School History
Kirkstall Primary School and the larger Kirkstall Middle School opened in 1904 and were of classic Victorian structure. In the early days, the caretaker of the school lived in a house in the school playground. There was a boys’ and a girls’ entrance. Log books record the names of pupils on roll. The much larger (but on the same grounds) Middle School was also a mixed sex school, however in these early years, they could not mix: they even had separate playgrounds. Lessons focused on the 3Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic). Boys were taught woodwork and girls were taught needlework and home economics. At one stage, there was a playground on the roof of the Middle School. The school houses were named after famous historical figures: Drake, Nelson and Raleigh.
