FRIDAY October 24 will be an historic day at Nine Maidens Academy as former pupils, staff and parents join those currently at the school and members of the local community to celebrate its 150th birthday with an afternoon filled with fun, memories and emotions.

First opened in 1875, when it was officially known as Four Lanes CP School, the school, near Redruth, has always been called Nine Maidens (‘Nine Stones’) by staff and local residents because of its proximity to the Downs and the stone circle that stands very close to the site.

Previously part of Cornwall County Council and then Cornwall Council, the school became part of Wave Multi Academy Trust in 2018 which operates alternative provision and specialist academies across the South West for pupils who have faced exclusion, trauma, or barriers to mainstream learning.

At 12 noon on October 24, the birthday celebrations will begin with the ringing of the old school bell by John Nurhonen, a former headteacher of the school. This will be followed by tours of the school, ending at 2pm with the cutting of a special cake made in the shape of the school building.

Head of School John Watson said: “This will be a very exciting moment in the history of Nine Maidens Academy.

“Over the past 150 years the school has been at the centre of the local community, providing education to thousands of boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 16, as well as playing a vital role during major events such as wars and coronations and extreme weather, including blizzards and floods.

“We are hoping as many former pupils, staff and parents as possible will join our celebrations as well as people who have been involved with the school over its long history.”

In the first formal log of the school, dated 18 January 1875, headteacher Mr Mollard notes that he had admitted 31 children (13 boys and 18 girls). In 1891, as part of an effort to improve attendance, the then headteacher Mr Opie was offering a shilling to pupils for those who attended classes every day.

As well as teaching music to pupils, Mr Opie also cleared part of the Downs for a sports pitch. This field, which saw a new Multi Use Games Area added in 2015, is still used for sports and outdoor activities.

The school was used as a distribution centre for evacuees at the outbreak of World War II. Over the years it has received visits from a number of people who had been evacuated to Four Lanes, the most recent of which was Ethel from Islington in November 2016 who recalled being given chocolate and sweets by American soldiers who were billeted in the field opposite the school gates.

Coronation Day in 1953 saw over 400 people crowd into the school and brave the rain to take part in the celebrations.

“However, despite the many historic moments which have been marked by the school, it is often the weather which grabs the headlines,” said Mr Watson.

“In the winters of 1954 and 1955, the headteacher accompanied the children home to make sure they arrived safely, while in November 2023, the then principal Andie Parker Jones made sausage sandwiches and cups of tea for stranded motorists after a sudden blizzard stopped the children getting to school and blocked the B3297 for several hours.”

The fabric of the building has also seen many improvements during the years. In the 1950’s the old woodblock floors were replaced, and electricity was installed, finally moving away from the oil lamps. In 1957 a kitchen was fitted, ending the practice in which school dinners had to be transported to hungry pupils from miles away.

New windows and doors were fitted to the building by the Wave team in 2022, with the old roofs replaced with new ones in 2023 and 2025. 2024 saw air source heating installed in the schoolhouse and main building, finally ending its reliance on oil powered heating.

Mr Watson adds: “We are enormously proud of the role the school has played in the education of children in Four Lanes during its existence as the County Primary school and now as an Alternative Provision Academy.

“Despite all of the inevitable changes, societal and otherwise, which have taken place over the past 150 years, it is great to see that two things have endured: the guarantee of a warm welcome and the name Nine Maidens.”