School History 1946 - 1971

Spondon House School can trace its history back to the seventeenth century. The motto “ingredere ut proficias” is the motto of the original school and was reintroduced in 1929. The house system of Drake, Raleigh, Scott and Shackleton was introduced in 1933.

The school played a key role during the war, catering for evacuees and refuges from blitzed areas, in addition to providing education for local children. Prefabricated huts were erected to cater for the increasing numbers of pupils and the school grounds were used for growing vegetables and keeping rabbits.

Mr Walton was the first headmaster and continued until his retirement in 1957. His place was taken by Mr J F H Bell, who supervised the move to the new buildings on the Park Road site in 1964. This time there was no name change.

In 1971 with the introduction of comprehensive education to Derby, Spondon House merged with Spondon Park Grammar to become Spondon School.

By 2001 the Park Road site had been vacated and the site became the target of arsonists. In 2003 the damage was so severe that the remaining buildings were demolished.

However the foundation stone from the first school in Spondon, containing the Spondon House motto, is now on display at West Park School.

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