Our History

St Andrews primary School was born out of the innovation, confidence and boldness of Victorian Britain.

The parish of St Andrews had once been a part of the significantly larger medieval parish of St Mary the Virgin, with the village of Eccles taking its name from the church (the Latin word for church being Ecclesia).

To meet the needs of a growing population as the industrial revolution came to define the economic powerhouse of North West England, a new church was built in the 1870s. From its earliest days, the clerical and lay leadership of St Andrews was committed to serving God by serving their neighbours, especially those from the poorest sections of the community. Four months after the church was consecrated in 1879. a church school was opened, the precursor of the present day St Andrew’s Primary School. This first makeshift school was housed in local cottages or in the church itself, until the present school building on Oxford Road was completed in 1892.

St Andrew’s is proud of its heritage and continues to strive towards improving outcomes for its children now and in the future.

Do you have an interesting story to tell about our history? If so, please email us.