About us

High Coniscliffe C.E. Primary School


Our school playground	High Coniscliffe C.E. Primary School is a small school for children aged 4 - 11 years, situated in the village of High Coniscliffe, near Darlington in the north-east of England. The school is a Church of England Controlled School and is both conscious and proud of its Anglican foundation.	The view from our playing field
The school opened in 1963 and at first catered for about 40 children. It has grown and changed since then, and now over 100 children attend the school. We are very proud of our rural setting as you see from these photographs taken around school.	Snow-man competition on the school playing field.	Our school motto is 'I can, if I try' We have a positive attitude towards challenges and opportunities at our school, and our children thrive in all areas because of this ethos. We are very proud of the children in our school who, in turn, are very proud of their school!
Our Mission Statement At High Coniscliffe CE Primary School we promote a Christian ethos through the commandments Jesus taught: to love God and to love one another. We strive to promote Christian values of friendship, thankfulness, justice, hope and endurance. We celebrate that there is something wonderful and unique in every person and encourage in children a sense of awe and wonder about the world. We encourage high aspirations and self worth by motivating, nurturing and valuing every individual, striving to prepare them for life’s opportunities and challenges. This is why ‘I can if I try’ is our school motto. We may be a small school but we are a great big family taking an active role in our local community and the wider world.

A Little of our local history
		The National School at High Coniscliffe was founded in 1848. It seated 87 pupils. The British School at Low Coniscliffe was built in 1877 on the orders of Mr Arthur Pease (of Darlington). It seated 105 pupils. In 1801 High Coniscliffe had 220 inhabitants.
On May 29th 1583 Richard Thirkeld (from High Coniscliffe) was executed at York for high treason, because he was a Catholic missionary priest during a Protestant reign. The same fate occurred to Christopher Bayles, for the same reasons, on March 4th 1590.	On January 31st 1602 a newborn baby boy was found on a window ledge of Cuthbert Smith's house in Nether Cunsley (Low Coniscliffe). He had been abandoned. The baby was christened Tychicus, but was never given any surname. He was looked after, and lived until December 21st 1671 (69 years).	In 1734 Robert Bowes of Thornton Hall gave a house and 6 acres of land to the Churchwardens of High Coniscliffe. This was rented to villagers, and the money was distributed to the poor and needy of High Coniscliffe at Christmas and Midsummer.
A General Store / Post Office once stood opposite the Methodist Chapel at the top of Ulnaby Lane. It was demolished and the land is now used as the Duke of Wellington car park.	The village Post Office once stood near the old Golf Club, and once was the village's hackney carriage station. A stone Elizabethan sundial was discovered in its garden.	1n 1827 a Methodist Chapel was built at the corner of Ulnaby Lane and the main road. It was demolished after the Second World War.
On June 28th 1848 a man called Dickenson, who was paralysed down one side of his body, dragged himself 40 miles from South Shields to High Coniscliffe. He had been born in High Coniscliffe. He had heard of a a strange cure for paralysis and was going to try it. He met a man digging in the riverbank. Dickenson paid the man to bury him up to his neck with soil to a depth of 2 feet, for 4 hours. After 15 minutes he began to perspire profusely, and suffered violent pain in his paralysed knee, spreading to his thigh, hip and back. After 3 3/4 hours of pain, he was uncovered. He stood up and walked away, very much improved.		The main part of the Old Vicarage was built 150 years ago, but some parts are much older. A well was discovered in the grounds, and armorial bearings are carved on the west wall. There may have been secret passages.