Winterbourne Boys' Academy (formerly Winterbourne Junior Boys' School) is a

junior school A Junior school is a type of school which provides primary education to children, often in the age range from 8 and 13, following attendance at Infant school which covers the age range 5–7. (As both Infant and Junior schools are giving Primary ...

in the London Borough of Croydon for boys aged between 7 and 11 years. Along with its sister Girls' School, the schools are the last remaining single-sex, state-funded junior schools in the UK.

General information

The school is on Winterbourne Road in

Thornton Heath Thornton Heath is a district of Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is around north of the town of Croydon, and south of Charing Cross. Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, Thornton Heath was in the Co ...

. The Local Education Authority for the school is the

London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough in south London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of . It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name; ...

, however the school converted to academy status in April 2014. The school caters for pupils from

Year 3 Year 3 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. It is usually the third year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between six to seven however some ...

Year 6 Year 6 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the sixth year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between ten and eleven however some chil ...

. The uniform of the school is a grey jumper with the school logo, white shirt and grey or black trousers (a sweatshirt with the school logo is also available, as is a fleece jacket). There are approximately 250 pupils on roll (as of February 2011) with a maximum of 30 pupils in each of 8 classes (2 classes per year group). From September 2007, there has been an additional class in the morning sessions: from September until April (when the Year 6 SATs take place) this consists of some pupils from each of the two Year 6 classes, and from April until July this consists of some pupils from each of the two Year 5 classes.

History

The school was opened in 1906 as a combined Boys, Girls and Infants school on 27 August 1906, but became three separate schools on 6 January 1907. It was originally called Winterbourne Road School. ''The following information is based on the publication printed for the school's centenary "Winterbourne Times 1907-2007" '' At the turn of the 20th century, it was decided that a school was needed in the locality, as the nearest school was Ecclesbourne. The Board of Education in

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...

purchased land in Winterbourne Road, and initially decided to call the school "Winterbourne Road Board School". The new school (with three departments: Boys, Girls, Infants) would cater for 1200 pupils. At first, owing to the large numbers awaiting admission to the school, one department was opened in August 1906 as a temporary mixed school with accommodation for 540 with two classes of 50 pupils in the school hall. In January 1907, the school was finally completed as follows: * Boys Department:
Accommodation for 408 Pupils
Headmaster: Mr. J. Potter * Girls Department:
Accommodation for 408 pupils
Headmistress: Miss J.E. Cash * Infants Department:
Accommodation for 444 pupils
Headmistress: Mrs G.L. Fowles

War memorial

There was a war memorial in the building commemorating two former Masters and 50 old boys. The first pupils of the school were just of an age to serve in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Although the memorial itself is now lost, the inscription is known (links are to known entries at the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations m ...

website):

Centenary celebrations

In the summer of 2007, the schools on the site joined in celebrations to mark the centenary of the schools' opening. This culminated in the unveiling of a plaque by the Mayor of Croydon in front of the pupils of all three schools, followed by the mass release of balloons. Image:Winterbourne_Centenary_1.jpg, The Centenary Banner Image:Winterbourne_Centenary_2.jpg, Unveiling of the Centenary Plaque by the Mayor of Croydon Image:Winterbourne_Centenary_balloons.jpg, Release of the balloons by children from all 3 schools!

Conversion to an academy

A consultation was held (ending in Spring 2014) about the conversion of the school to an

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

with Platanos Trust. The conversion to an academy occurred 1 April 2014, in line with the date proposed for this conversion by the

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England. A Department ...

. The school was later renamed Winterbourne Boys' Academy.

Headteachers

The headteachers of the boys' school have been:

References

External links

Official WebsitePerformance TablesThe school's official description of itselfCroydon local studies library where many of the school's documents from 1906 to present are now held
{{authority control Primary schools in the London Borough of Croydon Educational institutions established in 1907 1907 establishments in England Academies in the London Borough of Croydon Thornton Heath