Hazeldene is 60

A brief history of Hazeldene School

Hazeldene opened in 1965 as a junior school. It was one of the new schools created in Bedford in the years following the Education Act 1944. This act established the principle of county primary schools for children up to the age of 11, at which time they took an examination to determine the nature of the secondary school they would attend until they were 15, the most academically able going to grammar schools, the rest to secondary or secondary modern schools. Hazeldene was created as a county primary school and had an infants’ department, which became The Hills Lower School in the early 1970s. Hazeldene was administered by Bedford Borough Council rather than by the Local Education Authority (Bedfordshire County Council) as the borough was what was known as an excepted district. In 1974 the county council took over as LEA for schools in Bedford and Goldington.

In the 1970s Bedfordshire County Council introduced comprehensive education, doing away with the 11+ examination and grammar schools and introducing a tier of school between the old County Primary and County Secondary Schools. Thus Lower Schools now taught children aged 4 to 9, Middle Schools from 9 to 13 and Upper Schools from 13 onwards. At this point Hazeldene became a lower school.

In 2009 Bedfordshire County Council was abolished and Bedford Borough became, once more, LEA for Goldington. In 2016 and 2017 many Bedford lower schools changed to become primary schools for children aged up to eleven, as three-tier education in  Bedford Borough slowly and patchily reverted to two-tier - primary and secondary.

In 2017 Hazeldene became a primary school.

Bringing us to the present day, we are a thriving primary school with over 400 students on roll., and looking forward to celebrating our 60th Anniversary with all of our wonderful past and present staff, students and families. 

 Can you help?

We would like to make a video and a display of photos/memories/memorabilia from the last 60 years of history at Hazeldene. We're hoping that our school community may be able to help us. Whether related to your child’s time here or if perhaps you were yourself a student of Hazeldene in the past (or you know anyone who was) and would be happy to share pictures, anecdotes, fond memories, items or we’d love to hear from you. We will also be asking members of the local community if they have anything to add so please do spread the word!

If you have any old photos, school memorabilia, new starter booklets, school handbooks etc we would love to see them. We are also asking for past students/teachers to share their favourite memories with us so we can use them during our celebrations.

Photos - please email them over to [email protected] alternatively please bring them into the school office and we can scan them in for you.

Memories - please email these over to [email protected] and include your name and year that you attended the school, where possible.

Any other memorabilia, please bring this to the school office where we will take this, with your details to be able to get the items back to you after our event.

 Our planned celebration events

Celebration Keyrings and Magnets - on sale until 4th July 2025

Full school picnic on the field - 18th July 2025

PROMS 60th Anniversary extravaganza - 21st July 2025

60th Anniversary post proms afternoon tea & cake - 21st July 2025