After Miss Rose, Miss Sinclair became Head of the Infant School. The
Rev. S.C. Carey was vicar of the Parish church from 1910-1922. Jane, who started school in Miss Sinclair’s time, remembered the “Brown Sisters”, Miss Sinclair and Miss Rainford.
When Jane went into the Junior School, Miss Johns was Headmistress and she
taught Standard VII. Jane thought her to be a super headmistress.
In the Junior Girls’ School, one big room was divided by 2 curtains into
3 classes. Standards II and III were together. Standard IV in one section and in the third section Standards V and VI. Standard VII was on its own in a little room with a
fireplace. There were 12 girls in the room and Miss Johns at her desk.
Jane knitted a pair of gloves for Miss Johns. She was in Standard VII for at least 2
years. The Rev. C.S. Carey taught R.E. in the class. When he went to the blackboard the girls saw big holes in his socks. Miss Johns got the girls to darn them. She also had 12
top class girls do the flowers in the childrens’ corner in Church.
The curate, Rev. Harry Huke and his family and Mr. Slyfield, the lay reader,
worked at St. Lukes Mission Church in Forton Road. The Rev. H. Huke was also the attendance officer.
Some of the girls performed a dance of Roses and Butterflies at a school concert. Jane was a
rose, and wore a white dress with pink roses on the dress and on her headband.
Jane was put in for the scholarship examination for the
technical school. The oral examination was conducted by Mrs. Kingsworth, who amongst other things, asked Jane to spell “harangue”. Three
girls passed the exam. The technical school occupied the building which later became the grammar school.
Jane went to evening school for commercial subjects and passed in Shorthand
and English.
