Burston is a village situated a little way north of the market town of Diss in Norfolk. IIn 1914 it made national headlines when almost of the local school’s pupils went on strike in support of their teachers, a husband and wife couple who had been sacked by the school management committee. The strike was to become the longest-running walkout in British history, lasting until 1939, and is a lodestone of the trade union movement.

The sacked teachers, Annie and Tom Higdon, set up an alternative school on the village green. Initially unpaid, the teachers soon found themselves the centre of national interest, particularly amongst the trade union and labour movements. This interest eventually lead to a national appeal for public subscriptions to fund a new school on the green, and Burston Strike School opened on 13 May 1917. This simple little building is made extraordinary by its front wall, which is almost entirely composed of ashlar blocks inscribed with subscribers’ names. Amongst messages from trade unions and co-operative societies are commemorations to fallen soldiers, and to the Higdons themselves. One message reads simply ‘Leo Tolstoi’, possibly referring to the late Russian novelist.

In recognition of its social history the school was designated a Grade II listed building in 1981. Each year, hundreds of people gather on the green for a rally to commemorate the Higdons and the village pupils’ remarkable 25-year strike.

In 2024, PCA Heritage undertook a photogrammetric survey of the school building, producing a highly accurate, fully textured 3D model to act as a record.