Building the Schools

Accusations of favouritism

At the beginning of the 1930s building of the new and much needed St. Helier Schools was a topic of local interest especially the expenditure involved.  In 1931 when the Surrey Education Committee refused for the second time to lay on hot water in the toilets of Carshalton West and Stanley Park Road Schools, complaint was made that it was supplied in the St. Helier Schools.

There was considerable dissatisfaction in Carshalton as to what was going on at the St. Helier estate and the advantages they received.  At a recent Council meeting a member had asked was it not a fact that these people who had still to come to St. Helier and had not yet paid any rates to Surrey were receiving considerable preferential treatment over people who had been paying rates in Surrey for a considerable time.  ... The Chairman said that only two schools had hot water - Weston Rd., Mitcham and No. 1 St. Helier - and they had it because the architect had put it in by accident. (Wallington and Carshalton Times, 12 Feb 1931)

The cost of building

The St, Helier schools, which were all built to similar dimensions, were not cheap to build.  Below is a table of the cost of Glastonbury School.

Plans were approved 18 August 1934 and completed December 1935 with the Architects' Certificate supplied by Jarvis and Richard of Lower Grosvenor Place, SW1 on 2 March 1936.

A new Infants' Department and a central hall were approved in 1939 at a cost of £14,252-11-11.