Ancestry UK

Chafford School for Boys, Brentwood / Ramsey, Essex

On 1st August 1942, the Chafford School for Boys was formally accredited to operate as an Approved School in premises at Coxtie Green, near Brentwood, Essex. It could accommodate 60 boys aged under 15 at their date of admission.

The School's first superintendent and matron were Mr and Mrs Harold. The first boys were admitted in November, 1942, and a year later there were 52 in residence. The training provided at the School included carpentry and gardening.

In September, 1947, the School relocated to new premises at Michaelstowe (or Michaelstow) Hall, Ramsey, near Harwich. The property could accommodate 91 boys.

At Ramsey, the inmates received classroom education which took place in a block of army huts leased from the nearby Army Transit Camp. The older boys received vocational training in trades such as painting and decorating, bricklaying, or carpentry. Sporting activities played a prominent part in the boys' lives and the School's facilities included a particularly good cricket ground.

In 1973, the School became a Community Home with Education (CHE) under the control of Essex County Council. Following a decline in numbers being placed at the Home, it was closed in July, 1985.

The Ramsey site was sold the following year and has since been used as a residential care home.