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FIRST SCHOOLS
1557 Edward
Peake's will - School for five poor children in cottage in the manor of Holme
1725 Stratton
Free School
[Sir John Cotton] for twelve poor children in Shortmead
St/Sun St
1795 - 1899
Founding of various Sunday Schools by all of the town's churches
EARLY INFANT SCHOOLS
Circa 1833 - 1839
British Infants School
started in Wesleyan Methodist church
1853 British Infants School
was in premises in Market Place
1864 British Infants School
moved to Back Street
1873 Became Biggleswade Board Infants School
1874 Moved to Board
School in Rose Lane
1903 - 1930
Biggleswade Public Elementary Non-provided Infants School
1909 Moved to
premises in Shortmead Street
1930 Moved to Rose Lane [Amalgamated into Board
School]
1903 - 1946
Biggleswade Council Infants School at Rose Lane
1946 - 1958
Re-named Biggleswade County Primary Infants School
1959 Lawnside
opened - for 5 to 9 year old children. - Rose Lane move to Lawnside
1959 - 1979
Lawnside County Primary Infants School
1979 Re-named Lawnside Lower
School
1973 Southlands County Primary School
opened - [5 to 9 years old]
1979 Re-named Southlands Lower School
1958 St. Andrew's
Voluntary Controlled Lower School opened - [5 to 9 years old]
EARLY BOYS SCHOOLS - (And some mixed schools)
1790 - 1854
Various day and boarding `private' schools for fee paying children
1908 - early
1930's Parkfield School
in Stratton Park House [Day and boarding]
1811 National School founded by Anglican church
[Believed to be in Station Road]
1815 Another
National School started in Langford
Lane [Hitchin
Street]
1815 Throughout Britain,
British Schools founded by Quakers, Methodists and Baptists
1832 National
School started by vicar in St. Andrew's church
1830's British
School Society founded school in Chapel Fields [children of nonconformists]
1833 - 1839 Biggleswade
British Boys School in Market Place
1849 Report
stated 16 boys, 24 girls in school in Union Workhouse [The boys were later transferred to the National School]
1866 National
School
name changed to Biggleswade National Mixed School
1870 Education
Act created School Boards empowered to levy rates to fund education
[Successive Board Schools in St.Andrew's
Street, Chapel Fields and Market Place]
1873 School Board
took over British School
1874 National Mixed School name changed to Biggleswade
National Boys School
1874 New Board School opened in Dog Acre
Field, [Hicks Pits] making places available for 213 infants, 200 boys and 200
girls [Pupils paid 1 penny per week until 1891]
1874 British Boys
School moved to Rose
Lane - became Biggleswade Boys Board School
1900 Biggleswade
School Board passed Bye-Law raising school leaving age to 14
1902 School
Boards abolished. Control of education passed to County Council
1903 National
Boys School name changed to Biggleswade Public Elementary Non-provided Boys School
(P. E. N-p. B.S)
1903 Boys Board School in Rose Lane
re-named Biggleswade Boys Council School
1904 Biggleswade
P. E. N-p. B.S. moved to Church
Street next to old Fire Station [Name later
changed to Biggleswade Public Elementary Junior Boys School]
1930 Rose Lane boys school renamed Biggleswade
Senior Boys Council School
EARLY GIRLS SCHOOLS
Mid 1800's to
early 1900's Various private [fee paying] academies for young ladies]
Mid 19th C.-
Separate schools - [National and British schools] - for boys and girls, by
voluntary public subscription. [Pupils paid a small fee]
?TBI Biggleswade British Girls School [ex Wesleyan Methodist] started
in St. Andrew's Street
1873 Biggleswade British Girls School moved to Rose
Lane, re-named Girls Board School
1874 Separate Biggleswade National
Girls School started
1903 Girls Board School in Rose Lane
re-named Council Girls School
1909 Biggleswade
Public Elementary Non-Provided Girls School at rear of Kingdom Hall [Name later
changed to Biggleswade Public Elementary Girls School
1930 Council
Girls School re-named Senior Girls Council School
LATER MIXED SCHOOLS - [World War Two and onwards]
1942 Boys and
girls at Rose Lane amalgamated as Senior Mixed Council School
1944 Education
Act raised compulsory school leaving age to 15, to be followed by option to remain at
school until 16 years old. Also provision to be made for free full-time state
education for children of suitable ability, up to university entrance
1946 Boys and
girls junior schools amalgamated as Biggleswade Voluntary Controlled County
Primary Junior Mixed School - [Later moved to Rose
Lane]
1950 Stratton
Grammar/Technical School opened, [for pupils who passed 11-plus exam]
1964 11 to 16
year old scholars moved from Rose Lane to
new Holmemead School
1970 Hitchmead School opened, for 7 to 16 year olds with moderate learning difficulties
1971 Sunnyside
School opened, for 3 to 16 year olds with
severe learning difficulties
1974 Holmemead
became Middle School for 9 to 13 years old
1974 Edward Peake Middle School
opened [9
to 13 years]
1974 Stratton School 14 to 16 years old, and up to
18 years old if taking `A' Levels
1976 Stratton
School became `Comprehensive', i.e. no more 11-plus selection
1993 Compulsory
school leaving age raised to 16 years old
FURTHER EDUCATION
1848 Mechanics
Institute and Reading Room founded by Town Hall meeting
1850's M.I.R.R. closed
and replaced by Biggleswade Literary Institute
1875 B.L.I.
closed, funds handed over to new Biggleswade Institute and Public Library
[Occupied premises in St. Andrew's
Place]
1880
B.I.&P.L. moved to bigger premises, [in what later became Whiteman's cycle
shop]
1884
B.I.&P.L. amalgamated with the Public Library, - renamed Institutional
Library
1903 Library
moved to High Street
1907 Evening
classes introduced, for further education of people older than the normal
school leaving age. Held initially in the old Mead House school house, then
later in Rose Lane School and finally in Stratton School. [Fees recorded in 1908 - One
shilling and sixpence for the first subject, and one shilling for each
additional subject]
1926 Library
Centre, funded by County Council, sited in Rose Lane School
1932 Branches of
Bedfordshire County Library in both Senior Boys School [Rose Lane] and Junior
Boys
School [Church Street] -
(Open 6 Hours per week)
1940's Library
for a short period in Stratton House
1946 Library
rehoused in old Police Station [ex Civil Defence HQ] in Station Road
1968 Library moved to
present premises in Chestnut
Avenue [ Open 45 Hours per week in 2005]
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