Primary Schools in Dacorum

Primary Schools In Dacorum

This article gives brief information on schools that cater for pupils up to the age of 11 in the Dacorum district of Hertfordshire, England. Most are county maintained primary schools, sometimes known as "junior mixed infant" (JMI). A small number are voluntary aided church schools or independent (fee-paying). The Local Education Authority is Hertfordshire County Council.

Before the mid-20th century, the area contained a scattering of villages, with places such as Apsley, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and Tring on the Gade and Bulbourne rivers. During the 19th century a Church of England national school was established in each town and village, supplemented by non-denominational British schools in Apsley, Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted. After the Elementary Education Act 1870, the British schools and some of the national schools passed to the control of school boards, while the remaining national schools were aided.

Schools across Hertfordshire were used as billets for soldiers during World War I, greatly disrupting their work. The population of several of the smaller villages declined in the inter-war years, and the smaller schools were closed in the late 1930s. The post-war years saw rapid expansion of the towns, especially Hemel Hempstead, which was designated as one of the first new towns. Many new schools were built at this time.