Early in the 19th century, the Forest Side School in Horns Road, Barkingside, was built by Charles Welstead of Valentines.

Records show that by 1813 this school was being supported, and quite possibly controlled, by the Barking Church school committee.

In 1822, the committee decided that all boys in Ilford should attend, but when Welstead died 10 years later in 1832, the committee decided to close the school and let out its buildings.

The income from those rentals would eventually be used four years later, in 1837, to help form the Cricklewood School in Ilford village.

In 1841 the school was conveyed to the new ecclesiastical district of Barkingside and, from 1842 onwards, after the foundation of the Barkingside Church School, the rents from Forest Side were used for that school instead.

In 1830 Cricklewood School stood on a site east of St Mary's Church in Ilford High Road and was run in union with the National Society.

In 1837 it was taken over by a separate Ilford committee and in 1846 Nancy and Eleanor Thompson of Clements built an infant department further west on the opposite side of the road.

The school was enlarged in 1885 to provide 680 places, and was by all accounts booming.

By the 1903/04 year attendance was recorded as 580, and continued to decline from there until part of the school was closed in 1920.

The rest followed two years later.

The school buildings east of the church were demolished in 1964 to make way for an office block.

Aldborough Hatch Church school was built in 1867, on land next to the church, given by the Crown.

It was closed in 1912, and the building has been adapted and enlarged for use as a church hall.

By 1870, the United Methodist Free Church in Ilford Lane was maintaining a free school, but this did not appear to last long, ceasing sometime between 1874 and 1878.

From 1903 to 1906 the school board used premises belonging to this church as a temporary school, but there is no evidence of a connection between this and the earlier school.