Elementary School, Castle Hill, Bolton

Described as "most modern and well-equipped council school in Bolton” when it was opened on Saturday July 19, 1930 by Councillor W Russell JP, chairman of the Education Committee.

In the early 1900s British authorities took a new approach to education: open air schools. Inspired by methods of teaching in Germany, these open-air schools were intended to provide disadvantaged city children with fresh air, alleviating their poor health and preventing the spread of tuberculosis. In 1927 plans have been approved for new open-air schools in IIford, Leyton, Huddersfield, London (Bermondsey, Highgate, and Stepney), Cambridge, Bolton, Stretford, etc. In part the new Castle Hill building was erected to ease overcrowding at Tonge Moor School but also its construction provided much-needed employment for the unemployed in Bolton in the late 1920s.

The buildings were erected by Stanley Porter of Bolton providing accommodation for a total of 1090 students.

The north block housed the mixed infants’ department comprising nine classrooms, two cloakrooms and assembly hall, two staff rooms and a medical inspection block. It was designed to accommodate 450 infants aged between four and a half years of age and seven.  Owing to the large influx of children from the new Firwood Housing Estate this proved inadequate until two temporary classrooms were added in 1938

The junior girls’ department occupied the south-east block This had eight classrooms, one practical science room, two domestic science rooms, one art room, two cloakrooms, an assembly hall and two staff rooms providing accommodation for 320 pupils.

The junior boys’ department occupied the south-west block and mirrored the girls’ department. This too had eight classrooms, one practical science room, one art room, two cloakrooms, an assembly hall and two staff rooms, but had two manual instruction rooms instead of the two domestic science rooms. Accommodation was provided for 320 pupils.

Reference    Builder 13 April 1928 Page 656
Reference    Builder 2 November 1928 Page 739
Reference    Builder 14 December 1928 Page 1002
Reference    Builder 8 March 1929 page 493 – tenders