Walton Holymoorside Primary School

Background & Construction

Holymoorside Primary School was founded on 12 February 1872, by the Manlove family, who owned Holymoorside Cotton Mill. The school was situated on New Road in what is now known as the "Old School House". It also utilised a number of annexe buildings, including a canteen and additional classroom facilites off Heather Way, on what is now the site of Old School Close. The Old School House has since been converted into apartments, with additional apartments built in part of the playground.

In the late 20th Century it became apparent that there was a need for more expansive facilities to house the growing school community. Land adjacent to Breckland Way in Walton was earmarked for a primary school in 1985 but this was not built, and in the late 1990s the Foxbrook Drive estate was constructed instead. It was ultimately decided that the orchard at Doghole should be the site of the development, and plans were put forward on 20 May 1999. Some residents launched a legal case against the proposals over concerns regarding traffic safety, but this proved unsuccessful and the planning application was approved by the committee on 12 November 1999. The new school broke ground the following year.

Interestingly, the proposals on the planning portal are named "Walton Holymoorside Junior School" (ie. not primary), implying there were potential proposals to keep the Old School in use as an infant school, or have an alternative infant school elsewhere.

The location of the new primary school had previously been the site of an orchard and a market garden, containing three greenhouses which grew crops for a local market stall. The land had been compulsorarily purchased by the council in 1931. In the 1950s, plans were drawn up for an approved school to be situated on the land, but this was cancelled after fierce opposition from the village. The orchard was regularly used for recreation by locals, and a cat called Whisky was even buried there.

The Present School

Walton Holymoorside Primary School opened its doors on 10 June 2002 and houses a nursery along with eleven classrooms and facilities for art, music and computing. There is also a school library and a large school hall which is used for various events and activites. The rear of the school is expansive, featuring a large playground with climbing wall and apparatus and a sizeable playing field split into two tiers by a large grassy bank. There are also seating areas in wigwam-like trees. Grass snakes were known to inhabit a small mound of dirt and embedded mosaics on the field according to a former pupil. To the north of the site is a woodland used for forest school activites and an area of water nicknamed the "Danger Pond", after the design of the warning signage. The school is unique in being the only primary school in Derbyshire to have a turning circle, which used to be used by parents for dropping off and picking up their children.

Hanging in the reception foyer to the school is the old school bell from the former premises on New Road. The current school actually has an electronic bell system of its own, controlled by a switch on the wall of the main office, however this is never known to have been used. There used to be a school bus which linked Walton to the primary school, but this was discontinued in 2014 following the death of the bus driver.

A staple of the school's calendar is the annual summer fair, usually held in late June or early July, which hosts a family fun day with many stalls, bouncy castles and a barbecue. In recent years, the village duck race at the recreation ground has taken place later in the afternoon on the same day.

As mention in the unexplained phenomena section of the website, the school is believed to be haunted. Since the summer of 2017, there have been numerous cases of lights turning themselves on in the school. These have been reported the school, who have then investigated, only to find no electrical faults. When working in the upper junior area of the school in the summer of 2018, a caretaker reported hearing the sounds of footsteps on the roof of the school. The sounds of footsteps have also been heard in an alleyway in this area, but no one is present. Administration staff working alone in the school have also reported an uneasy atmosphere. One local resident decided to carry out an investigation by standing at the school entrance gates one night and asking anything that was present to turn the lights on. He then counted down from ten, and the lights in the upper junior corridor came on. This happened on three consecutive evenings at different times, with two of the occasions being captured on video. A few days later, there was a very loud and unexplained thud at the front door of his house, as if something had run at it.

In September 2023, improved perimeter security fencing was installed, leading to the removal of the old school gates and the installation of new metal ones.