"They have no idea of making
even their letters or figures"

The first schools in England appeared around 1700 and were founded by charities, such as the Society for Christian Knowledge. They were few and far between and any notion of an organised education system was a long way off.

From the mid-18th Century Dame - or Common Day - schools became widespread. For a few pence a week, children were minded in these establishment. At best, rudimentary lessons were provided.

Dame schools certainly existed locally until the 19th century. Shurdington School's log for the period notes one or two children who were admitted from a Dame school in the village. And an entry by the Head of 4th July 1879 tells us: "I am rather discouraged with Standard One. I cannot seem to get them to improve. Several of them are fresh children who have been sent to a Dame's school in the village and they have no idea of making even their letters or figures."

The Industrial Revolution spawned Working Schools, or Schools of Industry. Here children were trained in weaving, spinning, sewing, shoe mending, gardening and similar practical skills. Instruction in religious knowledge and reading was also given.

In the 18th century the Reverend Thomas Stock and Robert Raikes - proprietor of the Gloucester Journal - joined forces to found the Sunday School Movement. Sunday Schools provided a knowledge of the four "R"s - reading, writing, arithmetic and religion. What's more they didn't interfere with the six-day working week that occupied most children and kept youngsters off the streets, so were generally applauded.

COMPULSORY SCHOOLING   (Back to Contents)

Shurdington's first appointed Monitor (older children instructing younger ones) appears to have been Helen Burgess. Made monitor in 1886, she left school the April of the next year and was replaced. From about 1830 onwards, schools were founded by private individuals or the church. Shurdington school is an example of the latter kind. The former school building, - now the Church Hall - adjacent to St Paul's dates back to 1839.

In 1870 the State intervened and the Education Act made school attendance compulsory for five- to twelve-year-olds. "Compulsory" was a term apparently interpreted loosely by the parents of Shurdington, as the school log proves. On 28th July 1876 the Head wrote: "This morning has been very wet indeed and consequently few children came to school". One month later: "The attendance is much lower this week, owing to many being kept away on account of harvesting." In October the following year: "Only 18 children present this month on account of a stag hunt in the neighbourhood". Children also stayed away because of fox hunts, fruit picking, haymaking and fairs in the village, Cheltenham, or Gloucester.

Not infrequently, illness shut down the whole school. in November 1876 the school was closed to prevent the spread of scarlet fever. It opened again the following January. The doors were locked for a fortnight in May 1878 when measles struck. And outbreaks of Ringworm, whooping cough and chicken pox all took their toll in 1881. Measles again closed the school when in a visitation of the disease in 1882 a boy died.

Shurdington didn't escape the influenza epidemic that raged across Europe in the wake of the Great War. For two weeks in October 1918 the school was closed as pupils and staff went down with the illness.

In the 1870s children paid up to 9d. per week to attend school, which must have placed a strain on the finances of some families - especially those with more than one child. In 1869-70 an agricultural worker in Gloucestershire earned 10/6d. per week. This wage rose to 13/4d. in 1872. Education became free in 1891.

30 MARCH 1876   (Back to Contents)

The Admissions and Log books kept by consecutive Heads of Shurdington School provide a glimpse of local life as it was in former times. We learn from the log written by teacher Miss Kate Llewelyn that 20 children attended school on the day of the initial entry, 30 March 1876. First on the register was Mary A. Barnes. Born 10 June 1864, her father George Barnes was a Labourer. The address is given simply as "Shurdington". Mary did not claim exemption from the study of Religious Knowledge and left school on 24 January 1877. At this time, the parents of children attending school were labourers, shepherds, cowmen, gardeners and farmers. The only non-agricultural occupations to appear are those of carpenter, carter and laundress. By the turn of the century more trades are represented. The village boasts a plasterer, plumber, butcher, bricklayer and paperhanger. The first railway worker is noted in 1903 and a year later a quarryman's child is a pupil at the school. Not until the 1930s do we find significant numbers of parents engaged in industrial occupations. From then there are engineers, aircraft sprayers and fitters - probably all employed by the Gloster Aircraft Company at Brockworth. The logs illustrate that rural communities were generally static in the 19^th century. (Unlike urban populations, which - joined by an excellent railway network - were remarkably mobile.) Before 1900 only two incomers arrived at the school: Annie Burgess, whose father was a butler, came from Derby in 1883, the same year in which farmer's daughter Sarah Surman moved to the village from Cardiff. During the Great War pupils new to the school came from Bristol, London and Leeds, possibly coming to live with relatives when their fathers joined up. Other members of the school left for distant towns.

WARTIME    (Back to Contents)

Apart from this movement of families in and out of the village, the 1914-18 conflict affected life on the home front, as reflected in the school records, hardly at all. In 1915 a local military gentleman gave a talk to the school "about our brave soldiers in the Dardanelles." Then for one week in September 1917 the school closed for a Monday and Tuesday afternoon "to allow the children to gather blackberries for the army and navy". In stark contrast, the Second World War had an immediate impact on the everyday routine. In September 1939 the first evacuee children were enrolled. Keith Boffey came from Birmingham and Margaret Backshall from Ilford, but both left the school to return to their hometowns within two months. An ARP official commented that sandbagging at the school was good, but ordered blast walls to be built before each of the two school entrances. In addition Cerrux and chicken wire had to be applied to the windows. On 17 October 1939 there was a gas mask practice in the school. And on 10 May the following year the Head logged: "Germany has today invaded Holland and Belgium and all general holiday has been cancelled. God Save the King!"

'Meat and four vegetables - pudding and custard"     (Back to Contents)

A school garden was cultivated and given over to vegetable production. In November 1941 we learn: "Dinner cooked in the school - meat and four vegetables, pudding and custard - costs 3d. per day. All vegetables except potatoes from the school garden". Older boys were despatched when necessary to collect bean sticks. In August 1941, following an outbreak of scarlet fever, the school was thoroughly disinfected. Despite the upheaval pupils in the same month used their half-hundredweight allocation of sugar to make 200lbs of jam. They also pickled onions and vegetables, selling the fruits of their endeavours to raise funds for the war effort. The arrival of Uncle Sam at Ullenwood and local billets affected daily life in many ways. The log notes that on 24 January 1944 "Our annual collection for the blind has this year reached £7 10s thanks to the splendid help given by the American soldiers at the camp here". Following a short service conducted by the Vicar, VE Day in May 1945 – when bunting and decorations fluttered around the village - was celebrated with a two-day school holiday. A month later on 5 September, the Head writes: "The Japanese surrender was formally signed yesterday, six years ago today we declared war on Germany. So ends the Second World War." Out went the flags again in May 1953 when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. "Village celebrations included three television sets being installed here. These were very much enjoyed until 11.30pm."

THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM    (Back to Contents)

The 19th century school curriculum included arithmetic, dictation, reading, singing, religious knowledge, needlework, toy making and knitting. In addition to these core subjects, the teachers give object lessons on such topics as paper, whales and tea. Pupils greeted some subjects with more enthusiasm than others, as the log of April 1877 reveals. "I find it very hard work to teach the children grammar and geography, as they are so totally ignorant of anything of 'like kind". In an attempt to overcome at least one of these problems, a Graduated Scheme for Teaching Geography was devised and proudly entered in the log of 1881. The children learned:

Standard two: Definitions, illustrated by maps of the world. Points of the compass. Meaning of a map.

Standard three: England and Wales, with special knowledge of the county of Gloucestershire.

Standard four: Ireland, Scotland and the Colonies.

Standard five: Europe and Africa

Standard six: Asia, America and Australasia.

'"A new building forthwith"

Improvements to the curriculum were, however, not matched by improvements to the schoolroom, which measured 35'6" in length, by 14'6" wide and 12'7" high. The Inspector's Report of 1885 reads: "In spite of improvements which have been made, the schoolroom room remains unsatisfactory and always will remain so while it is practically divided into two by the big stove in the middle."

We also learn that the case for building a new school was mooted almost a century before the move to Badgeworth Lane was made. "Managers should consider whether it may not be the truer economy to provide a new and wider building forthwith, rather than make alterations to this one, the condition of which is so poor that before long it may be deemed unfit to receive annual grants". Despite these shortcomings, the Inspector's Report two years later tells it’s: "Good order and excellent spirit are the obvious characteristics of this cheerful school. It enjoys a popularity, which causes it to be inconveniently crowded, and taxes the powers of the mistress beyond the limit of altogether successful accomplishment. The mistress mentioned - Emily Juggins - struggled with her burden until leaving in 1892, when on 5 September of that year we read: "I, Luisa Cheverally took charge of this school today. I find the children extremely backward in all their subjects, they have no notion whatever of doing their arithmetic and spelling and writing is very bad".

HOLIDAYS    (Back to Contents)

Miss Cheverally introduced formal holidays to the school: Easter, one week; Whitsuntide, one week; August Harvest-time, three weeks; Christmas, one week. A day was also awarded to attend the village fete in July. Prior to this, the school's Christmas holiday was just 25 December. Most people worked on Christmas Day until the turn of the century and newspapers were printed as normal.

The 1878 Top Ten

The repertoire learned by junior children for the singing exam in 1878 comprised this top ten of almost completely forgotten songs (except number 8):

(1) Under the willow
(2) Where is now the merry party?
(3) The bee in the flowery dell
(4) The cuckoo
(5) Oh - call my brother back to me
(6) Come round the merry tabour sound
(7) The hermit
(8) Home sweet home
(9) Those evening bells
(10) Before all lands.

By 1900, when there were 75 juniors and 35 infants on the roll, the school day began at 9am and continued until noon. Afternoon sessions were 2pm to 4.10pm from 1 April to 30 September; and from 1.30pm to 3.40pm from 1 October to 31 March. From this date the school nurse makes a regular appearance. Nits were a rarity, ringworm prevalent, but otherwise the children appear to have been robust enough.

Discipline never seems to have been much of a problem either. Occasional canings are noted in the log. But it seems that only one pupil was expelled between 1876 to 1953. The boy - Jack Wadley - was told to go in 1916 for insubordination.

COCOA versus HORLICKS   (Back to Contents)

Perhaps the general level of good health can be attributed to the balanced diet found in a community still based on agriculture. This was supplemented in 1932 by hot Cocoa, which was served to children as a morning drink. No doubt this pleased all concerned - except for the travelling salesman mentioned in the school log: "The Horlicks rep. has called for the urn, cups etc. loaned by Horlicks, as it has been decided by vote of the children to discontinue providing the Horlicks milk each morning during the winter months."

School outings were uncommon. But on 30 May 1939 "The school walked up to the Main Road to see Queen Mary as she passed on her way to Cheltenham. The cars slowed down and the Queen smilingly acknowledged the greeting".

VOLUNTARY CONTROLLED STATUS   (Back to Contents)

Maintaining the school building in a good state of repair was a constant burden on resources. By the end of the last war the century-old structure was showing its age and faced with a heavy burden of bills the managers sought to achieve controlled status for the school. This was achieved on 19 November 1948. Responsibility for the school - including its upkeep - passed from the church to the Ministry of Education.

The HMI Report of 11 June 1951 reads: "Shurdington- Primary School is a Voluntary Controlled school of 47 pupils. There are two classes, one of 21 pupils aged 8 to 11, and the other of 26 pupils aged approximately 5 to 8.

The premises have serious shortcomings. There is no hard surfaced playground ... and the infants' classroom measures only 270 square feet'

"...The Assistant mistress has not yet evolved a technique that meets the needs of the pupils. (Soon afterwards she left.)

"For the most part traditional methods are employed and care is taken to ensure even progress in the skills of reading, writing and calculation.

"...Most pupils are less articulate than is desirable.

"...Needlework for the girls and toy making for the boys and girls provide most of the experience in handworks."

ELECTRIC LIGHT   (Back to Contents)

Even so, it was only with constant nagging from the school managers that the Local Education Authority condescended to spend any money on much needed repairs to the school's roof and floor at Shurdington.

The Parish council gave permission for electricity to be run to the village in 1911. But it was not until December 1954, after constant badgering, that the LEA installed electric light in the school and the old oil lamps were discarded.

Obtaining a telephone for the school proved an even greater struggle.

THE NEW SCHOOL   (Back to Contents)

Great changes took place in the village and its school in the 1950s. Miss Dalby - Head Mistress for 20 years - retired in the middle of the decade to be followed by a series of head teachers who came and went.

In the same period the village grew rapidly. So did the number of school pupils - from 30 in 1952 to 158 in 1959.

To meet this influx of population new classrooms were added in 1956 and the call for new school buildings was voiced ever more audibly.

On 11 October 1962 a dedication ceremony attended by the Bishop of Tewkesbury and other dignitaries heralded the infant department's move to new premises in Badgeworth Lane. The junior department joined them in 1981, reuniting the school.

EDWARD WILSON AND THE ANTARCTIC PENGUIN    (Back to Contents)

Dr. Edward Wilson - the Antarctic explorer - was a member of the congregation at Shurdington. Some years after Wilson perished with Captain R.E Scott on their return from the South Pole in 1912, his sister instigated an annual competition at the school in his memory. Pupils were required to write an essay on the life and character of Edward Wilson. The best effort was awarded a copy of Edward Wilson of the Antarctic by George Seaver, plus a cash prize.

In the school log of 27 June 1929 we read: "Miss Wilson - Dr. Wilson's sister - came and having read a memoir of his life presented a relic of whalebone from the Antarctic."

In 1948, the generous Miss Wilson gave a stuffed penguin to the school, which had been captured on Scott's ill-fated expedition and was returned to Britain in 1913.

The bird remained in the school until its condition required remedial attention. Estimates for its refurbishment were too high to be met by school funds. So an enquiry was made to the LEA asking if the services of a taxidermist might be engaged at the ratepayers' expense. A polite, but firm "No" was received.

Eventually the matter was resolved by presenting the penguin to Cheltenham Museum on loan, where it was restored and can be seen today.  ...end of transcript.

Essay written by Cyril John Twinning in 1936

Extracts from Early School Log Books - 1876 to 1979

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