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Marley Hill
Marley Hill CPSMarley Hill Community Primary School, a stone building facing the road, celebrated its centenary in 1995. Over the years there have been only 7 Head Teachers, namely: - Mr. Dewhurst 1895 - 1913, Mr. Bellerby 1913 - 1945, Mr. Atkinson 1947 - 1965, Mr. Gardener 1965 - 1971, Mr. Sykes 1971 - 1991, Mr. Rowland 1991 - 1999, Mrs. Westgate 1999 - to the present day.
The school started off, under the control of Durham Council, as a small village school catering for children aged 5 - 14 years old. The Senior Pupils transferred to Burnopfield Modern School in 1958. In 1974 the Infant and Junior school was taken over by the Gateshead Authority.
Over the years the numbers of children on the roll have fluctuated. In 1895 there were 240 pupils, but by 1977 there were 330. Since Cloverhill School opened in 1977 the roll has dropped and today there are approximately 150 children in five classes.
Marley HillThe school was first extended in 1964 with the addition of a hall, inside toilets and a classroom. It was further extended in 1974 with another classroom. Gas central heating was installed in 1978, so the caretaker no longer had to stoke the boilers!
Today, in spite of many changes, it is still the happy caring school with the family atmosphere that most past pupils and former staff remember with nostalgia. It can look back with pride over more than a hundred years at the achievements of others.