History of the St. Laurence Church Schools

The St. Laurence Church schools were founded in 1714 by Dr William Worth, Rector of Northfield. We are proud to be thought of as the oldest church schools in Birmingham.

The school started with just six boys who had lessons in the porch of the church. This later expanded to 12 boys having lessons in the vestry. In 1820 a school room was hired, and in 1837 a purpose-built school on Church Hill was opened.

The schools continued to expand, and by the 1960s it needed to use the Northfield Institute building to house some of its classes.  The headmaster Rev E.A. Penny oversaw the schools move to their current site in 1964 for the Junior School, followed in 1972 for the Infant School.

The history below was written in 1970:

• A History of St. Laurence School

The schools now teach 630 children altogether. Since their first foundation in 1714, the schools have provided a Christian education for the people of Northfield and surrounding parishes. In many local families, several generations have attended the schools.

Some Photos of Yesteryear