In a message dated 24/07/2007 21:25:20 GMT Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: 1829 Church School opened in Church Street in Deptford, enlarged in 1842 and 1863. 1832 Aylmer family donate land to allow building of a National School at Deptford (extended 20 years later with gift of further land between Australia Street and Neville Street ) I'm really confused regarding this; can you or anyone shed any light? _________________________________________________________________ Hi Rob I can only go off the published directories and various Histories of Sunderland. A visit to Sunderland Local Studies to search their records would probably give more detailed information. According to the 1894 directory the first St. Andrew's National School was built in 1842, which seems to agree with 'enlarged in 1842.' This was apparently the Infants School in Church Street. I wonder if this was the Laing's School The School between Australia Street and Neville Street appears to be the one that was built in 1861. However the 1851 directory says that "there are National Schools" in Deptford. Surprisingly the same directory lists 85 schools in Sunderland, but not a Laing's School. Stan,