| Level | Collection |
| CatalogueNo. | E |
| Title | West Sussex Education Records |
| Date | 17th-21st century |
| Description | Please note that the name of the establishment in the Keyword field is that of the school at the time of the most recent deposit of material. This may not be the name of the school at the present date. Some schools have changed their names, or merged, and the name shown in the Keyword field may not therefore be the correct school name for all the material in that section of the catalogue.
The majority of the records in this collection relate to schools. Some further and higher educational establishments are included. Private/independent schools have been catalogued separately.
The tables below give the references for schools in the following urban areas (this does not include every school, just the ones for which material has been received at WSRO):
Bognor Regis
Chichester
Crawley, Ifield and Worth
Horsham
Littlehampton
Worthing
BOGNOR REGIS SCHOOLS
E/18 North Bersted, Bersted Green Primary School (originally North Bersted Board School, later Laburnum Grove Junior School)
E/24 South Bersted C of E Primary School (originally South Bersted National School)
E/24A Northcliffe House (private school, recatalogued as NCH)
E/24B Jubilee School and Infant School Charities
E/24C Edward Bryant Primary School (originally Lyon Street Board School)
E/24D South Bersted School Board
E/24E Nyewood C of E Primary School
E/24F Michael Ayres Junior School (originally Bognor Regis Council Junior Mixed School)
E/24G Bognor Regis County Secondary School for Boys (originally Bognor Regis Senior Boys' Council School)
E/24H The Regis School (originally Bognor Regis Comprehensive School, later Bognor Regis Community College)
E/24J Bognor Regis and Bersted Primary School Managers
E/24L Bognor Regis College of Education (originally Bognor Emergency Training College, later Bognor Regis Training College)
E/24M Bognor Regis Technical Institute
E/24N Rose Green Junior School (originally Rose Green County Primary School)
E/24P Bognor Regis Nursery School
E/146 Pagham C of E School (originally Pagham National School)
E/81 Felpham and Middleton C of E School
CHICHESTER SCHOOLS
E/35 Lancastrian School for Boys
E/35A Central C of E Junior School (originally Central School for Boys, and Central School for Girls)
E/35B Blue Gown Girls' School
E/35C Bishop Otter Practising School
E/35D Oliver Whitby School
E/35E Portfield Infants' School
E/35F St Pancras Infants' School
E/35G Elizabeth Johnston Girls' School
E/35H Chichester High School for Girls
E/35J Bishop Otter College (also known as Bishop Otter Memorial College)
E/35K St James' County Primary School (originally St James' Road Infants' School)
E/35L Chichester School
E/35M St Peter the Great Infants' School
E/35N Chichester High School for Boys
E/35P Chichester College of Further Education
E/35Q St Richard's Catholic Primary School
E/35R Grey Coat Charity School
E/35S Northgate Infants' School
E/35T Lancastrian Infant School
E/35U Bishop Luffa School
E/35V St Anthony's Special School
E/35W School of Art and Evening Institute
E/35X County Primary Schools' Managers
E/35Y Lancastrian School for Girls
E/35Z Kingsham Primary School
E/35AA Prebendal School (private school, recatalogued as PREB)
E/35AB Summersdale School (private school, recatalogued as SS)
E/35AC West Sussex Institute of Higher Education (later Chichester Institute of Higher Education)
E/35AD University of Chichester (previously University College Chichester)
E/35AE Littlemead School (private school, recatalogued as LS)
E/35AF Richmond House School
E/35AG Chichester Nursery School
CRAWLEY, IFIELD and WORTH SCHOOLS
E/60 Crawley and Ifield C of E School
E/60A Three Bridges County Primary School (originally Three Bridges Council Junior School)
E/60B Robinson Road Council Schools (originally Crawley and Ifield British Schools)
E/60C Ifield C of E School (originally Ifield National School)
E/60D Not used
E/60E Ifield Campus
E/60F Not used
E/60G Not used
E/60H Crawley College of Further Education
E/60J Robert May Middle School (originally Robert May County Junior and Infants' School), Furnace Green
E/60K Crawley East Schools
E/60L Crawley West Schools
E/60M Crawley South Schools
E/60N Hilltop Primary School (originally Southgate West County First and Middle Schools)
E/60P Southgate Primary School (originally Southgate County Infants' and Junior School)
E/60Q Maidenbower Middle School
E/60R Milton Mount Primary School (originally Milton Mount County First and Middle School)
E/60S Waterfield Primary School (originally Waterfield County First School)
E/298 Crawley Down Village C of E School (originally Crawley Down National School)
E/516 Worth C of E School
E/516A Worth County Primary School
E/516B Milton Mount College for Girls, Worth Park (private school, recatalogued as MMC)
HORSHAM SCHOOLS
E/102 School Board and Council School Managers
E/102A Horsham High School for Girls
E/102B St Mark's School
E/102C St Mary's C of E (Aided) Primary School (originally St Mary's National School for Girls)
E/102D East Parade Board School
E/102E Chesworth Junior School (originally Denne Road Junior Boys' School, later Chesworth Boys' School; and originally Denne Road Junior Girls' School, later Chesworth Girls' School)
E/102F Greenway Primary School (originally Victory Road Boys' and Victory Road Girls' School)
E/102G St Leonard’s Infants’ School (originally St Mark's Infants' School, later Denne Road Infants’ School, later Clarence Road Infants’ School, later St Leonard’s Primary School)
E/102H Shelley Primary School, formerly Broadbridge Heath County Primary School
E/102J St John's Catholic Primary School
E/102K Collyer's (originally Collyer's Grammar School, also known as Horsham Free School)
E/102L Oxford Road Council School
E/102N Three Form Entry Secondary Modern Boys' School
E/102P Horsham Art School
E/102Q Christ's Hospital (recatalogued as CH)
E/102R Trafalgar Road Board School
E/102S Horsham Junior Technical School for the Building Industry
E/102T The Forest School (originally Horsham Secondary Modern School for Boys)
E/102U Horsham Secondary Technical School
E/102V North Heath Community Primary School
E/102W Leechpool Primary School
E/102X Denne Road Boys' Board School
LITTLEHAMPTON SCHOOLS
E/125 Primary Schools Group (originally Littlehampton School Board)
E/125A National School Managers
E/125B St Catherine's Catholic Primary School
E/125C The Littlehampton Academy (originally Littlehampton Senior Boys' School / Connaught Road Boys' School, later Andrew Cairns County Secondary School for Boys, later Littlehampton Comprehensive, later Littlehampton Community School)
E/125D Elm Grove Infants' School
E/125E Rosemead School (private school, recatalogued as RS)
E/125F Not used
E/125G Connaught Junior School (originally Elmgrove Road Council Junior Mixed School, later Littlehampton County Junior Mixed School)
E/125H Maud Allen Girls' Secondary School (originally Elm Grove Road Senior Girls' School, later Littlehampton Secondary School for Girls)
E/125J Malvern House School (private school, recatalogued as MH)
E/131 Flora McDonald Junior School (originally Lyminster Board School, later Lyminster Public Elementary School - juniors)
WORTHING SCHOOLS
See also Broadwater (E/29), Durrington (E/70) and Heane (E/99)
E/218 Worthing High School for Girls (later Gaisford High School for Girls)
E/218A Technical High School (originally Worthing Junior Technical School for Building)
E/218B St Mary's Catholic Primary School (originally St Joseph's RC School, later St Mary's RC School)
E/218C St Andrew's C of E High School for Boys (previously St Andrew's Secondary Boys' School)
E/218D British School (Institute Day School)
E/218E Broadwater Temporary Infants' Council School
E/218F Christchurch National School
E/218G Davison C of E High School for Girls
E/218H Homefield County Primary School (originally St George's National School, later St George's Junior Mixed and Infants' Council School, later Sussex Road Junior Mixed and Infant School, later Sussex Road Primary School)
E/218J West Tarring National School
E/218K Evening Continuation Classes
E/218L High School for Boys (previously Worthing Secondary School for Boys)
E/218M Worthing County Secondary School for Girls (previously Sussex Road Senior Girls' School)
E/218N Holy Trinity C of E School
E/218P West Sussex College of Art and Design (originally Worthing School of Arts and Crafts, later West Sussex College of Arts and Crafts)
E/218Q College of Technology (originally Worthing Technical Institute, later Worthing College of Further Education)
E/218R The Warren School for Girls (private school)
E/218S Downsbrook School and Partially Hearing Unit
E/218T Tarring High School (originally Richmond Road National School, later Sussex Road Senior Boys' Council School, later West Tarring Senior Boys' School, later West Tarring County Secondary School for Boys)
E/218U Free School for Boys and National Schools
E/218V Northbrook College of Design and Technology
E/218W Thomas A'Becket Infant School (originally West Tarring Council Infants' School, later Thomas A'Becket County Primary School - infants, later Thomas A'Becket First School)
E/218X Worthing High School
E/218Y Richmond Road Manual Training School
E/218Z Worthing College (formerly Worthing Sixth Form College)
E/218AA Broadwater Manor School (private school, recatalogued as BM)
E/218AB John Selden Middle School (originally Maybridge County Junior Mixed School, later John Selden Junior Mixed School)
E/218AC [Number not used]
E/218AD Oak Grove College
E/218AE George Pringle School and Highdown School
E/218AF Lyndhurst Infant School (originally Lyndhurst Road Junior Mixed and Infant Council School, later Lyndhurst County First and Middle School, later Lyndhurst Primary School)
E/218AG Chatsmore Catholic High School (originally St Mary's Catholic Secondary Modern School, later Blessed Robert Southwell Catholic School)
E/218AH Worthing Adult Education Centre
E/218AJ Vale Primary School
E/218AK Thomas A'Becket Junior School (originally Thomas A'Becket County Primary School - juniors, later Thomas A'Becket Middle School)
E/218AL Sussex Road Council School (originally Sussex Road Board School) |
| Access Conditions | Information in log books, admission registers, attendance registers, punishment books, and minute books (including governors' minutes) and some other records that are less than 100 years old are subject to restricted access.
For further details please email record.office@westsussex.gov.uk |
| Related Material | The catalogues of many schools include references to other archive groups. The long and close connection with the Church of England means that many items have reached the Record Office via the incumbent and have been catalogued with his parish records. All these items will have a reference prefixed by 'Par'. The local authority's involvement has produced an accumulation of records relating to sites and buildings, which are held in the West Sussex County Council's archive. Plans are among the records of the County Architect and normally bear the prefix WDC/AR. Title deeds and related papers have been catalogued in the Add Mss series. There are also smaller numbers of cross references to other West Sussex Record Office collections.
In addition there is, of course, much further information (beyond the scope of this catalogue) to be found in the records of the County Education Department and of the County Education Committee and its sub-committees.
Some schools are represented in the Record Office only by records in other collections or of other schools. They do not have entries in the main body of this catalogue, but are listed here with references to those other collections or to entries for other schools in this catalogue.
CRAWLEY: St Margaret's Church of England School
Founded in 1955
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Par 60/7/8/72 Correspondence relating to the school, 1956-1959. (1 file)
CRAWLEY: Hazelwick County Secondary School, Sarah Robinson County Secondary School
For Governors' Minutes, 1954-1962, see E/60E/1/1-2
CRAWLEY: St Wilfrid's RC Secondary Modern School
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Add Mss 11089 Plans for conversion from Oakwood house, 1951, 1952. (5 docs.)
CRAWLEY: Pound Hill Primary School
County Junior and Infants school, opened 1955. From 1957, took on the buildings of the former Worth County Primary School.
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Add Mss 11089 Plan of Parish Hill Primary School, 1953. (1 doc.)
E/60K/1/1 Crawley East Primary Schools Managers' minute book, July 1956 - February 1962. (1 vol.)
E/60K/1/2 Crawley East Primary Schools Managers' minute book, April 1962 - June 1970. (1 vol.)
E/60K/1/3 Crawley East Primary Schools Managers' minute book, June 1970 - February 1971. (1 vol.)
CUCKFIELD: WARDEN COURT GIRLS' SCHOOL: A private girls' school, at which the depositor's aunt, Miss Whittle, was principal until the school's closure in c.1957. Miss Whittle was formerly Secretary at Tortington Park School, near Arundel. She went into partnership at Warden Court with the maths teacher at Tortington
[See M Wright, ‘Cuckfield in Old Picture Postcards’, plate 65]
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections
Add Mss 41249 Daily order book, 1900-1933
Add Mss 41250 Roll of Honour, illustrated and compiled by pupils
Add Mss 42248 Visitors’ book, May 1905 - November 1925. (1 pocket book)
Add Mss 42249 Oxford Local Exams: record of results, 1930-1933. Warden Court Girls' School and County Secondary School, Farlington House, The Priory, St Joseph's Convent, Sunnybrae School, and Trevelyan School. (1 exercise book)
GRAFFHAM: Graffham Council School
A former headmistress believed that the Graffham School records were destroyed in 1913.
Documents in West Sussex Record Office collections:
WDC/AR16/93/1 Graffham Council School, improvements 1912, 1914. (2 plans)
WDC/AR16/93/2 Graffham Board School, additions 1894 (1 plan)
HEENE: Holt Middle Class [Girls] School
The Lady Burrell Exhibition founded ‘to assist Daughters of Farmers or Tradesmen, resident for not less than five years in the County of Sussex, to obtain a good Education at some School where the Doctrines of the Church of England are distinctively taught’, was bequeathed by Dame Henrietta Katherine Burrell in her will (proved June 1880) for the benefit of the Holt Middle Class [Girls] School at Heene in Worthing
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections
Add Mss 11174, 11175 Bank books of the Holt School Community, July 1880 - June 1916, July 1916 - Nov 1931
Add Mss 11176 Charity Commissioners' Scheme for the Dame Henrietta Burrell Foundation, 16 March 1894
Add Mss 11177 Two copies of printed circular concerning the aims of the Foundation, [1894] and 1896
Add Mss 11178 Correspondence relating to Trustees and other officers, and also to the application and investment of funds, 1893 - 1952
Add Mss 11179 Statements of account, 1912 - 1924, 1936, 1937 (15 items)
Add Mss 11180 Cheque book stubs for money paid to the beneficiaries of the Foundation, 1906 - 1959
Add Mss 11181 Investment account book of the Holt School Committee, 1920 - 1927
LANCING: Irene Avenue County Primary School
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
WDC/AR16/118/1 Plans of the school, 1934. (5 plans)
WDC/AR16/118/2 Plan of a caretaker's cottage, 1935.
LANCING: Nursery School
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Add Mss 11093 Lancing: Nursery School drawing, 1947. (1 doc.)
SELSEY: Selsey Council Infants School
Built in 1905.
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Add Mss 6293 Deeds of Selsey Infants School, 1843-1904. (15 docs.)
WDC/AR16/166/1 Plan of school, n.d. (4 docs.)
WDC/AR16/166/2 Plans of proposed extensions, 1937. (1 doc.)
NEW SHOREHAM: Junior and Infant Primary School
Built in Buckingham Road and opened in 1958.
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Add Mss 11100 Plans, c.1958. (2 docs.)
NEW SHOREHAM: County Infants, Three Form Entry School
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Add Mss 11100 Plans, 1961. (2 docs.)
NEW SHOREHAM: Ham Road School
A Board school (mixed and infants) erected in 1875.
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Add Mss 6296 Deeds of Ham Road School, 1872-1946. Abstract of title recites from 1814 and 1874. Plan. (20 docs.)
SLINDON: St Richard's RC School
Built in 1870 for 40 children.
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
WDC/AR16/175/1 Plan of St Richard's School, 1918. (1 doc.)
SLINFOLD: Rowhook National School, built in 1874 - though there appears to have been an earlier school built in 1856. It appears to have closed around 1904
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Par 176/25/21 Correspondence relating to the uniting of Slinfold, Rudgwick and Warnham for educational purposes and to the building of Rowhook School to prevent this, 1872-1874. (11 docs.)
Par 176/25/22 Minute book, 1873 - April 1877. (1 vol.)
Par 176/25/23 Minute book, 1878 - 1904. (1 vol.)
Par 176/25/24 Deed of conveyance of school site and copy, 1874, 1957. (2 docs.)
Par 176/25/28 Plan and elevations for proposed school by Gordon M Hills, architect, 1873. (2 docs.)
WEST STOKE: Public Elementary School
Mixed. Open in 1866 and closed in the 1920s.
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Par 186/25/1 Letter from the Board of Education to the Local Education Authority concerning improvements to School buildings and a request to consider building a new school as otherwise recognition of the old Primary School will be withdrawn, December 1910. (3pp.)
Par 186/25/2 West Stoke School managers’ minute book, June 1903 - January 1922 (1 vol.)
Goodwood Ms 1375 Letters relating to West Stoke School, 1894-1907 and n.d.
Goodwood Ms 1376 Letters relating to West Stoke School, 1901. (2 docs.)
SULLINGTON: National School
The school was closed in 1921.
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Par 190/9/4 Miscellaneous bills, receipts and correspondence concerning Sullington Church, school and the School Cottages, 1914-1945. (1 bdl)
Par 190/25/1 Log book, 1869-1875
Par 190/25/2 Log book, 1875-1889
Par 190/25/3 Account book, 1875-1903. An abstract of each year's account is given at the back of the volume. This volume also contains the Parish Room Account, 1921-1923, the school having closed in 1920.
Par 190/25/4 Pass book, Messrs Henty (later Lloyds Bank Ltd) in account with Sullington School, 1893-1921.
See also Add Mss 13243 and 13244/3
WEST TARRING: Rectory Road Senior Boys Elementary School
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Add Mss 6346 Deeds of Rectory Road Senior Boys Elementary School, West Tarring, 1899-1954. Abstracts of title recite from dates between 1875 and 1926. (26 docs.)
Add Mss 6347 Contract and bond for the erection of the Senior Boys Elementary School, Rectory Road, West Tarring, 1939. Includes bill of quantities and plans. (1 vol.)
TARRING ACADEMY: Private Fee-Paying School
Documents in other West Sussex Record Office collections:
Add Mss 36773 Manuscript writing book of Charles New, 21 December 1803 (6ff.) |
| AdminHistory | Most of the schools are elementary (Infants, Primary or Junior) with the majority founded in the middle or late 19th century. A few date back to the earlier years of the century, and a handful to the previous century. In a county firmly attached to the Established Church, the majority were founded as National or Church of England schools. Between the 1870 and 1902 Education Acts about 20 Board Schools appear, often taking over from failing voluntaries. In the 20th century, the Local Education Authority takes on an increasingly important rôle.
The core of their records derives from the Revised Code of 1862, producing series of log books and pupil admission registers (backed up, of course, by managers' minute books). With the 20th century, a wider diversity appears, reflecting study topics, pupil activities and school organisations.
Secondary schools are thinly represented in an almost entirely rural county. Historic endowed grammar schools at Chichester, Horsham, Midhurst, and Steyning provide the oldest material in the collection. The nineteenth century reflects the emergence of independent schools such as the Woodard foundations at Lancing, Ardingly and Hurstpierpoint (whose true archives are held within their institution) - and smaller, and usually short-lived, institutions such as Lancing Grammar School. The other secondary schools are established after 1918 Education Act - initially selective, but, with the passing of the 1944 Act, broadening to include Secondary Moderns and Comprehensives. The records of the secondary schools are more diverse than the primaries. Log books are rare, but admissions are reasonably well documented. There is, however, a greater quantity and variety of records covering pupil and school activities. |
| Collection Hierarchy | E |