PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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Hooe Primary School is located in Hooe Road, Hooe, Plymstock, Plymouth. The School had its origins in two older ones, which were closed down on Thursday October 31st 1931 in order to prepare for the move to the new Hooe Junior school. Hooe Upper Mixed School was opened as St John's National School in 1855, at the same time as the adjacent Church was opened. It was taken over by Devon County Council in 1903. Turnchapel Infant School, right on the waterside in the hamlet, was opened in 1861 or 1862 as the Turnchapel National School and was merged with Hooe from April 18th 1898 before also being taken over by the County Council. During the Great War, 1914 to 1918, the School building at St John's was taken over by the military as a hospital. It reopened as a School on October 7th 1919. Both Hooe Upper mixed and Turnchapel Infant Schools closed down on Thursday October 1st 1931 in preparation for the move of furniture and equipment to the new Hooe Junior School. Work had started on constructing the new school on October 27th 1930. Just under a year later, on Monday October 5th 1931, the children reassembled in their new premises. Hooe Junior School Hooe Junior School was formally opened by Sir Francis Dyke Acland, Bart., chairman of the Devon County Education Committee, at 2.30pm on Monday October 12th 1931. The School covered a site of some 1½ acres, which had been purchased at a cost of £450. There was sufficient room for a playground, space for organised games and even a garden. There were five classrooms to accommodate 224 children (junior mixed and infants). Two of the classrooms could hold 40 children each and the other five took 48 children each. An external corridor connected all the rooms and school offices. The building had cost £5,115 2s 5d, which worked out at £24 per school place. It was built by Mr C J Russell. The school also had a new caretaker, a Mr Edwin Tucker, of Turnchapel, whom they were proud to announce had been a member of the Board of Trade Life-saving Apparatus Company for 25 years. Mr Edwin Rogers was the head master. Following the closure of the two old schools, the St John's building was turned in to a church hall, while the Turnchapel one was handed to Trustees, who were to decide what to do with it. Hooe Infant School The rapid expansion of housing at Hooe, Turnchapel and Plymstock after the Second World War created a great deal of pressure on Hooe Junior School and it was found necessary to split away the infants section. Consequently during the first week of June 1955 work started on construction new premises and these were opened as Hooe Infant School in September 1956. It would accommodate 120 children. Hooe Infant School, which consisted of an assembly hall and three class-rooms, was formally opened by Lady Roborough on Monday October 29th 1956. She planted a flowering crab-apple tree at the front of the building. Also present were the chairman of Plympton St Mary Rural District Council, Mr C Hoare, and the chairman of the school managers, Mr G R Coleman. Mr H V De Courcy Hague, the Devon County Architect, designed the School and it was erected by Messrs J Kerswill & Sons Ltd. The cost of the site was stated to have been £600, the buildings a further £22,872 and the furnishings cost £2,100.
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