North Bradley Church of England School, North Bradley

This school was originally built by the vicar, Rev. E. A. Were, on glebe land to prevent the establishment of a non-sectarian Board School. The school succeeded Daubeny’s School, which closed when the new school opened. The school, including a head teacher’s house of 6 rooms, was designed by Weaver and Adye of Bradford on Avon at a cost of £920. It was partly in brick with Bath stone dressings and partly in Bradford stone. The large schoolroom measured 40 feet by 18 feet and the classroom 20 feet by 16 feet. Both rooms were 13 feet high to the tops of the walls and 17 feet to the apex of the roof. There was accommodation for 100 pupils and the school officially opened on 1st January 1882. The school was in union with the Anglican National Society. In the early 20th century the classroom was lengthened by 6 feet.
 
Unfortunately the school log books do not begin until 1908, but a picture of Victorian school life in this area can be gained by looking at the web page for Southwick Church of England School. In the first part of the 20th century this was still an elementary school, teaching all ages up to the school leaving age. Apart from the elementary subjects of reading, writing and arithmetic the pupils would have covered history, geography, needlework, music and singing. The boys also had gardening classes and older children went on nature rambles. Some of the teaching was carried out by pupil teachers, who were taught by the head teacher outside school hours, and took exams to obtain teaching qualifications. In December 1909 one of the pupil teachers died of quinsy. Prior to the First World War the number on the school roll averaged around 115 to 120 although at times, when illnesses were about, there may have only been 60 or 70 children attending school. One of the worst illnesses of this time was diphtheria with many outbreaks occurring. Children who contracted this were often sent to the Isolation Hospital in Trowbridge and on one occasion, in December 1909, only 49 children were able to attend school. At times the school was closed and sometimes it had to be disinfected. These outbreaks overshadowed the more common childhood illnesses, such as chicken pox, measles and mumps.
 
Annual holidays were very similar to today. There were 2 weeks at Christmas, 2 weeks at Easter and 5 weeks for the summer holiday, with a week at Whitsun. There were also half-day holidays given for various reasons. Regular half-days were given for the annual Fair (4th October) and for the annual parish tea in January, while choir boys were allowed time off to sing at confirmations. In 1911 a special holiday, from 17th – 26th June, was given on the occasion of the coronation of George V. Bad weather also kept children away from school. On March 4th 1909 heavy snowfalls meant that the infants were unable to attend; the school was closed on 18th January when heavy snow made the roads impassable; in February 1917 there were again low attendances owing to heavy snowfalls and an outbreak of colds and influenza. On 10th June 1910 summer storms caused flooding that prevented both staff and children reaching the school while in June 1917 heavy rain made the roads impassable and children from several parts of the village were unable to attend.
 
The school seemed to have been performing well during this period, as is evidenced from a 1916 Diocesan report. ‘I was very well satisfied with my visit to this school. The infants were bright and eager to answer, and they knew their work and said their Repetition nicely. In the older group it was evident that the children had been carefully taught and the answers were good and generally distributed. They sang very well and the written work was above the average’. Pictured here is the girls'; section of the school. In 1931 the school ceased being an elementary school when the older children (aged 11+) were transferred to secondary schools in Trowbridge. North Bradley became a junior mixed and infant school. Further information can be found under North Bradley Church of England Primary School.