The material below is taken from the web page Unless otherwise indicated, content is copyright Peter Higginbotham and may not be re-published without permission.
Ancestry UK

Newfield School / Newfield House, Coventry, Warwickshire

In 1924, the Coventry Industrial School and Home for Girls, founded in 1846, moved out from centre of the city to new premises on Cash's Lane. Newfield School, as it it now became known, was formally certified for operation as an Industrial School on January 15th, 1924, with accommodation for 46 girls under the age of 12 at their date of admission.

In 1926, girls at Newfield began to attend local elementary schools.

In 1930, the superintendent of the School was Miss A. Turney.

In 1933, Newfield became an Approved School, one of the new institutions introduced by the 1933 Children and Young Persons Act to replace the existing system of Reformatories and Industrial Schools. The School accommodated up to 41 Junior Boys aged below their 15th birthday at their date of admission. In 1935, Miss G. Sharp was headmistress of the School.

During the Second World War, the School was evacuated to Newbold Beeches, Holly Walk, Leamington. The Coventry premises were then occupied by the Royal Air Force Balloon Barrage. The School returned to its Coventry site in 1945.

Former Newfield School entrance lodge, Coventry, 2013. © Peter Higginbotham

Former Newfield School from the east, Coventry, 2013. © Peter Higginbotham

Former Newfield School from the south, Coventry, 2013. © Peter Higginbotham

In around 1973, the school became a Community Home with Education (CHE) under the control of Coventry Borough Council and was then known as Newfield House.

The Home closed in 1982 and in more recent times has been occupied by a local NHS Trust.

In 2006, Kevin Donaldson, a former principal of the Community Home, was found guilty of sentenced to 15 years in prison for sex attacks on inmates between 1977 and 1982.

Records

Note: many repositories impose a closure period of up to 100 years for records identifying individuals. Before travelling a long distance, always check that the records you want to consult will be available.

  • The Coventry History Centre, The Herbert, Jordan Well, Coventry CV1 5QP. Has records for Leicester Street and Cash's Lane sites (1894-1972). However, they decline to provide any more detailed information.

Bibliography

  • None noted at present.

Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.