School

You can visit the website of Oakington C of E Primary School here: https://www.oakingtonprimary.co.uk

Oakington Church of England Primary School has been at the heart of the community of Oakington and Westwick for generations. More than just a place of education, this small and special village school is where, over the years, class after class of children have grown as individuals and as groups of friends, and it has also been a focal point of community activity for all ages. (Village Journal, Oct/Nov 2021)

The current school dates from 1871, according to a date stone laid in the end wall of the schoolhouse. However, education in Oakington goes back at least 3 centuries before that.

Schools in Oakington before 1871

The first mention of a school in Oakington is in 1583. The bishop’s visitation in 1685, appalled by the number of Dissenters (non-conformists) here, recorded a “fanatic schoolmaster”. These early “schools” may have consisted only of a master teaching a few students privately.

In 1809 a Sunday School was begun by the Vicar. By the 1830s there was also a Meeting House (Baptist Chapel) Sunday School, an infant school and five “dame” schools (one a boarding school for 16 girls.)

Space became tight in the infant school so in 1837 a new school was built, this time on the site of the present one, opening with 140 children. It was sized 42 ft × 13 ft (13 m × 4 m)!

The current school

1905
Miss Chandler taught in Oakington for over 40 years (1891–1934). She was held in great affection, despite her frequent use of the cane.

Plans had been drawn up in 1860 to demolish the existing school and replace it with a “National” (church) school for 200 children complete with a School House. In 1880 school attendance became compulsory for 5–10 year-olds, and by 1910 98 scholars are recorded.

The two original classrooms are still in use, although altered. Ralph Warboys remembered that in 1932, the 90-odd pupils were divided into three classes, with two taught simultaneously in the bigger room. From 1958, children over 11 began to go to nearby Impington Village College.

The 1871 building with its school house at the front and two classrooms. The school remained substantially unaltered for its first hundred years.

Indoor toilets came in 1960. In 1974 the building was enlarged to provide a hall, kitchen, staff room and two more classrooms. By the turn of the 21st century, there were still around 90 pupils, but by then divided into four classes. The first 20 years of the 21st century saw further developments, with the school being extended to the front and a further three classrooms added.

2021(?)

Notable dates

  • 1583 – First mention of a school in Oakington
  • 1809 – Sunday school begun by the vicar
  • 1837 – School built on the site of the current one, opening with 140 children
  • 1871 – Current school built
  • 1941 – Air raid shelter built in the playground
  • 1958 – Children over 11 begin to go to Impington Village College
  • 1960 – Indoor toilets installed
  • 1969 – Outdoor and unheated swimming pool built with PTA funding
  • 1974 – Building enlarged to include a hall, kitchen, staff room and two more classrooms
  • 2006 – School uniform introduced
  • 2019 – School joins the Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust (DEMAT)
  • 2021 – School celebrates 150 years

Links and Sources

  • You can visit the website of Oakington C of E Primary School here: https://www.oakingtonprimary.co.uk
  • A 150th Anniversary Souvenir was published in the Oct/Nov 2021 edition of the Village Journal, available here.

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