 
A free school for the children of Pulham St Mary and surrounding villages began in the former Guild chapel in 1674 and continued in operation until closure in 1988. At that point, Pennoyer's School is believed to have been the longest running elementary free school in the country.
History
William Pennoyer, a rich Puritan merchant from London, bought a share of the Lordship of the Manor of Pulham St Mary in the 17th century, and thus began his association with the village. In his will, Pennoyer left money for a free school “there should be a free school kept at Pulham aforesaid in the little Chappell near Pulham Mary to teach about thirty or fforty boys of Pulham Mary, Pulham Markett and the next adjacent places”.
The school opened in 1674, teaching boys initially. However, in the eighteenth century, girls are recorded in the pupil numbers, and this continued to be the case until closure.
In the second half of the 19th Century, several schools were set up in the area, including the new school in Pulham Market. This led to a decline in numbers at Pennoyer's School, exacerbated by the presence of an aged schoolmaster. The School Enquiry Report Commission Report of 1867 records only 16 boys and six girls attending. Few of the children were paying more than 1d per week and the majority must have been free: at that time, the number of free scholars permitted was twelve.
In 1869, the school was extended. This resulted in the removal of the whole east end of the Chapel, including its east window, but the rest of the building remained intact. A classroom was added to the front of the Chapel and a porch to the north side. This building was funded by public subscription amongst parishioners. The number of free scholars was increased to thirty-five, and perhaps this, combined with better premises and a new head-teacher, enabled numbers to increase once more. By May 1870, the number of children on the register had increased to 107.
In 1875, additional land was purchased around the school on Station Road, enabling further classrooms to be added to the school building. The eastern 'porch' was originally erected as an infants' cloakroom in 1893; it may have been this addition that created the need for the windows in the south and north classrooms to be moved out of central alignment.
The 1880 Education Act made education compulsory for children between the ages of five and ten, unless taught privately at home. Older children up to the age of 13 were forced to remain at school if they had not achieved an adequate standard. These provisions led to great hardship for poor parents, who were obliged to find the cost of education - “the school pence” - from their wages. For the poorest pupils in Pulham however, there was some relief through the legacy of William Pennoyer.
The Education Act of 1902 brought both elementary and secondary education under one authority, and brought relief to voluntary schools like Pennoyer's by providing funds to run the school, and pay salaries. In 1905, the school successfully fought off an attempt by the Board of Education to change its name to Pulham St Mary the Virgin National School.
Details of school life in the twentieth century are more readily available. Adults alive today remember walking to school from North Green (over two miles north) on a Monday, then staying with grandparents in the main street until Friday evening, to avoid making the arduous journey daily. Others recall being required to bring a lump of coal to school each day for the stoves: no coal = no education. There is, of course, no official record of this latter item!
In 1947 the bell from the school roof was shipped to the USA, to a descendent of William Pennoyer, who in turn offered it to Harvard University. It still hangs outside Leverett House and is rung on state occasions.
By the late 1980s the school role was falling disastrously, so in 1988 the governors sought emergency closure from the Secretary of State for Education, John MacGregor (now Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market). The remaining pupils dispersed to other local schools, and to Pulham Market, using temporary accommodation. Pulham Market School was subsequently remodelled to take the intake from both schools, and is now officially called Pulham Church of England Primary School, and Pulham School for everyday use.
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