The History of Sherburn Hungate School

The Hungate coat of arms can still be seen clearly above the doorway today

The first Sherburn Hungate School was founded by the will of Robert Hungate dated 10 May 1619. Land was to be bought and from the profits a hospital, with a school-house and rooms was to be built for orphans between the ages of seven and fourteen, to consist of twenty-four orphans at any one time. The school was to be free for all the orphans and boys within Sherburn and Saxton. It is thought the school and hospital opened about the year 1650.

By the 1830s, as the population of Sherburn grew, there were six schools in the village with Hungate School being the largest with fifty children of whom six were orphans. The remainder were paid for by their parents. By 1880, operating as a Public Elementary School, there were 126 boys in the school. By 1900 no fees of any kind were charged for the boys education. The last record of a boy living in the "hospital" was in 1934. During the second world war the "hospital" was used as a first aid post but in 1947 was converted into two houses. In the late 1990's its medical use returned when the premises were bought by the local doctors' practice and again called the "Hungate Hospital".

In 1950 Hungate School became a "controlled" school under the West Riding County Council and from 1954 all children transferred to secondary schools at the age of eleven (usually Aberford Secondary Modern School,later known as Parlington Secondary Modern School) or Tadcaster Grammar School).  Meanwhile plans were already being made for a new primary school in Sherburn.

The Old school closed during the summer term of 1970 and the present Sherburn Hungate C.P. School opened on 22 June 1970. Initially two hundred and eight girls and boys of junior (Key Stage 2) age attended as the infants (Key Stage 1) still attended the school, on Kirkgate, opened for them and girls in 1876 by the local School Board of the time.

The Old School in Kirkgate opened in 1876

Infants joined the present Sherburn Hungate C.P. School in January1979. In those days C.P. stood for County Primary and nowadays for Community Primary, both providing a primary education for "rising five" year olds to the age of eleven. As the secondary education of the area became "comprehensive" all children became able to transfer to secondary education without selection The local secondary school is Sherburn High School.

After sharing state nursery facilities for five years Sherburn Hungate achieved its own nursery unit in April 1998 and it now offers 39 part time places. The school has been keen to update its provision for children in the twenty first century by creating an "Early Years" room, an "Information and Communication Technology"  (ICT) room with a suite of sixteen computers, and enhanced its outdoor play resources to a very high standard.