Oswaldtwistle West End Primary School

Welcome to our Facebook page. We are a one form entry primary school on the outskirts of Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire.

A Brief History of West End Primary School

By Duncan Brown - Headteacher (1972 - 1995)

Nineteen fourteen was the year of two very important events: the beginning of the First World War and the opening of West End School.

The school opened on the 16th March with ninety six children on roll and four teachers including the head teacher, Miss Annie Blight. There were six classrooms, a central hall and a staffroom. The school, built of Accrington brick, stood proudly on a hillside and was surrounded by fields, then, and for many years afterwards. It was reached by way of two lanes : Old Lane (in later years it became known as "the back lane") and Aspen Lane (not the "lane" of today, however). The main entrance faced Blackburn Road and can still be seen just before entering the school hall. The original name of the school was West End Council School.
The school was for Infants and Girls. The criteria governing admission to the school were not as strict as those of today. Children as young as three years of age were often admitted. The girls stayed until they were fourteen years old but the boys had to leave when they reached the age of nine to attend other schools. It was fairly common practice for many of the older girls to become "half-timers" - that is they spent half a day in school and half a day working in one of the local mills. Records show that this was phased out in the nineteen twenties.
During the years since 1914 the school has had only six headteachers four female and two male. In 2014 West End School will be one hundred years old - long may its history continue!