12 Dec
Weedon Bec Primary School's history is closely tied to that of the village, known for its connection to the former Royal Ordnance Depot and the legend of St. Werburgh banishing the geese. Located on West Street, the school succeeded a long line of educational institutions dating back over 300 years.
The first formal school in Weedon Bec was founded in 1713 through the will of Nathaniel Billing, a London vintner originally from the village. To provide free education in reading, writing, and arithmetic for 20 local children.
19th-Century Expansion
The Billing Foundation School was rebuilt in the early 1860s, adding separate departments for boys and girls, with an infants' department established in 1870.
Other educational initiatives were recorded in the village, though not always as formal schools. A "daily school" was operating in 1831, where 20 children were instructed at their parents' expense.
20th-Century Modernization
Over time, the separate boys', girls', and infants' departments were merged into a single mixed-sex community school. The Victorian-era building was replaced in 1975 by the current single-story school on West Street.
Transition to an Academy
The Community School continued to operate on this site until 2014, when it closed and reopened as Weedon Bec Primary School, now part of the Innovate Multi Academy Trust.
