Open Air Schools
Directory

BRISTOL 

Bristol: opened 1908 (non-residential)

 

Bristol Open Air School, Knowle

Open: 1913 - 1940 aka Knowle School

 

Barton Hill Open Air School: opened 1914

(In 1920 the school moved to St George's Park -girls only)

 

South Bristol Open Air School. Opened 1940 - 1953

 

Victoria Park Open Air School: Opened 1920

       

 CHESHIRE 

 

Delamare Fresh Air School

 

Lym Fresh Air School

 

Styal Open Air School

 

 

  CUMBRIA  

 

Hest Bank Open Air (Camp) School

 

 

 DURHAM  

 

Joicey Road Open Air School, Gateshead. Opened 1936

 

  ESSEX 

 

 

Benton Road Open Air School (1929-1963)

Benton Road, Ilford (day school)

 

Clacton on Sea Open Air School

 

Fyfield Open Air School, Ongar Road, Fyfield (1925-1956). (residential) This was located in the former building of the Fyfield  Industrial and Truant School. It was also known as the West Ham Open Air School)

 

Grays Open Air School, Cruik Avenue, South Ockenden (1930-1986). Day School

 

Shaftesbury Open Air School for Delicate Muscular Dystrophy Children 1923 - 1937

Ashley Camp House, Staples Rd, Loughton

(founded by the Shaftesbury Society)

 

St Johns Open Air School 1897-1970
Turpin's Lane, Woodford Bridge

 

 

 GLOUCESTERSHIRE 

Oak Bank Open Air School, Robinswood Hill, Gloucester

aka Tuffley Open Air School

 

 

 GREATER MANCHESTER 

 

Claremont Open Air School, Salford

 

Manchester: opened 1908 (non-residential)

 

Strinesdale Open Air School, Oldham

 

 HAMPSHIRE 

 

Lyndhurst Open Air School


St Patrick's Open Air School, Hayling Island

 

 HEREFORDSHIRE 

 

Newport House, Almeley

 

  

 KENT 

 

Are you looking for a convalescent home or open air school in Bromley? Perhaps you could help with our mystery Bromley home and photo  album?

 

 


 

 

 

Broadstairs open air school

 

Cliftonville Open Air School, Margate 

 

Fairfax House Open Air School, Broadstairs

 

Holy Cross Open Air School, Broadstairs

Laleham House School for Delicate Children, Cliftonville, Kent  (see Cliftonville OA School)

 

Oak Bank Open Air School, Seal, Sevenoaks

 

Wren's Warren Open Air School, Sutton Valence

 

 LANCASHIRE 


Burnley Open Air School, Bank Hall, Thompsons Park

 

Nelson - opened 1930

 

 LEICESTERSHIRE 

 

Western Park Open Air School, Leicester 

 

 LONDON 

 

Aspen House Open Air School, Christchurch Road, Brixton Hill (1925-1977). An initial open air school was opened at Aspen House in 1907.

 

Birley House / Brent Knoll Open Air School, London Road, Forest Hill: opened 1908 - 1927 (day school) Also known as the Horniman Park Open Air School

 

Bostall Wood / London Open Air School, Woolwich: opened 1907 (non-residential) The first open air school in England - run as a temporary trial by LCC

 

Bow Road Open Air School, Mile End (1922-1939) (day school)

 

Brent Knoll Open Air School, Mayow Road, Lower Sydenham (1928-1956) This was the new location of the Birley House Open Air School (see above) (day school)

 

Busch House Open Air School, Twickenham Road, Isleworth (1938-c1975) (day school)

 

Charlton Park Open Air School (1929-1962) (day School). This was the new location for the Shrewsbury House Open Air School (see below)

 

Chelsea Open Air Nursery, Glebe Place (oened 1928). While most open air schools were intended for older children, some opened for very young children (not residential).

 

Crosby Road Open Air School, Forest Gate (1925-1946) (?residential)

 

Downhills Park Open Air School, Downhills Park, West Green (opened c. 1924). Day school for girls in the bandstand in the park.

 

Deptford Open Air School: opened pre-1914

 

Elizabethan Open Air School, Broomhouse Lane, Fulham (opened in the 1920s, closed 1960). Day School 

 

Forest Hill Open Air School

 

Foundling Hospital Open Air School, Coram's Fields, Bloomsbury. This day school opened in the grounds of the former Foundling Hospital in 1927 and functioned for around 10 years.

 

Geere House Open Air School, Stepney Green

 

Hale End Open Air School, WIngfield House, Walthamstow (1936-1964) aka Wingfield Open Air School

 

Hazelbury open air school, Edmonton, Enfield

 

Holly Court Open Air School, Merton Lane, Highgate (1927-1939) Day School

 

Horniman Park Open Air School (see Birley House above)

 

Jellicoe Open Air Nursery School, Rochford Street (1918 -WW2)

 

Kennington Park Gardens Open Air School (1978-1955) (day school)

 

Kensal House Open Air School, Harrow Road, Kensal Green (1911 - WW2) Day school?

 

King's Canadian Residential Open Air School (1919-1939)

 

Kingston Open Air School

 

Knotts Green Open Air School, Leyton Green Road, Leyton (1927-1955) aka Havering Open Air School) Day School?


London Open Air School: opened 1908 (non-residential)

 

McMillan Open Air Nursery School, Deptford (opened 1914) (not residential)

 

Montpelier Houe Open Air School, Brecknock Road, Kentish Town 1908-WW2. One of the earliest London open air schools. day school

 

Nightingale House, Fort Road, Bermondsey (1928-WW2)

 

Orchard House Open Air School, St Ann's Road, West Green. This was the boys' equivalent of Downhills Park for girls so probably also opened in around 1924. (day school)

 

Regents Park Open Air Schools (non-residential)

 

Shooters Hill Open Air School: opened pre-1914 (non-residential)

 

Shrewsbury House Open Air School (1908-1929. This was one of the first Open Air Schools (day school) following the LLC trial at Bostall Wood).

 

Springwell House Open Air School, London (non-residential)

 

St James' Park Open Air School (1918-WW2).  Day school in St James' Park itself

 

Stormont House Open Air School, Downs End Park Road, Hackney (nitlaly the building was the site for the Industrial School for Blind Boys). 1919-WW2 - Day School

 

Stowey House Open Air School, Clapham Common. Day school which opened in 1920.

 

Upton House Open Air School, Hackney 1928-WW2

 

 Wood Lane Open Air School, Wormwood Scrubs (1928-WW2). Day school

 

Woodlands Open Air School, Downham, Lewisham opened 1930. Day school

 

Woodmansterne Road Open Air School
Stockport Rd, Streatham Vale. Pre-WW2

 

_____________________________

  

The Lost Hospitals of London website has lots of information about London Open Air Schools. We are extremely grateful to this site for clarification of some dates and locations.

_____________________________

 

 MERSEYSIDE 

 

Liverpool: opened 1908 (non-residential)

 

Torpenhow Open Air School, The Wirral

 

Underlea Open Air School, Aigburth, Liverpool, (1930-1970s. Some records are held by the Liverpool Records Office

What are open air schools?

 

Open air schools, as an idea, was not restricted to England but in fact began on the continent in the early 1900s.

 

They were first conceived as a way of tackling tuberculosis which affected large numbers of people before the Second World War. The idea behind them was very simple - children would get as much fresh air as possible, spending much of their day outside and perhaps sleeping outside or in wards which were open to the elements. Many of the schools were residential and some children could live there for much of their childhood. Others stayed for only a short time.

 

While the initial focus on many of the first open air schools was on TB, later the focus shifted to more general health issues which it was felt would benefit from fresh air and exercise. Many of the children going into open air schools would have been described as 'delicate'.

 

The first open air schools in England were opened in London in 1908.

 

In his book 'The Open Air School' written in 1914, Hugh Broughton describes the very simple means by which classrooms were designed to allow fresh air in: "the room may be open on three sides while on the fourth there is a blank wall giving accommodation for blackboard pictures and cupboard."

 

After the second World War, there was a change in open air schools throughout the country as described in 

'The Open-Air Schools of Bristol and Gloucester'

by J. Shorey Duckworth (2005): "After the Second World War the situation with regard to open-air education changed dramatically. New treatments, including antibiotics had been introduced and new ideas formulated for dealing with ‘delicate’ children. Standards of living improved and the incidence of TB declined. More and more physically handicapped children were sent to the schools". 

 

 

 

 NORFOLK 

Norwich: opened 1908 (non-residential)

   

 

 NORTH YORKSHIRE 

 

Bainbridge Open Air School

 

 NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 

Ketttering: opened 1908 (non-residential)

 

 

 NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Arboretum Open Air School, Waverley Street, Nottingham. In the 1910s, an open air day school was opened in a public park 'for the recuperative treatment of weakly children'.

 

Bulwell Open Air School, Opened 1920, became an approved school in 1937 and closed in WW2.

 

Rosehill Open Air School, St Matthius Road, Nottingham (day school) memories

 

Thurgarton Open Air School (aloso known as the Home for Recovery of Phthisical (TB) Children). Opened 1910, closed 1920 and children were transferred to Bulwell (see above).

 

 

SOUTH YORKSHIRE 

 

Barnsley: opened 1908 (non-residential)

 

Doncaster Open Air School, Blaby

 

 STAFFORDSHIRE 

 

Hanchurch Open Air School

 

 SURREY 

 

Banstead Residential Open Air School, Park Road, Banstead, Surrey (1896 - 1961)
Opened as The Banstead Convalescent & Surgical Home for Boys with open Wounds in 1896

 

Kingston Day Open Air School, Grange Road, Kingson (1920 until post-WW2)

 

Limpsfield GrangeOxted

 

St Dominic's Roman Catholic Residential Open Air School, Hambledon

 

St Giles Day Open Air School, Addington, Croydon 1925 - 1977

 

 WALES 

 

Brynglas Open Air School, Newport

    

 WARWICKSHIRE 

Corley Open Air School

 

Haseley Hall Residential School for Boys, Wroxhall

 

 WEST MIDLANDS 

 

Baskerville Open Air School, Harborne, Birmingham

 

Cradley Heath Open Air School, Sandwell

 

Marsh Hill Open Air School aka Erdington Open Air School, Birmingham

 

Northfield Open Air School

 

Reedswood Open Air School, Reedswood Park, Walsall: opened 1919

 

Uffculme / Birmingham Open Air School: opened c 1908 (non-residential)

 

 WEST SUSSEX 

 

Itchingfield Open Air School

 

 WEST YORKSHIRE 

 

Bradford: opened 1908 (non-residential)

Bermerside Open Air School, Halifax (aka  Quarry House School, Northowram)

Daisy Hill School, Bradford. opened 1918

 

Green Lane School, Bradford Opened 1907 making it one of the first in England.

 

Moorlands Open Air School, Dewsbury

 

Odsal Open Air School, Bradford

 

Sheffield: opened 1908 (non-residential)

 WORCESTERSHIRE 

Cropwood Open Air School, Blackwell, Bromsgrove


Hunters Hill Open Air School, Blackwell, Bromsgrove

 

Malvern Open Air School

 

Rose Hill Open Air School, Windermere Drive, Warndon, Worcester: opened 1926

(Became a special school which closed in 2007.

Regency High School is on the Rose Hill site)

 

Skilts Open Air School, Redditch

 

Wylds Lane Open Air School, Worcester

Do you have memories of being in an open air school?

 

Do you know about the open air schools that served your area?

 

Please help us complete this directory

 

We would love to hear from you.


NOT FOUND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?
This open air school directory is a new venture, and sadly there are some counties I as yet don't have any information about. If you know of open air schools that are not listed, or are looking for infomation about schools in a particular county, please let me know. Thank you.
hello@formerchildrenshomes.org.uk

 

 

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