The school is in the small rural village of Hodnet, which has an interesting history dating back to the Norman invasion. The name Hodnet is derived from ‘old’ Welsh hawdd ‘pleasant/peaceful’ + nant ‘valley/stream,’ and is usually interpreted as meaning pleasant valley.
A brief history of Education in Hodnet can be found in the book – Hodnet. A rummage through the 20th Century by Gerald Mothershaw and Steve Howell-Jones, 2004. In this book is clear that historical evidence suggests that Education has been a feature of Hodnet since as far back as the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries. More recent historical information indicates that there were several schools in Hodnet over the years, with the first one being an Infants school in 1863, followed by a Girls and Boys school. These were then combined to be an all age combined school in 1936. In 1957 the school became known as Hodnet County Primary School. The school buildings have evolved to its current location from multiple sites within the village, some are still standing, others have changed over time, and some have new plots on the land.
The school building was built in 1986 after the closure of several smaller Victorian schools both in the village and nearby. The new school, as it stands today, was opened by HRH The Duchess of Gloucester on 13th October 1986. Mr Barnett, a much loved and respected member of the community, was the Headteacher at the time of opening, a role he held from 1969 to 1995. The spade used to dig the first piece of soil when building the new school, is framed and located in the new lobby. A time capsule is located on the school grounds to commemorate the new building. Since 1986, a number of extensions and a demountable have been added to the building to accommodate the current provision.
