History of the Parish Schools
Thurlestone Parish School was founded by the Reverend P. A. Ilbert in 1842.
In 1842 a school in Thurlestone was not universally welcomed by the locals; one farmer was quoted as saying at the time, ‘When they had no education we had the pick of them to work for us on the farms; now the best of them, boys and girls, go away and better themselves, and we have to take what is left.’
The school thrived, however, and due to pupil expansion at the end of the nineteenth century it had to moved from a small thatched building near the church into a Victorian building located on the present site as seen here.
In 1842 a school in Thurlestone was not universally welcomed by the locals; one farmer was quoted as saying at the time, ‘When they had no education we had the pick of them to work for us on the farms; now the best of them, boys and girls, go away and better themselves, and we have to take what is left.’
The school thrived, however, and due to pupil expansion at the end of the nineteenth century it had to moved from a small thatched building near the church into a Victorian building located on the present site as seen here.
19th Century Victorian Building
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Original Window and school logo
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The Victorian building still forms part of the school, and houses the Reception and KS1 Class. The photo was probably taken around 1900. Very little of the original construction of the school is still showing but you can still see the historic window (see arrow) in the school today, which is at the end of the Year 1/2 classroom. This famous window also forms the school logo! In 1974 a neighbouring school in South Milton closed and half of its children transferred to Thurlestone, boosting numbers to around 77 pupils. The school was extended and renamed as All Saints’ Church of England Primary School serving the parishes and churches of South Milton and Thurlestone.
Numbers swelled during the 1990's as its reputation grew and in 2010 it underwent a complete renovation and expansion to create the present buildings.
The school is now a member of the Learning Academy Partnership which includes West Alvington C of E Academy and Charleton C of E Academy in the South Hams as well as other schools in both Devon and Cornwall.
Numbers swelled during the 1990's as its reputation grew and in 2010 it underwent a complete renovation and expansion to create the present buildings.
The school is now a member of the Learning Academy Partnership which includes West Alvington C of E Academy and Charleton C of E Academy in the South Hams as well as other schools in both Devon and Cornwall.
 All Saints' Primary School
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In January 2019 All Saints' added the pre-school classes to the primary school so that education could be provided for children aged 2 to 11 years at Thurlestone C of E Academy.
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All Saints' Pre-School
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The school has an extensive website which can be found at www.thurlestone-lap.co.uk.