A Brief History of St Florence School

The first evidence of a school in St Florence, probably at Rock House, comes in a letter from the Church warden to the Vicar, Thomas Hancock (1774 – 1804), stating that the school was being satisfactorily maintained.

In 1857, a school was built by the National Society for Promoting Religious Knowledge on land donated by Squire John Leach. The school had 56 pupils on roll but the average attendance was only 46%.

Since the introduction of compulsory education in 1870, the  numbers on roll have fluctuated considerably, from the days when families were large to the post war period with fewer children. As was normal in rural communities, terms and holidays often followed the agricultural calendar enabling pupils to help out at hay time and harvest. Until the 1950’s it was an elementary school catering for pupils up to leaving age with only a few being selected each year to attend Greenhill Grammar School in Tenby.

By the 1970’s, all pupils went on to the present Greenhill Comprehensive, with a new school building being planned for St Florence and in 1973 the 65 pupils moved into the present building.

For over 200 years, the school has had, and continues to have, close links with St Florence Church. The Voluntary Controlled part of the school title shows that while the local authority finances the school, the Church is involved in its management.