| Established | Spring 1904 |
|---|---|
| Type | Junior School |
| Headteacher | Mrs Bernie Evans |
| Location | Hyde Park Road Plymouth Devon PL3 4RH England |
| Local authority | Plymouth City Council |
| Staff | 13 teachers, and 30 support staff |
| Students | 360 |
| Gender | Co-Educational |
| Ages | 7–11 |
| Houses | Meavy , Lynher , Tamar and Plym |
| Website | www.hydeparkjuniorschool.co.uk |
Hyde Park Junior School (HPJS), founded in 1904, is a state junior school located on Hyde Park Road, close to Mutley Plain in Plymouth, Devon, England. Catering for around 360 boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 11, it is housed in the same building as its partner school, Hyde Park Infants.[1] The school's catchment area extends across part of the suburbs of Plymouth including Mutley and Mannamead.
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Hyde Park School is built on the site where, in the 1590s, Thornhill House stood, which was occupied by Sir Francis Drake. Drake's Leat also ran past nearby.[2]
The school officially opened on May 27, 1904, at which point there were three separate schools or departments (Hyde Park Boys, Hyde Park Girls, and Hyde Park Infants) housed on three floors. By 1908, there were 1548 children registered at the school: 475 boys, 465 girls and 608 infants. During the First World War, Hyde Park along with Salisbury Road School, was used as a hospital and convalescent home. In the 1920s and 1930s, the school continued to run as three separate schools and it was common for there to be 50 children in a class.[2] The three schools were the infant school , the junior school and the high school.
On March 20, 1941, during the Plymouth Blitz, the school was hit by an incendiary bomb and the high school was destroyed by fire. The former pitched roof has never been replaced and the building now has a flat roof. The children continued lessons in local church halls and also shared half day sessions with other schools - the boys with Montpelier and the girls with Laira Green. Some children were evacuated with their teachers to Cornwall. In 1942, some returned to Hyde Park and a Nissen hut was erected in the front playground, it was used as a British Restaurant and then later as accommodation for the school. It was eventually dismantled in 1959.[2] According to a short news item in The Times, the school was re-opened after the air raid damage by the Duke of Kent on 14 February 1942 as a social centre, the funds for which had been supplied by the British War Relief Society of America.[3]
By the early 1950s, the rebuilding of the school was complete. An inspection report from 1954 noted that there were nearly 1250 on roll in the Junior and Infant school, and that the building was shared by the two schools.[2]
In 2004, it was said that Hyde Park had the largest population of ethnic minority pupils among primary schools in Plymouth.[4]
2005 saw a modernisation of the school as broadband internet access was introduced, every classroom received an interactive whiteboard,[5] and the old cloakroom was renovated into a new modern library. Headteacher Bernie Evans said the new location and modern feel of the room was intended to give reading status and the library a more prominent location. The old library was transformed into two smaller cloakrooms.[6]
2007 all of the classrooms in the school had received an interactive white board. The school also become the Pathfinder school for Primary Languages in the John Kitto Academic Council.
2008 saw the schools ICT room knocked down and the desktop computers replaced by laptops. Toilets and a new meeting room replaced the ICT suite. The school underwent a lot of changes during this time. New toilets outside were provided and an adventure trail was placed for the children to enjoy and play on. The school also increased its online activity with a new online interactive magazine. Mr Harman joined the school, and Miss Lindo left.
2009 - The quality of ICT in the school was highlighted after they were invited to demonstrate good practise at a South West Conference. Miss Light joined the school and began to lead forward transformation in numeracy and outdoor education.
2010 - Mrs Banbury announced her retirement, and Mrs Coffey left the school.
2011 - Mrs Dibben, Miss Light and Mr Harman all left the school for new adventures. A new team of teachers was hired to enrich and enliven the leadership team.
Following their June 2004 inspection, Ofsted wrote "This is a good school. It provides good value for money. Effective leadership and management and good teaching ensure that pupils achieve well. The school provides a very supportive community with a very positive ethos in which all pupils thrive. Pupils enjoy school and have very positive attitudes to their work."[7]
The March 2010 inspection by Ofsted awarded the school outstanding.
To assist road safety for their pupils, the school have designed fashionable high-visibility jackets.[8]