History

Yesterday

St John’s is situated in a delightful conservation area on the edge of Redhill Common. There has been a school on the common since 1844 and parts of the present building still date back to this date. The boot scrapers around the school still bear witness to the days when children walked across the Common for their lessons. Over the years the school has served children aged from 5 to 14 and the buildings themselves have been expanded and developed with each change.

In 1910 the main building was erected, with three separate schools on the site. The infant school used the left hand side, the junior girls school the right and the junior boys school the lower building. The school went through several changes, becoming an amalgamated primary school with one headteacher, then a first school with 5 to 8 year olds and since 1993 a primary school catering for rising 5’s to 11 year olds.

St John’s has served many generations of families in the Redhill area and indeed even today many children in the school have parents or grandparents who were former pupils. It says much for the school that it is still so popular.

Today

St John’s is fortunate in being spacious and having two hall areas, one in the upper building which the junior classrooms open on to and the other in the lower building which is equipped with PE equipment and serves as the dining hall. The infant classrooms have a practical area adjacent to them, which allows for individual and small group work. The school also has a well resourced library; a fully equipped music room and a design technology room. Each classroom is equipped with computers and interactive whiteboards.

Outside there are two large play-grounds, an adventure area and an environmental area with garden and pond. The school’s environment is a rich resource, with the common used for various aspects of learning. The Ring is used for games lessons, from Year 3 onwards and is also used for the school’s Sports Day.