NOSTALGIA: ‘Super duper’ ‘scientifically designed’ new primary school for Boston-area in 1965

The Greetham family with one of the mistresses of Donington Primary School in January 1965. Pictured (back, from left) Dora Greetham, William Greetham, Iris Greetham, and Hazel Sibley (teacher). They are looking at a castle in the air built by the children.

Donington Primary School moved into its new home three days before Christmas, and in 1965 this week, it held an open event for parents to look around the building.

It boasted: an octagonal assembly hall strategically located in the centre of the school; no corridors (to help with heating); hot water, indoor cold water (the previous site had a cold tap, but it was outside, under cover of a lean-to), staff rooms, regulated heating, inside toilets, revolving blackboards, blackboard floodlights, and more space and light.

In addition, ‘work spaces’ could be found adjacent to the classrooms, allowing such things as models and paintings to be left in position until a future lesson.

Morris Cook, with his children John and Jane.

The was concern in some quarters, however, about the fact that in order to reach the school children would have to cross the main King’s Lynn to Sleaford road.

It was also felt by some that the site could have been more central as it was ‘a long way from the housing estates’.

The old school had been in the middle of the village and was now providing youth club activities.

The Standard felt, though, that feelings among parents and children about the new home of Donington Primary were best summed up by five-year-old Kenneth Greetham when he said: “This school is super duper.”