when the school was used as a polling station and there were other celebrations.  An entry on 23rd April 1931 states

"In honour of St George’s Day the flag was hoisted in the playground, and a collection of specimens of plants mentioned in the plays was made by the children, in honour of Shakespeare Day.  95 varieties were bought."

Ill health continued.  The attendance in May 1934 was 56.2 and only six infants out of twenty-eight were present due to coughs and colds.  A child from the infants’ class was admitted to the Harpenden Home of the National Children’s Homes because she was suffering from TB and her name removed from the register.  (In 1937 another child was sent there, but she returned to the school a year later).  On 31st May the children were granted a half-holiday as ‘…the Guides were attending an opening of the Shenley Mental Home by the King and Queen’ and another holiday was granted ‘At the request of His Majesty the King a whole holiday was given in honour of the marriage of HRH the Duke of Kent to Princess Marina of Greece’ on 29th November.

In 1935 there were more celebrations which allowed the school to close for whole days.  The first was on May 6th for the King’s Silver Jubilee and the second on November 6th for the marriage of HRH Duke of Gloucester to Lady Mary Scott.  In 1936 the school was closed again on January 28th in respect of King George V’s death.

The Inspector’s report in 1937 states that this was a small mixed infant school and most boys left at age eight or nine ‘to attend Radlett Church of England Boy’s Dept’.  It also contains remarks upon changing times as there were now eighty on the roll

"The school is losing its former characteristics of a village school since housing development from outer London is gradually reaching the village, with the result that, since last midsummer, no less than 22 children have been admitted from other schools and this influx is likely to continue."

1939 on the eve of war in May an ARP officer called to mark trenches ‘in case of emergency’ and in September school opening from the summer holidays was delayed from 4th to 20th as there were no air raid precautions in place.  There were seventy children in school and only the headteacher and one assistant to teach them.  However in November Hillside School in Boreham Wood opened and the senior children left and went there.  The school was now known as Elstree C of E Junior Mixed and Infants School and there were fifty-five on roll taking children ages five to eleven.  The windows in the large schoolroom were then filled with wire to prevent damage from air raids.

In February 1940 there was severe weather and only 59.6% attendance. As the rooms were flooded those children were sent home.  The summer holiday that year was for two weeks only at the end of July and the beginning of August but another week was given a few weeks after.  In September seven boys from Medburn School were admitted as evacuees and went there in the afternoons.  Air raid warnings started and the school was disrupted by these for the duration of the war.  It was decided that if the ‘all clear’ did not sound until after 12.30am the school day would begin at 10.00am but as sometimes the alarm went off three or four times a day attendance was poor and irregular.  Added to this there was also an outbreak of measles and 5th November there were only twenty-five out of sixty-five present.

In 1941 a classroom was set aside to be refurbished as a rest centre and shelter in case of emergency.  Bunks were put in and cupboards for emergency rations.  Water barrels were installed in the playground.  In 1948 the room was restored and used again as a classroom.  1941 also saw the start of ‘The Milk in Schools Scheme’ and the childrens’ gas masks were regularly tested by the ARP.

In 1942 May 22nd, the railings were removed by HM Office of Works to be used as salvage.  March 1943 the savings class collected £241.12.5d for Wings for Victory Week.  On May 8th and 9th 1945 the school was closed to celebrate Victory in Europe.

School group in 1947

1947 Students from Wall Hall College and later Gaddesden attended for their teacher training practice.  On November 20th there was a holiday as Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip.  The larger of the two playgrounds was asphalted for the first time.

In 1950, five new toilets were added plus another for the teachers.  Mr C J Adcock was appointed Headteacher and his staff included Mr D Cooke, Mrs D Pope and Mrs M Adcock.  The cleaner was Mr Mallett.  A piano was delivered from ‘Murdock’ in London.

By 1955 there were 127 on roll and the children took swimming lessons at Aldenham Lodge Swimming Pool.  In 1960 Mr E B Starling became headteacher and in 1962 the roll had fallen to eighty-seven probably because many more schools had opened in Boreham Wood.  Mr Starling left in 1964 and Mr Kingsley Shenton took over until 1988. 

In 1968 a new school was built in St Nicholas Close, further up the hill to the north.  This replaced the old school which was taken over by the Jewish community and used as a synagogue.  However both premises ran in conjunction for a while as the new school was built in phases and could only accommodate children in two classes whilst the other three remained at the old school.  See the page for St Nicholas Church of England School.

The school has been sold