St Peter's Middle School
The earliest photo of the school, circa late 18thC.
Address
Crimp Hill Road

, ,
SL4 2QY

England
Information
TypeVoluntary aided middle-deemed-secondary school
MottoHigh Expectations
Religious affiliation(s)Church of England
Established1799
Local authorityRoyal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Department for Education URN110085 Tables
OfstedReports
Head teacherMr Robert I. Entwistle
GenderCo-educational
Age9 to 13
Enrollment228
Houses4
Colour(s)Red, Black
Websitehttp://www.stpeters-school.co.uk

St Peter's Middle School is a small co-educational middle-deemed secondary school in Old Windsor, Berkshire, England. The school caters for children between the ages of nine and 13 years (Year 5 to Year 8). There were 277 pupils on the school roll in 2009. Pupils usually transfer in Year 9 to The Windsor Boys' School or Windsor Girls School.[1]


Pupils in the school belong to one of four houses, each named after a Royal House: Lancaster (red), Stuart (blue), Tudor (green) and York (yellow). In 2004, form groups were reorganized into house groups and pupils are now registered by the same tutor throughout their time at the school.

History edit

A school was founded on the present site in 1799 to educate the poor children of the parish and developed from the bequests of many benefactors in the eighteenth century.[2]

The first mention of a school in Old Windsor is in the will of a vicar, Dr La Croze, who, in 1725, left money to build "a little convenient dwelling for a master who shall teach the children". This cottage was built on land adjacent to the Penny Royal Cottages in Crimp Hill.[2]

In 1797 the parish of Windsor purchased the land where the school is currently sited, with funds derived partly from charitable bequests and partly from a fund raised under the Enclosure Act. Six cottages were erected on the land, two of which were used as a school house, with the remaining four cottages to be let out at low rent to independent labourers who were in occasional need of parish relief.[3]

The parish benefited from a number of other charitable bequests which were used to provide education in the parish, the bulk of which came from a legacy in the will of Lady Onslow dating from 1786 and a gift from Mrs Ann Hammersley in a deed dating from 1799.[4]

Mrs Ann Hamersley of Woodside, Old Windsor, had in 1797 bought the Penny Royal and other cottages in Crimp Hill. There were four brick cottages, a school house, four wooden cottages, a parish oven and bakehouse, a well and outbuildings. Mrs Hamersley left £1000 to set up "a school of Industry in the Parish of Old Windsor aforesaid for poor children of the said Parish either boys or girls where the children shall be brought up in habits of Industry and taught and instructed in such manner as to fit them for useful members of Society, where at the expense of the said parish or by some charitable and well-disposed person or persons by providing a Fund towards the future support of such a school after the decease of the said Ann Hamersley - £1000 3% consolidated Bank annuities – the Vicar Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor to be the Trustees".[2] Lady Onslow from the Priory, Old Windsor, made a will in 1786 leaving £500 for "instruction particularly teaching to read of such of the poor children of the parish as her executors shall think the proper subjects of such instruction, and £200 for the building of a school". This money became available in 1812 when Lady Onslow died – aged 94.[2]

The school eventually became known as the Onslow and Jubilee School of Industry. By 1840 there were 43 boys and 44 girls receiving free education at the school. The Oxford Diocesan Board of Education noted in their report in 1841 that "The object of this school is twofold; first, Religious Instruction; secondly, Moral and Industrial Training. The time of attendance is divided equally between these two objects… Those not exceeding 12 years may be "trained to moral and industrial habits", so as to render them at that age well prepared for further instruction, or for any useful employment." [5] After the Industrial School closed the funds were put towards the general income of the parish's National Schools.[4]

By 1974 the school had developed into the present middle school serving the 9-13 age group within the Windsor three-tier system, and was known as St Peter's Church of England Middle School.[6]

Sources to investigate: http://www.google.co.uk/search?tbm=bks&tbo=1&q=School+AND+%22Old+Windsor%22&btnG=

Awards edit

The school has been awarded Investors in People status and was the first in the Borough to be recognized with the Sportsmark award. It holds the Food for Life Silver Award[7] and many pupils grow a wide range of vegetables and fruit on site and make them into chutneys, etc and sell under the 'St Peter's Pickle Company' banner to raise money for school healthy food activities.

References edit

  1. ^ St Peter's CofE Middle School OFTSTED inspection report, 9th June 2009
  2. ^ a b c d A Sound and Happy School by Margaret Gilson, ISBN: 978-0-9536912-1-0
  3. ^ [ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=RWEDAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA133&dq= Cantrell and others v. The Guardians of the Poor of the Windsor Union. Reports of cases argued and determined in the Court of Common Pleas]. Thomas James Arnold. Court of Exchequer Chamber, 1840.
  4. ^ a b Ditchfield PH, Page W. William Page (eds). British History Online Victoria County History. A History of the County of Berkshire. Victoria County History: Volume 3, pp80-85, 1923.
  5. ^ Second Annual Report of the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education. 1841
  6. ^ St Peter's CE Middle School profile on Edubase
  7. ^ "Food for Life Partnership : School details" (html). Retrieved 13/1/2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

Further reading edit

External links edit

51°27′26″N 0°35′34″W / 51.4572°N 0.5927°W / 51.4572; -0.5927