Schools in Wilmslow

Recent Schools

The question I get asked the most in email about Wilmslow is:

"Does my old school still exist?"

So here is a list of all the current schools I know about in Wilmslow:

• Ashdene Primary School, Thoresway Road
• Dean Oaks Primary School (aka Oaklands County Infants), Tudor Road
• Gorsey Bank Primary School, Altrincham Road
• Lacey Green Primary School, Barlow Road
• Lindow Community Primary School, Upcast Lane
• Pownall Hall School, Carrwood Road
• St Anne's Fulshaw CofE Primary School, Nursery Lane
• St Benedict's Catholic Primary School
• Styal Primary School (formerly Oak School?)
• Wilmslow High School, Holly Road (originally Wilmslow Boys Grammar School, then became mixed sex as Wilmslow County Grammar School in 1960; in 1978 became Harefield County High School; then renamed Wilmslow High School sometime after 1984)
• Wilmslow Preparatory School for Girls, Grove Avenue

There used to be several secondary-level schools in Wilmslow but they have over time been closed and now the only state secondary school is Wilmslow High School. This was largely due to "falling rolls". But now the County Council apparently want to start expanding again and so Wilmslow High may be extended.

Here's a list of schools extant in 1960 according to a list of schools in a contemporary local directory. I suspect some others have been omitted?

• Chancel Lane Church of England School, Chancel Lane. Closed 1960(?) & demolished
• Dean Row Primary School
• Fulshaw Church of England School, Nursery Lane
• Lacey Green Couty Primary School
• Morley Primary School
• Pownall Hall School
• Preparatory School
• Styal County School
• Wilmslow County Secondary School
• Wycliffe Avenue Infants & Primary School & Secondary Modern School. Originally named Wilmslow Council School, then Wilmslow Modern School

Here's a list of schools' opening and closing dates. This is just a start and will expand as I find more information:

• Hawthorn Hall; boarding school opened 1835
• Pownall Hall; grammar school opened 1895 as Wilmslow College, moved to the present location in 1933
• Fulshaw Memorial School; opened 1876; became Fulshaw Junior School?; now Fulshaw C of E
• Chancel Lane School; a national school opened 1868 closed 1960 replaced by Gorsey Bank CPS
• Wycliffe Avenue; opened 1910 closed 1978 (used till 1980 for odd bits of schools in transit); pupils transferred to Wilmslow High School, Thorngrove CHS and Fulshaw CPS. Demolished 1980 to build a housing estate
• Dean Row County Junior, aka Dean Row Junior School, Handforth Road, Dean Row closed 1st August 2007
• The Hough County Secondary School for Boys - opened 1965; this was just across the railway from what is now known as Wilmslow High School; where there is now a housing estate. Closed sometime before the bypass was built (c1990?). AKA Hough Secondary Modern school, AKA The Hough County Secondary School
• Oakenclough Primary School, aka Colshaw County Primary, Colshaw Drive - closed 31st August 2005

Very Old Schools

I don't have much information on early Wilmslow schools, but...

• Wilmslow's first school opened in or before 1561
• In 1741 a school opened on Station Road
• There was a school in Parsonage Green from about 1830

Below is a photo of a sampler dated 1791

It reads (any corrections welcome):

Thanks to Erna Hiscock Antiques for supplying the photo.