What if these walls of Hampton Hill Junior School could talk? They would tell tales of children, teachers, and a community woven together through time. Let us step back to when Hampton Hill was a small village.
Hampton Hill Junior School has a deep connection to the area’s growth. Back in 1867, Reverend Fitzroy John Fitz Wygram noticed something. He saw that only 13 out of 1100 children attended school. He was the Vicar of St James’s Church. He donated land in Mill Lane for education. The land was to be used for both a boys’ and a girls’ school. The school’s construction cost only £315.
The Boys School was located where the Greenwood Centre is now. This is on School Road. The Girls and Infant School were opposite. Sterling Office Supplies occupied those original buildings until 2011 when flats were built. Teacher’s houses were built in 1886. They stood at the junction of School Road and Windmill Road. These were for the headteachers.
School days were different then. They ran from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. They continued from 2:00 pm to 4:15 pm. Children wrote on slates. They shared books. Repetition was a primary teaching method. Important subjects included scripture, church history, needlework, and writing. Most students left before their eleventh birthday. They only had about four years of formal education.
The log books from those early days still exist. They are filled with great stories. The school closed for Empire Day and the end of World War I. There was even a half-day holiday in 1912. This was when W. G. Grace played cricket on Twickenham Green.
Education Acts brought changes. There was more uniformity in curriculum and inspections. Local Education Committees gained more control. Teachers were no longer paid based on student results. Inspection reports began discussing individuality and enterprise. This was especially true in the infant school. It was a shift from only orderliness and good marking.
The struggle between the Church and the Education Committee continued. A mixed senior school opened in Windmill Road in 1928. This is the current site of Hampton Hill Junior School.
The school saw many changes over the next 50 years. It had entrances on both Windmill Road and St. James’s Avenue. There was even an air raid shelter. The school also had its own allotment.
The number of students varied. By the 1970s, it had grown to over 400. Newspaper clippings show the school’s situation was even discussed in Parliament.
The flat-roofed sections were added in the mid-1970s. This provided a new staff room, hall, kitchen, and storage. The main building then had more space for classrooms.
Since the end of the 1980s, the school adapted. Specialist facilities were created. These included a library, computer suite, cookery room, music rooms, art center, and inclusion rooms.
The school roll had fallen to 230 in the late 1980s. But, in the following years, it increased to over 360. From 2011 to 2012, Hampton Hill Junior School became oversubscribed.
The caretaker’s house became a community center in 2009. It was renamed The Norman Jackson Centre. This was after Norman Jackson VC. He was a former parent of the school.
Hampton Hill Junior School federated with Carlisle Infant School in 2014. This has supported pupil transition, curriculum development, and shared governance. In 2018, a new library opened. In 2019, the school introduced an enhanced SRP Garrick Garden provision. This was for pupils with SEMH needs.
In 2023, Ofsted rated Hampton Hill Junior School as “Good”. Ms. Zoe Brittain is the current principal. There are 346 pupils aged 7 to 11. The school continues to evolve. It provides a rich learning environment for its students.
So, as you stand here, remember the long history. Hampton Hill Junior School has been a cornerstone of this community. It has shaped countless lives. It continues to do so today.