Private School News

Collingwood School celebrates its 80th birthday!

Collingwood Boys’ School was opened by its owner Mrs Hollis in January 1929 at ‘Winton’, 13 Stanley Park Road. Five years earlier she had founded Collingwood School for Girls. She soon began to take boys and, as numbers increased, decided to separate the girls from the boys. Soon the boys’ school needed larger premises and they moved to 3 Springfield Road in May 1934. Mr Ingham bought the boys’ school from Mrs Hollis in January 1935, whilst she continued to run the girls’ school until its closure in 1972.

After the war, extra accommodation was again necessary, and the Junior Department at 12 Maldon Road was acquired. The younger boys transferred there in September 1945. Mr Ingham died in 1952 and his wife continued as Principal until her death in May 1960. Mrs Ingham had planned to retire in July 1960 and had already appointed her nephew, Mr John Richardson (an assistant master at the school from September 1948) as Headmaster. Her daughter Miss Jennifer Ingham became the Principal..

In September 1978, Miss Ingham formed the school into an Educational Trust, thereby ensuring as far as possible the continuity of the school. Mr John Richardson retired in July 1988. and shortly afterwards a further phase in the development of the school, a nursery/infant department of three classes at the Maldon Road site was introduced. The school became co-educational in 1991.

The current Headmaster, Mr Geoffrey Barham, has been leading Collingwood since 2000 and since that time there have been many exciting developments. The school’s new extension, The Brian Lay Wing, (comprising two new classrooms and a large Design Technology Suite) was opened in September 2003 as was the lovely new ICT Suite. Collingwood pupils continue to lead a very exciting life and the school has a well-earned reputation scholastically and in sport, drama and music. The school was awarded an Artsmark by Arts Council England in July 2007. Collingwood’s choristers have sung on GMTV at Christmas time for three successive years and the school’s link with Ecole Sainte Jeanne d’Arc in Paris is well-established with residential visits now an annual event.

For further information, please contact Geoff Barham on 0208 647 4607 or email: headmaster@collingwood.sutton.sch.uk