| Administrative History | Matlock Bank British School with Infants and Mixed departments opened on Lime Tree Lane in January 1873 (Head Master, Edwin Davis). The Infants department operated as a separate school from 1896 when a new Head Mistress, Helen Edmeston, was appointed. Although there was much delay in elected a school board following the 1870 Education Act, the Matlock School was elected in August 1895 and from October 1895 took responsibility for the management of both the Infants and Mixed departments of the British School, re-appointing the same staff (see School Board Minutes, D669).
Part of the reason for establishing a new School Board was that more school spaces were needed, so planning for building a new school began immediately. Despite objections from local residents the Board purchased land on Smedley Street East and the new school was officially opened on 23 Sep 1897. An extension was built in 1901 to accommodate the infants separately from the Mixed School – the architect for the new building was John Nuttall who later designed Hall Leys Park.
The school became Matlock Council School in 1903 following the replacement of School Boards by Local Education Authorities, the Infants and Mixed Schools continued as separate schools with their own Head Teachers, but the same Managers. The Mixed School catered for Juniors and Seniors (up to 13/14 years of age according to the school leaving age in force at the time) until Easter 1952 when as part of the wider re-organisation of schools across Matlock, the Juniors and Seniors were separated. Joined by junior pupils from other schools in the town, the junior department became Matlock County Junior School and joined by other seniors, the Mixed School continued under the same Head Master, Tom Varnam as a Secondary School until it closed in 1956 when the new Charles White Secondary School opened (which then closed in 1982 when Highfields opened).
Unfortunately, due to lack of school records for the school after 1952, a more detailed history of this period cannot be written.
The separate Matlock County Infant and Junior Schools closed in July 1999, to be re-opened as Castle View Primary School in September 1999. |
| Custodial History | The following records were transferred to the Record Office in June and July 1985. |