A brief history of our school - and up to the present day

The first schools to be built on our present site were opened in September 1966, as Darras Hall County Primary Infant School and Darras Hall County Primary Junior School. The Head Teacher of the Infants School was Miss Burt and the Head of the Junior School was Mr. Foster. The Infant School (Lower School) opened with 147 children on roll in four classes. Class 1 had 44 children, Class 2 had 40, Class 3 had 36 and the Reception class had 27 children. The Junior School (Upper School) opened with 164 children on roll in three classes of 32 children and two classes of 34 children!

In the early years of both the Infant and Junior Schools, there was a lot of work undertaken in conjunction with Northumberland College, who appear to have had a Teacher Training “outpost” in Ponteland!

Initially, the Infants School was not completed so the Infants moved into the Lower floor of the Junior School for a number of months.

In September 1972, Northumberland changed to a “Three Tier”, Comprehensive system of Education. The Infant School became known at “Runnymede First School” and the Junior School became known as “Greenlee First School”, with both Miss Burt and Mr. Foster continuing as Head Teachers of these newly named schools.

Mrs. Nicholson replaced Mr. Foster as Head of Greenlee in 1978. By this time Greenlee had 230 children on roll in classes ranging from 27 to 38 children! Miss Burt retired in 1984 and Mrs. Nicholson became Acting Head of Runnymede, as well as Head of Greenlee, as a decision had been taken to amalgamate the two schools into one – the current Darras Hall First School. Our current school opened in September 1985 under the stewardship of Mrs. Nicholson.

A number of our current staff have given outstanding service to the school over many years and recall many successes and events. Further, a significant number of our grandparents and parents can remember the schools as Greenlee and Runnymede!

In this current year, as in all previous years, we continue the longstanding tradition of wide-ranging excellence at Darras Hall First School.

So far this academic year we have supported the Poppy Appeal, the Operation Christmas Child Charity, Barnardos, Lepra, and Children in Need. Children have visited Beamish Open Air Museum, Segedunum and the Alnwick Garden.

Teams have achieved success in Football and Orienteering and the PTA have held a very successful Fireworks evening and Autumn Ball.