Chew Stoke Church School is situated on the south side of Bristol within the beautiful Chew Valley. Since it was founded in 1718 the school has operated in many ways, being started by benefactors for the education of twenty boys with a headmaster on a salary of £10 per annum! Since then it has been rebuilt, in 1856, and has been managed by various groups of Trustees and Governors. In 1870 it became a Free School which, in contradiction, charged for education. The school has always been very closely associated with the Church of England but had to fight Somerset Council to retain that association in the early 1900s. In more recent times, the school has been funded via the local education authority, but this changed in 2012 when the school became an academy. Funding now comes directly from central government, but the association with the Church and the Diocese will remain as it is fundamental to the ethos of the school.
Founding stone
The school buildings are interesting and varied. These in fact, having been built on the site of the earlier school founded in 1718, make Chew Stoke one of the oldest schools in the Diocese of Bath & Wells. Later extensions were added in 1970, in 1996, 2002 and Summer 2010. The school buildings now provide a bright, colourful and attractive environment in which to work and learn.