Prior to 1996 there was a school in the village. From 1964 to 1996 this was on land adjacent to the Reading Room. The school had a large hall and facilities that were generally better than those of the much older Reading Room. Accordingly it was extensively used for village functions outside school hours, including Parish Council Meetings. Behind the school was a sports field that doubled as a recreation ground for the village. In July 1996 Warwickshire County Council closed Church Lawford School. The community had fought hard against the closure and were anxious that the loss of the school should not also mean the loss of the community facilities that the school hall and sports field had represented. A Steering Group was set up prior to the closure to explore the options.
After the school closed the potential to expand facilities in this way was enhanced by the offer from the County Council to allow the village to buy the existing recreation ground (which was adjacent to the school site).
The following update from the Parish Council appeared in the February 1997 issue of the Village Newsletter.
