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The nursery school as a distinct educational phase was established at the turn of the twentieth century.Margaret McMillan was a strong supporter.The newly formed Independent Labour Party invited Margaret McMillan to Bradford in 1893.She was elected to the Bradford School Board and was a driving force behind the passage of the Education [Provision of School Meals] Act in 1906.She was a proponent of child medical examinations on an individual basis.In 1894, the first documented medical inspection took place at Usher Street School.In 1897, Wapping Road Infant School became the first school to have a bath.She moved to Deptford with her sister Rachel in 1902, and the two of them opened the Deptford School Clinic in 1910.They recognized the importance of taking preventative medical measures.They established a Camp School, but Rachel was convinced that "before the little ones come to school, we must begin with the children and their mothers."“It's too late when you're five.” The first open-air nursery opened in 1914.Bradford was the first city to implement the 1918 Education Act, with the opening of Broomfields Nursery School for Roman Catholics, Princeville Open-Air Nursery School, and Lilycroft Open-Air Nursery School in 1920 and 1921, respectively.Miriam Lord OBE, the first head teacher, received her training at a Deptford nursery school.Miriam Lord grew up in Bradford, where her father, Hird Lord, was an Independent Labour Party supporter.Visitors came from all over the world to see the principles of the new Nursery Movement in action at Lilycroft Nursery School.Miriam Lord contributed articles to educational publications to promote the nursery school's benefits.‘I am convinced that we.....’ wrote the HMI for Higher Education in 1929.should devote more attention to nursery schools, along lines like yours, than to any other aspect of educational development.’ The nursery school was located in the heart of the mill workers' community, providing a social, educational, and health center for young children and their families.The mothers had a meeting club, and the parents worked in the garden in the evenings and on weekends.Students from Belle Vue Girls came to the nursery to be trained, and Miriam Lord taught at the senior school.Miriam Lord paid personal visits to the families in their homes.Although the mills have closed, times have changed, and the community we now serve is vastly different, many of the Lilycroft Open-Air Nursery's founding principles remain as relevant today as they were in 1921.Some of the buildings and gardens haven't changed!We are proud of our history and have old photographs, registers, and letters to remind us of the past.Please look through the ‘Gallery’ if you want to see more.