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~ Gallery - Schools ~
The Ruiton Schools.
The Oldest School in the World?
 Ruiton School.
Photo 2020
The schools at Ruiton are reputed to be the second oldest in the Country, albeit the World!
The schools for boys, girls was established around the time of the
Ruiton Independant Church
in the 1780s.
The Sunday School was instituted in 1782, with the infants instituted later in 1827. Miss Hall was governess in 1833. Said of her in a report of that time:- "By her endevours there have been infused into the minds of our rising generation those seeds of knowledge and morality..
These 'Sunday' schools were annexed to the church, and the teachings had strong biblical content,
the schools became day schools where boys, girls and infant classes were of course segregated.
The school buildings were rebuilt around the same time as the present church in 1830.
The day schools were not continued when schools came under local board control,
but the Sunday School continues to present day.
"Connected to the chapel are school rooms, two stories high, 59 feet by 21 feet, and a small dwelling house for the teacher
of an infant school. These were opened in August 1828, and about
300 Sunday School children, together with 100 children on the "Infant School system", are
receiving the benefits afforded by those valuable Institutions."
"The Expense of the whole building, including the chapel and school rooms, amounts to about £1,600." The Congregational Magazine, October, 1830.
1846 report from "Minutes of the Committee of Council on Education"
"Ruiton.
These schools form a very respectable pile of buildings, contiguous to the Independent Chapel yard; the boys' and girls' schools being properly village schools, under untrained teachers of respectable character, who have their several schools in good discipline, and are zealously instructing them in reading, writing, and arithmetic (with needlework in the girls' school), but with little development of intelligence; the infant school is one of the "by rote" class, but cheerful; the order and appearance of everything perfect; and the general effect is therefore, very gratifying in a district where the state of education is generally so disheartening."
According to White's Gazetteer of 1851, the Ruiton schools were attended by 60 boys, 40 girls and 80 infants.
Melvilles Directory of 1851 indicates that John Parsons was master; Caroline Growcutt, mistress and Sarah Hall was mistress of infant school.
1851 Census mentions William Parsons from Denbigh as a British School teacher at Ruiton.
In the 1865 Jones's Mercantile Directory, it lists, Ruiton, (Board School) lsaac Thomas, master. Sarah Hall, infants' mistress. (British Schools - non-denominational).
It appears that the school was opened as a temporary Sedgley Board School in 1893,
Headmaster Mr. Stevenson, deputy Miss Lane, with pupil teachers Miss Meredith,
Mary Nicholls and Happy Hayward.
Attendance between 100 and 150. ~
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Ruiton Church
National School
Tudor School