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Chapter 21  The Infant’s & Girls Schools (1929 to 1939)

A steady improvement had been taking place in education and in public health during the first part of the 20^th Century.  Parents were more aware of the advantages of education, though not all of them could afford to keep their children at school for further education.  By law all children were to stay at school till the age of 14 years, whereas in the previous century, children were ‘allowed’ to leave school at ten years or 12 years, provided they passed the school-leaving exam.

Although health had improved there was not yet immunisation against diphtheria, whooping cough or measles.  So in the 1930’s there were still occasional cases of these diseases, as well as of scarlet fever, in the Infants’ School. A lady dentist examined the children’s teeth in 1935.

In 1929 there were 3 classes in the Infants’ School, in two rooms.  A smaller room (the first to be built) was separate, probably used as the “babies” room, with 2 classes sharing the larger room.

An open fire was in use in one room and in the other, a tortoise stove.  The children’s milk was warmed by the fire in the Winter.

Every winter a concert was held in the Parish Hall and on that great evening the children would all wait their turn and be shepherded across the Hall.

The teachers in the Infants’ School were Miss. Wild, Miss. Rainford and Miss. Sinclair, the last two being brown-robed members of the community of the Good Shepherd. One class in the Infant School in 1935 started the “Beacon” way of reading.  When the reading was examined four months later, the beacon method was found to have justified its introduction.

There was usually some festivity for the Infants before breaking up for the Christmas holidays – a Christmas tree and a party, with oranges and bags of sweets to take home.  One year bags of sweets were distributed to the children from the Mayor’s fund by a councillor and his wife.

Miss. Johns was then Headmistress of the Girls’ School and Mr. John Ray, Headmaster of the Boys’ School.

The schools were closed on November 29^th 1934 in honour of the marriage of Prince George, the Duke of Kent, to Princess Marina of Greece. The following year, 1935, was the Silver Jubilee of the reign of King George V.  The school closed on May 6^th and 7^th for the Jubilee celebrations.  The next day Jubilee beakers were presented to the children and on July 16^th the schools were closed for the Naval Review.  In 1936, King George V died and the school closed on the day of the funeral, January 28^th.  The service was relayed in St. John’s Church and those who wished to, could listen to it.

On the occasion of the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, in May 1937, Coronation Beakers and tins of toffees were presented to the children.  The children were also taken by bus to the cinema as part of the coronation festivities.

The Vicar gave permission in 1936, for the church hall to be used for organised games.  The P.T. organiser visited the school the following year and met the staff.  It was a time of new ideas in Physical Education.  Rhythmic work and types of movement which were more free were being introduced.  Another P.T. organiser visited the school in 1939 and Rhythmic work was being performed in the Church Hall.  Later an H.M.I. reported, “The teachers do a great deal to brighten up this rather gloomy building….opportunities for free movement have been somewhat widened by the part-time use of the neighbouring parish hall…Two of the teachers have been taking postal courses (at their own expense) in connection with their work and the children have obviously benefitted”. It was also mentioned in the report that good work had been done in simple crafts, colour drawing, speech-training and dramatisation.