SANDON PRIMARY ACADEMY

Miss M. E. Jones served as the first Headteacher of the infant school, overseeing 371 pupils, with some classes accommodating up to 50 children. Mr. H. B. Davenport led the junior school, which catered to 270 children aged seven to eleven. The first school term concluded on 3rd August 1939. During the holiday, war was declared, significantly impacting the school’s operations.

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The new academic year was delayed until air raid shelters could be constructed, resulting in children returning to school on 7th November. Due to an insufficient number of shelters, attendance was on a part-time basis for two months, with groups of 50 pupils alternating attendance.

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Four months after the shelters were completed, the area experienced an air raid. Although bombs were dropped, neither the children nor the school building sustained damage. The proximity of the schools to an aerodrome became evident when a pilot mistakenly landed on the home of Mr. Phillips at No. 33 Harrowby Road, and later when an aeroplane crash-landed on the school playing fields. Fortunately, the pilot survived both incidents.

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At the war’s end, the school closed for two days of national celebration.

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By 1948, the number of pupils had increased significantly, prompting the nursery unit to separate from the main school. The site, now Grange Nursery School, was formerly a duck pond belonging to Normacot Grange. By 1951, with around 640 pupils attending both sites, inspectors raised concerns about overcrowding, leading to the opening of two Medway classrooms in 1952.

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Over the next three decades, the schools underwent several name changes. In 1957, "Grange" replaced "Sandon Road" in the school names, derived from the nearby Normacot Grange. In 1970, following city school reorganisation, Grange Infants School became Grange First School, with additional classrooms added to the Nursery and First School.

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The annexe seen today was built to accommodate the final year of the newly formed Grange Middle School, where children entered at age eight and transitioned to secondary school at age twelve.

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In 1978, Headteacher Mr. Cartlidge, who served the school for 20 years, passed away suddenly. In his memory, a garden was planted next to the annexe building.

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In September 1983, another name change took place, leading to the amalgamation of the two schools into Grange Primary School.

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In 2002, Grange Primary was renamed Sandon Primary, and the school converted to an academy in 2014. Since its conversion, Sandon has continued to thrive, achieving an Outstanding Ofsted rating in 2017, and completing the construction of a swimming pool in 2018.

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Sandon Primary Academy remains committed to providing an excellent educational experience, building on its rich history and continuous development.