Fryerns Comprehensive School, also known as Fryerns Community School, was a mixed intake secondary school in Basildon, Essex that opened in 1956. The school was situated around one mile directly east of Basildon town centre. It was closed in 1999 due to falling pupil numbers. The site is now being redeveloped into two housing estates.
History
Fryerns School was the first new secondary school to be opened in Basildon New Town. Its name came from the nearby Fryerns Farm which also provided the name for the local area. Fryerns was created as a Grammar and Technical school. In August 1968, it merged with Craylands County Secondary school, which had opened on the same site in 1935, to create Fryerns Comprehensive. The influx of families into the area meant that another secondary school, Barstable, was placed across the road. In 1994, the school changed its name once again to Fryerns Community School. Essex County Council Education department closed Fryerns in 1999 due to falling pupil numbers and a serious funding issue. Basildon's demographics had changed markedly over the previous four decades. A rapidly ageing population meant that there were too many schools in the district for the number of pupils and Fryerns had to close. Fryerns, had been threatened with closure in 1990–91 but a strong defence of the school was launched in parliament by the then Basildon Conservative MPDavid Amess. In the speech he stated that no school would close in Basildon while he was its member of parliament. This turned out to be the case as in 1997, he did not contest the Basildon seat as the New Labour candidate Angela Smith MP was elected. Less than two years later the school had closed. After closing, the newer school buildings to the south of the site were taken over by Essex Social Services and the playing fields next to it were used for a new housing estate. The school buildings and fields of the old Craylands school were left derelict. Eventually the buildings were demolished and work was started on another new estate.
School traditions and achievements
Perridge Awards – These were medals awarded for consistent effort, progress and conduct. They were awarded in three categories, bronze, silver and gold.
Cake Competition – An annual five-a-side footballknockout competition. If a class played a team from the year above they would get a two goal head start. So if a year 11 team played a year 7 team the match would start at 10 – 0. The prize was a large cake produced by the Home Economics department.
Skiing trip to Villach, Austria was organised annually for pupils in years 8 and 9.
