The History of Great Bowden Academy 

 There is evidence that teaching and learning has been happening in Great Bowden for many centuries.  At the beginning of the nineteenth century there was a thriving Sunday school which also taught its students some literacy skills as well at least one Dame school.  Many of the large privately owned houses also employed tutors for their children. 

In the 1970s the building was bursting at the seams and the village hall, just over the road, was used as a classroom by the oldest children in the school.  As the number of children in school continued to grow, a new school building in a dedicated site on Gunnsbrooke Close was planned and built, opening to pupils in 1983.  This new building was a huge upgrade to the original school’s facilities.  It had a large playing field and playground, a hall for PE and dining and inside toilets!  There was a single open plan classroom area and teachers spoke of moving furniture around to change the relative sizes of the spaces for different age groups of children, depending on the learning activities being planned for the day. 

The original school building, now owned by the Church and used as a church hall, is still a place of education.  The large majority of the children attending Great Bowden Academy attend the village pre-school which is held in the former school building.