Glaisdale School

Glaisdale School was an independent preparatory school on Arundel Road in Cheam situated in the London Borough of Sutton.

History

Glaisdale School was opened by Agnes White, assisted by her daughter Berthain, in 1925 in a private detached house in Cheam situated prominently at one of the key entrances to South Cheam. To accommodate growing numbers after the Second World War it enlarged by acquiring the detached house next door and filling the space in between. In the 1990s a hall was added.^[1] Despite consistently good inspection findings from the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), the school closed on 14 July 2005. Two years later on, it was transformed into a daytime nursery for infants. The last ever head boy and girl were William Nolan and Sian Blewitt.

Education

Glaisdale Hat Ribbon from 1970s, showing colours of the school

The school was attended by children from the surrounding residential area who could enter via the nursery or older. The provision of education was deemed by independent inspection as very good or excellent in all areas including mathematics, language, literacy, physical and creative development and the quality of teaching and assessment was deemed excellent in the last inspection by OFSTED. The addition of the hall provided an area for gymnastics, music and movement, football, dance and drama as well as morning assembly.^[1]

Redevelopment of the site

The school had occupied what were originally two detached family homes. It was situated on the corner of two roads that also comprised only detached family homes. Soon after its closure, a proposal to build 13 flats on this site was made. This caused over 160 letters of objection to be sent to the local Council and this resulted in the application being refused by the Council’s Development Control Committee in June 2006.^[2] Objections were based on the premise that a high density development of flats in South Cheam was undesirable and out of keeping with the nature of the area.

Despite this, further proposals to demolish Glaisdale School and replace it with flats were made by planners. Plans were submitted to demolish the existing buildings on the school site and replace them with two, two-storey buildings which together contain one three-bed, seven two-bed, and three one-bed flats with front and rear parking areas for 15 cars.

The reaction was more pronounced than previously with the council receiving over 220 individual letters of objection against this application.^[3] Council planners still recommended the application be granted. However, on 14 February in front of over 140 campaigning residents, the local council’s Development Control Committee unanimously refused the application, expressing agreement with the residents argument that approval of this application would have led to it becoming a precedent for any development in any area of special local character in the borough.^[3] The support for the retention of the school buildings was deemed unprecedented by the councillors.^[4]

Alumni

• Sarah Fisher - Animal Practitioner of Talking to Animals fame. Married to Anthony Head.
• Ian Stewart - Early member of The Rolling Stones.

Former Head teachers

• Mrs White (from 1925 to 1938 (deceased))
• Mrs E R A Hayter (from 1938 to 1965 (retired))
• Mrs Vera Froy and Mrs Lini Hughes (1965 - 1979)
• Mrs Jean Collins (1979 - 1987)
• Mrs Judith Hurst (1987 - 1990)
• Mrs Helen Steel (1990 - 1999)
• Mrs Helen Potter (1999 - )
• Mrs L Rose (to closure in 2005)

References