ORIGINS Need The combined area of the two Greenford Wards and of the Northolt Ward of the Borough of Ealing is 4,7 acres. This area now contains approximately 11,200 houses, and an estimated population of 40,000 people. The elementary schools in the area now contain 4,576 junior and infant children and 1,416 senior children ... A conservative estimate of the population of the area, when fully developed, is 66,000, a figure which may be reached in about 7 years from the present. Thirty-three children, declared qualified at the examination for Secondary Schools last year, did not enter such Schools, and others went to schools elsewhere in Middlesex and in London - some at considerable distance. It will thus be seen that there is at present a deficiency of secondary school accommodation available for Greenford and Northolt. It must be remembered, however, that the area is still growing: the number of children between 11 and 12 years old in Greenford and Northolt is now about 640 as compared with 563 last year, and in seven years' time it is estimated that this number will be over 1000. Furthermore, the adjacent areas of North Hanwell, Southall, Harrow and Wembley are also growing and their increasing demand for Secondary Education will restrict the accommodation available for Greenford and Northolt so long as these areas have to rely on schools in other districts. IMAGE Plot For Sale The above plea for further facilities for Higher Education was written in May of 1936 but two years earlier in the summer of 1934 negotiations were already underway for the purchase of land for a proposed Secondary School for Greenford in the Urban District of Southall/Norwood between Middlesex County Council and Mr J Green of the North West London Estates Co. Ltd. (This company was already in the process of planning the development of the surrounding land, especially on the Allenby Road end, for housing estates.) The land under negotiation was a site 'situated at Ruislip Road, Greenford, to which it has a frontage of 300 ft., and near Allenby Road. Except for the Ruislip Road frontage the site consists of back land but, apart from the drainage, it could have been developed without difficulty in conjunction with the owner's remaining land. The greater part of the turf has already been stripped from the surface.' A letter by the District Valuer (of Harrow) of 7th August 1934 shows how fast development was taking place in the area as he warns Middlesex C.C. Education Committee that in the event of delay there will be a risk of losing the site or there will be extreme difficulty in finding a possible alternative'. The Committee did act quickly and on 29th October, 1934, made application to the Board of Education for permission to acquire the sum of 9185 required to purchase the 13.333 acre site. By 15th November 1934, the Board had approved the Authority's proposals and handed its request for a loan to the Ministry of Health which body, on December 14th, gave 'consent to the borrowing by the Middlesex County Council of the sum of 8.710 for the purchase of land for the proposed Greenford Secondary School (Loan period 60 years). By the 3rd of May 1935 the purchase was concluded and the Deed of Conveyance drawn up. Plans It was not until over a year later that the Middlesex County Council Education ComnUttee submitted preliminary plans for the proposed school (Greenford Secondary School No, S 6295) to the Board of Education. Mr Walton, secretary to the Committee wrote on 20th October 1936 expressing concern for the 'considerable additional expenditure both to the Authority and to the parents for travelling expenses for the rapidly increasing number of children who had to be sent to schools far afield. He warned, 'Strong local pressure is being brought to bear on the Authority to treat this as a matter of urgency, and the Authority's statistical information leads it to feel that Otis pressure is warranted.' page 19