Reference
SDLutonStMatthews
Title
St Matthew's School, Luton [Boys, Girls, Church, Public Elementary, Junior, CPJ Mixed]
Admin/biog history
Boys School created in wooden church buildings in 1870, moving to Havelock Road in 1874. Girls School created in Havelock Road as a Church School in 1874, both became Public Elementary in 1903 and Junior Schools in 1932, amalgamating as a CPJ Mixed in 1946, became St.Matthew's Junior School in 1964.
The following brief history of the schools is largely taken from 'A History of Education' in Luton by John G. Dony. A school for boys and infants was created in a wooden church building in Hightown in 1870. Local girls had attended “The Iron School” (so called because it was held in a corrugated iron building) since 1864. In 1874 separate schools for junior boys, junior girls and infants were opened in Havelock Road and were collectively known as both High Town Church School and St. Matthew’s School. The schools were not run by the Luton School Board at any time after its creation in 1874 but continued to be Church Schools; following the Education Act of 1902 the schools were styled Public Elementary and were run by Luton Town Council. In 1932 the boys and girls schools amalgamated to form a Junior Mixed School. After the Education Act of 1944 the schools were classified as County Primary Junior School and County Primary Infants School, Bedfordshire County Council taking over the running of all Luton schools but running them through Luton Borough Council as a Divisional Executive. At some point the title County Primary was dropped the schools simply being known as Junior and Infant. In 1967 the Junior schools of St Matthew's (Havelock Street) and Hichin Road were amalgamated as the new St Matthew's Junior school at Charles Street, Luton. The schools moved to new buildings in Wenlock Street in the late 1980s.
Level of description
fonds