Before Sutton in Craven Community Primary School opened, it used to be Sutton in Keighley Board School on the site of the old Baptist Chapel.
A Board School was run by a Board of governors. Those adults living in the parish of Sutton were allowed to vote for the people they wanted on the board. The board would run the school.
On 7th July 1873, Sutton in Keighley (as it was known then (Board School opened within the old Baptist Chapel on Holme Lane. The first headmaster was WJ Cooper. There was one large school room with two smaller rooms and an infant classroom adjoining.
During the first week of school there were 80 children but in the second week numbers shot up to 102. Each year there was a problem. The circus came quite often and when it did, most children missed school to see it. Another event that made children miss school was hay making. Quite a few children were farmer’s children and when the hay making season came children would stay at home and helped their families make hay.
The present school opened on October 4th 1896.
Taken from Sutton in Craven CP School - A history in words and pictures 1873 -1996
