Prior to 1875 there was, apart from the old Grammar school, only one school in Normanton, that was the National School connected with the church. Down to that period the government had left all provision for elementary education to voluntary effort.

But in 1870 a comprehensive measure for the promotion of elementary education by the State was passed. Its chief provisions were for the election of school-boards in districts in which there was a deficiency of school accumulation, with powers to build and maintain schools out of rates levied for the purpose. Discretionary powers were given to the school-boards to enforce the attendance of children in their districts, but by subsequent compulsory attendances of children from 5 to 14 years of age was made the law for the whole of England and Wales.
 
The inhabitants of Normanton were not slow in taking advantage of the provisions of the Act, for we find that on June 26th, 1874, a duly signed requisition was sent to the Clerk to the guardians to call a meeting of the Normanton rate-payers for the purpose of deciding for or against a school-board. When the meeting was held a large majority of the rate-payers were in favour of forming a school-board. But by consulting the files of the Wakefield Express for this period we find that a certain section of the rate-payers, led by the then vicar, the Rev. W.M. Lane, were in strong opposition to the project, and Mr. Lane demanded that a poll should be taken to test the feeling of the parish on the question. He, however, withdrew the demand later and on October 24th. 1874, the first election to elect members to the new school-board was held.  

The Education department decided the number of members should be five and the published list of candidates for the five seats were:-

Hugh Byrne, Miner;
John Dixon, Miners' Agent;
Sarah Gott, Provision Dealer;
Laurence Hargreaves, Butcher;
John Pickles, Store-keeper;
Thomas Parsley, Iron-works manager;
Thomas Slevan, Minister;
and Joseph Waterworth, Farmer.

The successful candidates were Messrs. Slevan, Hargreaves, Dixon, Pickles and Parsley. Mr. John Dixon was the first chairman of the board and the Rev. Thomas Slevan was elected vice-chairman.   It was estimated that there were in Woodhouse alone, approximately four hundred children with no school accommodation. The board, at its first meeting, took steps to engage the Primitive Methodist Free Church at the Woodhouse end of Church Lane, (then not in use) for a school, until a proper school could be built.
  
The first board school was built at Woodhouse in 1876; Normanton common School in 1876, and the Normanton Central School in 1890.