Opened as Cane Hill Mission Room (Church of England) School in 1886. Its successor, Smitham Bottom School opened in new buildings in Malcolm Road in 1893. From 1905, when a new Smitham Bottom Mixed School was opened elsewhere, until reorganisation in 1932, only infants were accommodated. The school moved into new premises in 1991.
Station Road School opened 18 November 1872 and until 13 January 1873 took Infants and post Infants Girls. There was no Boys School at this time. From 13 January 1873 the Infants and Girls formed two separate schools.
The Girls and Infants moved into new buildings in May 1875 and this facilitated the opening on 24 May of a Senior Boys School and on 28 June of a Junior Mixed School. This closed on 10 September 1897 at which time, presumably, the Junior Boys and Girls were absorbed into the Senior Boys and Girl Schools, respectively. Throughout this period the schools were frequently expanded due to rising numbers.
In September 1931, the schools were reorganised, the Boys and Girls Schools thereafter only for Juniors of each sex and the Infants being combined with the Junior Girls. The Senior Girls and Boys were transferred elsewhere. From 01 September 1933 there was a temporary annexe in the Methodist Church Hall on Suffolk Road; this closed in the Summer of 1937 when new buildings were opened.
During WWII, the pupils were evacuated to Brighton and then, in July 1940, to New Haw, Chertsey, together with pupils from Gonville and Ingram Schools. They were later absorbed into local schools.
Rising numbers meant that separate Girls and Infants were set up again in 1953. This was followed in 1959 by the amalgamation of the Junior Boys and Junior Girls and in 1981 by the amalgamation of the Juniors with the Infants.
Opened as a primary school in 1949 for pupils aged 5 - 11. In August 1954, a separate infants school was opened. The infants and junior schools were amalgamated in 1998.
Spring Lane Temporary Infants School
Opened in 1918 in Woodside Baptist Hall as an overflow school for either Woodside Infants School or Portland Road Infants School. Closed in 1921.
Founded 1 September 1974 as an 11-16 comprehensive school. Closed 31 August 1990, when it became a City Technology College (C. T. C.).
Tamworth Road (British) Schools
The Croydon British Schools opened in 1812 following a meeting held on 30 September of that year at the Crown Inn to establish a school to be run on Lancastrian principles (that is those established by Joseph Lancaster, using older children as monitors to teach the younger ones). The British Schools were non-conformist foundations, whereas Croydons National School, also set up in 1812, belonged to the Church of England. The schools were at first in Surrey Street, then in Mint Walk and after that in North End on the corner with Tamworth Road, (where the Railway Bell public house later stood). Following the extension of the London and Brighton Railway Companys line from West Croydon to Epsom, the schools moved to the south west end of Tamworth Road, where they opened in January 1847. A girls school opened in 1812 seems to have closed in 1903. An infants school also opened in 1812 closed permanently in 1906. The local education authority took over management of the schools on 18 October 1904 and the schools were renamed Tamworth Road, although the term British continued in use after that date. In 1915 the old buildings were replaced, the pupils being accomodated temporarily in the hall of Scarbrook Road Baths. The new buildings comprised a Senior Mixed School and a Junior Mixed and Infants [or Lower] School and opened on 24 October 1919. In January 1924 the schools were reorganised to take only seniors, with separate boys and girls departments. The boys school finally closed in August 1935 and the girls school on 27 July 1951.
Tavistock Infants and Junior Schools
Opened as Tavistock Grove Junior Mixed and Infants School on 1 November 1909. Renamed Tavistock Junior Mixed and Infants School, 1922. Closed 25 July 1930, the juniors being transferred to Sydenham [Broadmead] School and the infants to a new building in Grenaby Road. Tavistock Infants School opened at Grenaby Road on 22 September 1930. The school closed on 28 October 1948, when staff, children and records were transferred to St Michaels School, St Jamess Road.
Opened 3 September 1957. The school accommodated both infants and juniors throughout its history. Closed 18 July 1980, as a result of falling rolls.
The school was founded as a Primary School and opened on 16 June 1976. A Nursery Unit was created in September 1990. Tollgate Primary School was closed in July 2007.
In 1963, land between 25 and 33 Tunstall Road, measuring 0.097 acres and earlier occupied by two large garages, was purchased by the Corporation for 1633250 aand back land to 15 -39 Tunstall Road, measuring a further 0.46 acres, was purchased likewise for 1635000. The school was built in 1970 - 1 under the Urban Aid Programme with the contractor being W.J. Simms, Sons and Cooke Ltd, Sherwood House, Beddington Lane, Croydon.
Opened as Waddon Infant and Junior School in Cooper Road, Waddon, on 16 May 1927. In 1930 the school was reorganised to form Waddon Infant School and Waddon Junior School. In 1934, the schools were again combined to form Waddon Infant and Junior School. The school was evacuated to East Grinstead, Sussex, in September 1939, with some children going to Exeter, Devon. The school returned to Waddon in December 1943. In 1952, Duppas Infant and Junior School was reorganised as a junior school and on 1 September 1953, Waddon Infant and Junior School became Waddon Infant School. The school moved from Cooper Road to new premises in Purley Way in August 1954.
Wattenden Primary School opened on 18 April 1967.
Boston Road Schools were opened on 25 August 1896. In 1921 or 1922 they were remaned West Thornton. From 1896 until 1931 there were separate Departments for Infants, Post-Infant Girls and Post-Infant Boys. From 11 Sept 1931 Senior Boys and Girls went elsewhere leaving separate Departments for Infants, Junior Girls and Junior Boys. Then on 1 September 1955, the Junior Girls and Boys were combined into one Junior Mixed Department and on 1 September 1958 the Infants and Juniors were brought together to form one Primary School.
To summarise the above paragraph:
1896 - 1958 Infants
and
1896 - 1931 Post Infant Girls and Post Infant Boys
1931 - 1955 Junior Girls and Junior Boys
1955 - 1958 Junior Mixed
1958 onwards Primary
In September 1939 the schools were evacuated to Brighton, but re-opened in Boston Road in April 1940.
In April 1976 the school vacated its original premises in Boston Road and moved into premises earlier occupied by Lanfranc Girls School (Rosecourt Road).
Founded 2 May 1905 as Ingram Road Senior Girls School. From 1922, known as Ingram Senior Girls School. Moved to Spurgeon Road in 1958 and became known as Westwood High School. It changed its name to Westwood Language College for Girls in 2002.
Whitehorse Manor Infants School
Opened 15 June 1892 as Whitehorse Road Infants School. Later became Whitehorse Manor Infants School.
Founded by 29 January 1872. First log book entitled Christ Church Wildbores National School. Closed probably in March 1921.
By 1864 there was a Surrey Congregational Union Chapel on the site of the present school. It was then in use as a school room. The Croydon School Board took over the building on 1 August 1871 and it was used as a girls and infants school until 1873 when the infants moved to a separate room. The Infant School became a separate entity on 20 January 1873. It is currently known as Beulah Infant and Nursery School.
Winterbourne Junior Boys School
Opened as a combined boys, girls and infants school on 27 August 1906, but became a boys school on 1 January 1907.
Woodside Girls and Boys Schools opened on Morland Road on 19 October 1891. Initially there were separate post-infant Girls and Boys Schools. In Sept 1931 or 1932 the schools were reorganised leaving just Junior Girls and Boys and with the Senior Girls and Senior Boys moving elsewhere.
On 04 September 1939 the Boys and Girls schools were evacuated. The Girls school was evacuated to Upper Beeding Council School and any girls remaining behind being placed with the boys under their Head, Mr William L. Bennetto. On the same day, 04 September 1939, the Boys were evacuated to Middle Street School, Brighton and from 13 July 1940 were re-evacuated to Stoke School, Markenfield Road, Stoke. On 26 August 1940 the children were absorbed into the local school. Separate schools were re-established on 21 August 1942 when the Head of the Girls School, Isabel Idle, returned from evacuation.
The Boys and Girls schools were amalgamated from 01 January 1960 under Miss V.A.Delves who had been Head of the Girls School since 1946.
Founded 23 April 1968 as a combined infants and junior school. A separate infants school opened 5 January 1977.
Castle Hill Infant School opened on 19 April 1955; Castle Hill Junior School nearby on 7 September 1955. The two schools were amalgamated in August 1992 under the then junior head teacher.
Christ Church C of E Primary School
The school was originally Riddlesdown School, described as the National School for Kenley and Caterham Junction District and situated on the triangle of land between Godstone and Downs Court Roads. On 14 August 1888, the Charity Commissioners agreed the sale of the school and the purchase money was used to erect Purley National Mixed Schools on a different site in Purley High Street. In August 1889, the school moved into its new premises and the Infants and Juniors were separated. The school was renamed Purley National.
The Infants and Juniors from Riddlesdown School were transferred to the new building on 19 August 1889. When the first Headmistress of the Infants, Miss E.A.Bishop, retired 43 years later, the Infants and Juniors were combined on the same site to form Purley Church of England Junior Mixed and Infant School. This was renamed Christ Church (CE) School in 1935.
In 1962 the High Street Purley building was abandoned and the school moved to its present premises.
The School was opened as a Training Centre in 1935. It was housed in an old church hall; its founder was Miss L.B. Cooney.
In 1937 it moved to another church hall and came under the care of the Local Health Authority. During the War the Centre was closed. It resumed in another church hall in 1945 and two years later moved to a big old house in Thornton Heath.
About 1952 it moved again to a 25 room house, Coldharbour House, in Purley Way. This was replaced by the existing building in 1969 and in 1971 responsibility was transferred from the Public Health Department to the Education Department. It took the name Coldharbour but this was changed to Red Gates on 01 January 1995.