1901- Present
Rodborough’s new school opened on Rodborough Hill. It replaced a school held at ‘The Old Endowed School’ alongside Rodborough Parish Church, which had been condemned by School inspectors on account of unsuitable sanitary arrangements and insufficient accommodation. It was recalled that the children there used the highway as a playground and were drinking water pumped from a well.
Read press reports about preparations for the new school here
1920s
Captain Forster, headmaster is described in the memoir of Les Young
During the First World War, to aid food economy, the school had housed a fruit evaporator, under the supervision of Rodborough’s Food Committee. At this time a show of produce began, that continued as an annual event in the post-war years. The photos show the school building in use for this in the 1920s.
1930s
Captain Forster continued as head.
In 1934 he recorded in the school log book “Sept 5th 1934. Wrote to the Managers re deplorable and dangerous state of the school playground”.
1940s
The school log book for 1940 records;
“July 25th 1940. Anti-aircraft firing took place in the neighbourhood. All children took refuge in the school shelters from 2-2.30pm. A German aircraft was brought down near Oakridge”
Rodborough Secondary Modern School (1949-1962)
Rodborough County Secondary School opened on the Rodborough Hill site on 26th April 1951 with 280 pupils. Anecdotally, it ceased to be a primary school in 1949 and the secondary school was phased in. By 1957, with 427 pupils, schoolrooms at Badbrook (the old British School) and Church Street (the old boys’ Board School) were put to use. There was no assembly hall, no canteen, no playing fields and no changing rooms. The boys used the Common for sports, and borrowed playing fields, but there was no provision for the girls. And by 1957, overcrowding meant many pupils were travelling to the new secondary modern at Stonehouse.
Helen Davison shares her memories from1955-58: “I arrived in Stroud in November 1955 at the age of twelve having missed three years of British Education. I had attended a German School in Frankfurt am Main as the British School had closed down and the American School was for American Forces children only. I had to learn German and barely survived their educational system but had managed to pass their eleven plus exam and then attend their Grammar School. I therefore arrived at Rodborough not having had the background education required to attend the Technical or High School. I was placed in 2B the middle set of the second year. I was met with a most sympathetic and kind staff and immediately settled in. By Christmas I had been promoted to the A stream and was recommended to take the overage exam for entry to the Girl’s Tech. This I did and after an interview I was offered a place. I refused to go to there as this was the sixth school I had attended in 7 years. I had made friends and felt very much at home. I became a school librarian and at the age of 15 transferred to the Stroud Technical College where I passed seven ‘O’ levels. I found Rodborough to be an outstanding place of learning. Mr Loosley was the headmaster, Mr Carlyon taught English, Mr Dee Science and Maths and Mrs Shepherd girl’s PE. Without their help given at Rodborough I would not have qualified for a place at Teacher Training College. What a task this must have been for them to help me to catch up on all the basics I had missed but they helped and encouraged me every step of the way and I am most grateful. The school ethos was magnificent, Mr Loosely held assembly each day, which brought us all together as a school, in an almost underground hall, which was also used as the canteen and for PE. By the time I arrived there were small changing rooms for PE.”
Back row; X, Mr Powell, Mr Clark, Mr James, Mr Smith, Mr Allen, Mr Carlyon, Mr Dee
Front row: Veronica ?, Wendy Jones, Mrs Hunt (sec), Mr Loosley (head), Mrs Shepherd, Miss Butler, Miss Cam, X
By 1955 the LEA had found a new and suitable site at Park Farm, Paganhill, but Ted Wheeler, the landowner, refused to sell because it was his most valuable pasture land. The County Council used compulsory purchase to acquire the land – at agricultural prices – and Archway School was built.
(Credit to Marion Hearfield for notes compiled in 2017 for Stroud local History Society.)
Archway County Secondary School opened in June 1961 with Mr S H Loosley as Headmaster. In September 1961 there were 554 pupils.
Rodborough’s Primary School Children 1949-1962
Because of parental protests, a class of infants remained on site. The log book records that junior primary children from Rodborough now attended Castle Street and Church Street schools.
Edwin Benton recalls;
‘When I left Rodborough school when it closed I went to Church St which was a boys school. Most of the girls went to the girls’ school in Stroud. We all did not go to the Stroud schools. Some of my class went to Kingscourt school some of those on Dudbridge Hill went to Cainscross and I seem to recollect one lad went to Woodchester, so we were dispersed around the local schools.”
See also Past events
1960s
Rodborough reopened as a primary school in September 1962.
1970s
1980s
1990s
Cotswold Day Nursery ran from buildings on the school site in the 1990s.
