The origins of the schools in the village of Horbury can be put down to one man. He was a priest at St Peter's Church and his name was John Sharp. He arrived in 1834 at the age of 24. He was disappointed to find no school or Sunday School in Horbury and started his own in the back room of the vicarage. Demand for places grew and he had to relocate to rooms opposite the church.St Peter's National School soon came about, it was founded in 1849 and the National Society granted £160 towards the cost of the building. The education act of 1870 brought free education for all the children in Great Britain, by then St Peter's was already twenty one years old.
Due to rising numbers the buildings were enlarged in 1869 by building a new infants school. They were enlarged again in 1898 with the Rev John Sharp conducting the service. The headmaster was called Mr Sutch and he was guaranteed a wage of £150 per year.
St Peter's at this point was a school for infants and then boys and girls up to the age of 14. This was to change in 1951 when it changed to a primary and infant school. In 1955 things were to be changed again when Clifton Infants opened leaving St Peter's as a junior school. In 1984 St Peter's moved from it's old site on Queen Street to our present location on Shepstye Road.
A log book has been kept at St Peter's over the last 150 years here are some entries:
April 7th 1888. School attendance was very thin this morning as a circus procession in Wakefield attracted many boys.
June 9th 1912. The King and Queen will be passing through Horbury, in their honour school will be closed.
September 12th 1939. The children attend school for air raid practise.
November 30th 1942. School meals served for the first time, 56 children stay.
May 8th 1945. VE Day, school closed for two days.
June 16th 1972. Fourth years visit Armitage Brick Works. One girl's glasses fall into crusher and come out in a hundred pieces.
April 27th 1980. School children from Horbury visit Bayuex Town Hall to present a tapestry of Horbury.
