History of Our School
Takeley School was opened in 1869 as a Penny School. The children of ordinary people were charged 1 penny a day whilst children of shopkeepers were charged 3 pennies. At this time the School was at Brewers End (on the old A120) and the buildings can still be seen there.
The first Head Teacher was Miss Mary Ann Halls, but she only stayed until 1871.
Many Head Teachers followed, with none lasting more than two years, until in 1886 Mr Cooper Smith took over as head with his wife as deputy head. He and his family remained as heads of the school for 46 years. During this time many changes were made. The school stopped charging in 1891 and sports such as football, cricket and hockey were introduced.
In 1932 Mr Leslie Frost was appointed Head Teacher. He remained for 30 years and was very well known in the village not only as Head but as the village historian and for taking part in the annual Pantomime.
Stuart Thompson took over in 1962 and was Head for 17 years.
By 1965 the original school at Brewers End had become too small for the growing village and so it moved to the site in Roseacres, a small estate of houses built in the 1960s on the site of a rose nursery owned by Charles Wright. The school was constructed as a temporary building as the future of Takeley was uncertain with the possibility of the expansion of Stansted Airport. These temporary buildings were to stay for 23 years.
