Schooling Past and Present

SCHOOLING IN POTT SHRIGLEY PAST AND PRESENT

In 1492 Geoffrey Downes, brother of the owner of Shrigley Hall provided in his will for a priest to live in the parish. He was to “keep noe Horse, ne Hawke, ne Hound ..for and hee will not tend his booke, ne writing, ne teaching of Children, ne his beades, ne other virtuous occupations.” Thus he was to take services in the chapel and be responsible for teaching the children of the village so beginning over 500 years of continuous education.

During the early years the school probably existed in the church buildings. William Turner, of Shrigley Hall, built the present school building, originally known as Turner’s School, as a Sunday school which in 1853 became the day school. William’s granddaughter Ellen-Jane, married the Reverend Brabazon Lowther, and until her death in 1906, the school remained the private property of the Lowthers, let to school managers. When the Lowther Estate was sold the managers bought the building for £1,000 but it was in a poor state of repair. It was closed and the pupils attended school in Bollington. Finally with locally raised money and local effort, the villagers restored the school themselves.

The school reopened in 1969 and finally in 1974 the Village Hall was opened and the Village Hall trustees became the landlords of the school, which rents the building and contributes to the running costs.

Pott Shrigley Church School, one of the smallest primary schools in Cheshire, is very popular, attracting support from a wide area. The school is closely allied to St Christopher’s Church as strong Christian values are at the heart of everything it does.

At the end of Key Stage 2, students transfer either to Poynton High School or Tytherington High School.

The Headteacher is Mrs Anne-Marie Willis and the Bursar is Mrs Anne-Marie Willis. For further details you can contact the school by telephoning 01625 573260, or emailing  admin@pottshrigley.cheshire.sch.uk or visiting the website at https://www.pottshrigleycs.co.uk  where you can find all the school policies, academic achievement and the latest school data. The website is also a place where you can view the staff list and read about the curriculum for each class and find out about the activities that the children have been involved with.