Part 3 follows the primary school built to relieve overcrowding at Laindon High Road and the headmistress whose name it still carries.
By the early 1930s Laindon High Road School was struggling to cope with the number of children arriving from the rapidly growing settlement. Essex County Council therefore planned a new school at Markhams Chase for infant and junior pupils.
Janet Duke had already worked at the High Road school and became responsible for the younger pupils before the new building was ready. She was appointed headmistress of the new school and was only 29 years old when she took charge.
Markhams Chase Council School opened on 2 October 1933. It began with 406 children on the roll, meaning classes were already large from the first term.
The opening allowed the High Road school to concentrate on senior pupils while younger children could attend Markhams Chase or other local primary schools.
The first staff worked under Janet Duke and included teachers remembered in surviving school records. Early reports by the school managers praised the staff for settling the new school quickly despite the large classes.
The school continued to expand as both old Laindon and the later New Town population increased. At times the pressure for places was so great that classes had to be accommodated elsewhere, including on the Nicholas School site during the 1960s.
Janet Duke remained headmistress for 31 years. She retired at the end of the summer term in 1964 after having led the school from its very first day.
In October 1964 Markhams Chase School was renamed in her honour. The school became known as Janet Duke County Infant and Junior School, preserving the name of one of Laindon's most influential educational figures.
As the New Town population grew, additional accommodation was needed. A separate infant building was later provided beside the original school, while the main building continued to serve generations of local children.
The school later became Janet Duke Primary School. Despite alterations and additions, the original 1933 school building remains recognisable, making it one of the important surviving educational buildings from pre-New Town Laindon.