St Peter-in-Chains Infant School and St Gildas’ Junior School are steeped in history and, for around 150 years between them, have educated tens of thousands of children.
In 1915, the Sisters of St Gildas’ established a convent and school in Crouch Hill House, a substantial Georgian building in large secluded grounds on Crouch Hill, bordered by areas of woodland and close to the parish church of St Peter-in-Chains.
On 12th April that year, St Gildas’ Convent School, an all-age private school, opened its doors to the first of numerous generations of pupils.
Between 1968 and 1970 developments took place that established St Peter’s in nearby Elm Grove as the parish infant school, and the rebuilding of St Gildas’ School as a voluntary aided junior school was undertaken on the site of the original convent in Oakington Way.
In 1989 the school transferred from the trusteeship of the Sisters of St Gildas’ to the Diocese of Westminster. However, the traditional close links between the schools and the parish of St Peter-in-Chains have been maintained.
Over the years, the schools have flourished, changing and adapting to circumstances of the times providing a Catholic education for boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 11.
In September 2018, the two schools federated. The Federation of St Peter’s and St Gildas’ Schools will increase opportunities for the two to work together for the benefit of the children and help to generate improvements that will benefit children today and in the years to come. The Federation will also provide a more seamless experience for pupils from Reception to Year 6 and will ensure all pupils receive the same consistent and continuous support throughout their time with us.
Pupils come into the school keen, smiling and ready to learn. Ofsted 2018