crosses Staines Bridge. Education Early schools The surviving first record of a schoolmaster in Staines is from 1353 and there are mentions of later postholders in documents dating from 1580 to 1673. However, by the 18th century, it appears that there was no dedicated teacher living in the town and, in 1795, the parish clerk was in receipt of a modest salary to teach four children. The British Boys' School in Staines was founded in 1808 and the girls' school was in existence by 1832. By 1852, the boys' school was in Hale Street and was educating around 35 pupils. An infants' school was founded in 1833, which moved with the girls school to Thames Street in 1867. The two schools moved again to larger premises in the same road, but the 1867 schoolhouse still survives behind the shop fronts. National Schools for boys and girls were established in 1818 and in the mid-1820s respectively, but both closed for around a decade before reopening in the mid-1840s. The girls' school moved to new premises in Bridge Street in 1850 and the boys' school relocated to London Road in 1863. Maintained schools Riverbridge Primary School was formed from the merger of three predecessor schools in September 2011. The oldest was Shortwood Infant School, which opened in 1905 as the Stanwell Road School. Knowle Park School opened in 1974, but had its origins in the Wyatt Road School which was formed in 1896. Kingscroft Junior School opened in 1992 and replaced Kingston Road School, which had opened in 1903. Riverbridge Primary School operated across three sites, until September 2014, when the former Shortwood Infant School premises were closed. The school became part of the Lumen Learning Trust in Autumn 2016. Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School was founded in 1893. The construction of the Matthew Arnold School started in 1939, but work was suspended at the outbreak of the Second World War. However, parts of the building were sufficiently close to completion to allow pupils aged 11 to 14 from Kingston Road School to transfer to the site, after their classrooms were damaged by bombing. The school formally opened in 1954. Independent school Staines Preparatory School was founded by Cyril Travers Burges and opened on 8 May 1935. The original premises were at 1 Gresham Road, but the school moved to number 3 in 1938 and expanded to number 5