In 1975 St. Matthew’s School Darley Abbey, Derby, closed along with St. Edmund’s Primary School in the neighbouring village of Allestree. The final decision had to be made because the old Darley Abbey school building became unstable. There had also been an increase in children, from the families that moved into homes on the Village farm estate, which had been on old village farmland.
The new school was called Walter Evans Church of England Primary School. It was situated on Darley Abbey Drive. The school was built on land that had been allocated for the purpose for many years. It was completed in 1975.
This HLF funded All Our Stories project is aimed at tracking the change to the way state education was offered in Darley Abbey. The project is a partnership between Darley Abbey Historical Group and Walter Evans (CE) Primary School.
Walter Evans school completes a local history project each Autumn term as part of the National Curriculum. In 2012/13 they focused on education in the village. Darley Abbey Historical Group teamed with staff and pupils of Walter Evans school to complete this project which is part of the Connected Communities Programme funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
The All Our Stories initiative was highlighted in workshops open to members of historical groups across Derbyshire, organised by Nottingham University.
