Building record MDR9926 - Lea Primary School, Church Road, Lea

Lea Public School opened 7th September 1859 after the original school was found to be too small. Among the contributors to the public subscriptions was Florence Nightingale. School log books exist for 1862 and contain many references to the Nightingales. Florence's father was correspondent and treasurer for many years. There is a separate infant school on the site. The site includes the two main gritstone buildings, with outhouses, in school grounds, including lawns, gardens, playgrounds, and extensive wooded hillside. Both buildings were enlarged in 1888 and 1914. It became a Board School in 1888 and a County Primary School in 1956. (1) Bulmer, 1895, lists the school as "...under the management of a school board of seven members. In addition to the subjects usually taught in elementary schools there are classes in geology, which is taught in a practical and interesting manner." (2)