The original building plans of the school, submitted in May 1845, survive in the East Sussex Record Office in Lewes. The building accounts from 1846 are also held at East Sussex Record Office in the archive of Tom Pickard, agent for the Glynde Estate. Despite this, Kelly’s Sussex directory of 1887 states that the school was built in 1858 to accommodate 60 children and the average attendance was 50.

The date of 1858 is repeated in directories of 1895 and 1909 but this can not be right as the school house, part of the school building, was included on the 1851 Beddingham census when Sophia Green, born in Burton, Dorset, and aged only 19, was the schoolmistress.

The living accommodation in the school was shared with three lodgers: Reuben Moore, 63, an agricultural labourer, born in Beddingham; his wife Charlotte, 60, born in Kingston; and Lucy Nell, 9, a pupil at the school and born in Beddingham. There was also a visitor, Elizabeth Beadie, aged 11, born in Middlesex.

The school was enlarged in 1888 to cater for 80 children but this number was lowered to 70 by 1895, when the average attendance was 42, and the average attendance fell to 40 in 1899. Kelly’s directory of 1915 records that the school would only hold 56 children.

The log books record that Emily Weston, the head mistress, was granted leave of absence for the week beginning 23 July 1917 in order to see her brother, Captain Weston, before he returns to the front after being in hospital.

As well as a headmistress the school had a supplementary teacher. When Emily Weston’s replacement Cicely Gillespie left as headmistress on 28 July 1921 her supplementary teacher, Miss Rawel, also left. The new head, Ada Mary Biles, trained at Portsmouth, was in place for the re-opening of the school on 16 September, along with her new supplementary teacher Roslyn Annie Sims.

From the school log books the supplementary teachers appear to have changed quite often. Winifred Betchley, who later taught as an assistant at Glynde School, began her duties as supplementary teacher on 5 Sep 1923 after Mrs Burgess resigned during the summer holiday. However, Mrs Burgess, mother of Will, Len, Margaret and Hilary and who lived at 1 Sussex Terrace, returned a number of times as the supplementary teacher at Beddingham.

By 1936 the school was obviously struggling. Ada Biles only made minimal entries in the school log book. The last six entries read: 21 May 1836, ascension Day, half holiday; 28 May: closed for Whitsun Holiday; 3 June: re-opened, number on books 14; 31 July: closed for summer holiday; 7 Sep: re-opened, 14 on books; 23 December: School closed for Christmas Holiday. The head mistress, Ada Mary Biles, and the Supplementary Teacher, Miss Agnes Biles, conclude their duties here today. The school never re-opened and is now a private house.

No admission registers for the school are known to have survived.