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Listing: Locally listed in 2001. Opened 1875. One of
the first two Board Schools in Wolverhampton. The other has been
demolished. Now used as a community centre. Significant landmark building
on a major route into the city centre. Historically important, having
played a formative part in the history of education provision in Wolverhampton.
Comment: Wolverhampton was one of the first boroughs to adopt
the provisions of the Education Act 1870 - the town council was particularly
concerned that education in England was far behind that of Germany and the USA,
our leading commercial competitors, and felt that we must catch up to remain
competitive. The elections to the School Board were hotly contested
between (roughly) the Conservatives and the Church of England on one side; and
the Liberals and the Non-conformists on the other. The Liberals had a
slight majority.
The school in about 1910. Photo by courtesy of Wolverhampton City Archives, call no. 13/DUD/E/3. |
The date of this school shows the speed with which everyone worked
and its size shows how great they perceived the problem to be. The building has undergone some alterations as the photo above shows, the
annexe in the centre of the photo being demolished; and a new storey being added
to to the left wing to make a two storey wing matching the other. |
Sue Whitehouse writes that the Dudley Road Boys' School "became Dudley Road
Senior Mixed School in 1931. Many of the new students in 1931 came from
Dudley Road, All Saints' and St. Luke's schools. The Senior Mixes School
itself closed in 1938. Dudley Road Girls' School opened at the same time,
becoming Dudley Road Junior Mixed School in 1931, the Dudley Road Junior and
Infant schools in 1961. By the 1980s over 90% of the pupils at Dudley Road
schools spoke English as a second language. The schools closed in 1986 and
most of the children went to Graiseley School. The school buildings were
then used as a community centre as they still are today.
The school closed in 1986, the staff and pupils being transferred to
Graiseley Primary School.
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