St Agnes RC Primary School

Amidst the bustling energy of London, stands St Agnes RC Primary School. It has witnessed the ebb and flow of life in the East End since 1865. St Agnes RC Primary School first opened its doors with a small chapel attached. The first Mass was celebrated on April 29th, 1865. The Dominican Sisters began their teaching legacy within those very walls that same year. Originally, infants were taught in a separate building on the convent grounds. These grounds later became the site of the present Parish Church in Bow Road. Once the Parish Church was consecrated in November 1870, the chapel at Arrow Road was no longer needed. St Agnes RC Primary School, like many London institutions, has a history interwoven with the trials of war. During World War II, the school suffered bomb damage. This led to two evacuations of staff and children. One evacuation took them to Oxford, where they found refuge with the Nazareth House Sisters. The other led them to Wellington in Somerset. The school building at St Agnes RC Primary School we see today rose from the ashes of war. On August 27, 1951, the school was reorganized as a Junior Mixed and Infant School on its current site. A nursery class was added on February 20, 1956. St Agnes RC Primary School has served the Parish of St. Catherine of Sienna ever since, a testament to its enduring mission.