Bishop Wood Church of England Junior School, Tring

Welcome to Bishop Wood C of E Junior School Our school first opened in November 1842 on land given by Christchurch College, Oxford. It was built to provide education for poor children in Tring and to teach them in the principles of the Church of England. The original building cost 800 and could hold over 300 children. Families paid one penny a week for lessons.

By 1866 a new classroom had been added, and school life continued to grow. Early records from the 1800s describe large classes, sometimes nearly 60 pupils, and the challenges of the time. Many children walked miles across fields to get to school, and attendance was often affected by bad weather, illness, or the need to help families at home.

In 1903 Lady Rothschild provided a covered van to transport children from nearby villages an early version of a school bus! During the First World War, the school building was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers. In the Second World War it became a reception centre for children evacuated from London.