School History

Turnditch School was first opened as one classroom in 1846 as a “National Society School for the education of children and adults or children only of the labouring, manufacturing and other poorer classes in the Chapelry aforesaid and the neighbourhood and for no other purposes.”

You can still see the date 1846 over the porch at the front of the school. We still have the original lattice windows.

In 1877 an Infant classroom was built. This has now become our school library and music room. Ten years later the Inspectors complained that it was too small for 40 infants and if the Governors did not build a new classroom, the school would be closed.

A cloakroom was made by roofing over the space between the school and Hunter’s Moon, in 1895. Hunter’s Moon was called Bank View at the time.

A new Infant classroom was built in 1913 by Fords of Derby at a cost of £367.10.0.

Some people think that we have the loveliest school clock in Derbyshire. It was paid for by public subscription and built over the porch in 1922 by John Smith of Derby.

Lady Inglefield of the Flower Lilies, Windley, was a regular visitor to school. In 1926 she provided twelve pairs of shoes for the benefit of the children in wet weather. The shoes were to be kept at school. She often sent coal to the school when the school had run out.

On August 9th 1910, 40 evacuees arrived at school from Southend-on-sea. There were already 59 children on roll but the school log book tells us almost nothing about the effect of such a large number of extra children.

On July 4th 1946 the new school kitchen was used for the first time.

In 1979 the school was extended at the back to provide indoor toilets, a cloakroom and an office. A playground was now needed so the parents built a new one on the top half of the small field that had been bought for the school in 1976.

During the 1980’s more and more children wanted to come to Turnditch School. This is why we needed a new classroom. In 1990, a purpose built Infant classroom was opened. Various other alterations were made at the same time and the Years 3 to 6 were split into two classes.