National School, All Cannings

A Sunday school was established in 1808 and a day school existed by 1818. At this time many children were at work in the fields and did not attend the day school, although there were 100 at Sunday school. A schoolroom was built in 1833 to the eastern end of the church and 57 boys and 48 girls were attending this at that time. In 1846 there were 85 pupils in separate boys’ and girls’ day and Sunday schools taught by a master and two mistresses who were paid total salaries of £32.10.0d (£32.50). The total annual costs of the school were £50, which was provided by subscriptions from local people.

In 1856 the school adopted the principals of the National Society. In the survey of schools (September 1858) it was described as ‘a good school-room, with round-headed windows, moderately good desks, and worn brick floor, laid down in 1833’. The inspector went on to say that at the time of his visit the building was enveloped in a vine that had been trained over the walls and was laden with hundreds of grapes. There were between 70 and 80 pupils taught by a middle aged master, who was to gain his teaching certificate in 1859, and his daughter. The inspector said that the discipline could be improved but noted that the children were well mannered and cheerful looking. The teaching of reading and arithmetic was fair and that in writing, spelling, sewing, grammar, geography and religious knowledge was good.

We are fortunate in that the school log books have survived from 1863 and provide an interesting picture of Victorian life in the school. In addition to the subjects taught in 1858 history was introduced in the 1860s and drawing a decade or so later. Singing, particularly for the younger children, was always a popular activity and scripture was normally taught by the vicar. In January 1895 a stove was installed in the school for cooking classes; this was sponsored by the Wiltshire Technical Institute.

The HMI inspection reports on the school are somewhat mixed over this period. In 1863 the classes had been carefully taught but the children did not do well in their scripture examination. By 1865 this had improved but it was felt that more care was needed in teaching scripture to the younger children. By 1875 the reading and spelling was good but they were backward in their sums and two thirds failed their arithmetic examinations. It was mentioned that the master allowed children to ask and give each other help during this test. Performance in arithmetic improved in the early 1880s but by 1887 arithmetic was again a problem. In general the behaviour, appearance and the cleanliness of the children was always good but their educational achievements were very dependent upon the quality of the teaching, which was not good in the late 1880s. Children were backward in all the elementary subjects and even reading, the best subject, was considered poor. Needlework was considered so imperfect that the grant for this was withheld in 1887. At this time the teacher was uncertified but in January 1891 a certified master, with his sister as assistant teacher took over the school. By 1893 standards were much improved and succeeding reports paint a good picture of educational attainments.

The 1833 building was proving inadequate after 40 years. The 1874 HMI report stated that a classroom for infants was needed without delay; this seems to have been built by December that year when the school was closed for completion of building work. There were now two rooms, one for the older children in the Mixed School, which measured 41 feet by 18 feet 4 inches and was 12 feet 9 inches high. The Infants’ Room was 16 feet 9 inches by 15 feet and was also 12 feet 9 inches high. Three years later the school was closed for redecoration. It was fortunate that, on 8 December 1879, a fire in the roof of the school was discovered shortly after it had started and it was put out before any serious damage was done.

There appears to have been recurring problems with the toilets, which seem to have been inadequate and were sometimes in a very dirty and offensive state. In 1881 it was said that as there was no lavatory where the girls could wash their hands before sewing class the lesson was moved to just after lunchtime when the girls returned from their lunch at home. A small oil stove was provided in the Infants’ Room in January 1891 but this was inadequate and the vicar, as school manager, instructed the head to order a stove of useful size in December that year. Other improvements, under a new head, in 1891 included, coat pegs in the girls’ entrance porch, new blinds for the windows in the large room and a washstand and bowls in both the girls’ and boys’ porches.

In 1892 the HMI report recommended an enlargement of the Infants’ Room as it was overcrowded. Obviously nothing was done as in 1893 it was stated that a new and larger classroom was greatly needed, along with better ventilation in the toilets. In 1895 and 1896 the inspectors noted that there was no cloakroom accommodation for the boys and that this should be provided. It seems to have been done in 1897. Heating was further improved in October 1892 when a new Tortoise Slow Combustion Stove replaced the old stove in the large room. The Infants’ Room was colour washed and painted during the Harvest Holidays of 1895 but in 1897 the HMI report said, “The schoolroom [Mixed School] presents a very unattractive and depressing appearance. The walls need cleaning and colouring and the worn out desks should be replaced by others of a more modern and convenient character. The gutters which are intended to convey the water from the eaves of the building are in a very bad condition and should at once be attended to, and the boundary wall, which has recently fallen down, should be rebuilt.” This initiated a flurry of activity which concluded in October/November 1898 when the school was thoroughly cleaned inside while the outer walls were coated with rough cast cement, the roof repaired, stonework cleaned and the boundary wall and girls’ cloakroom rebuilt. The school was closed during an epidemic of measles at this time.

Illness frequently affected school attendance and many days were lost to measles, mumps, whooping cough, chicken pox, diphtheria, scarletina, scarlet fever and influenza. Even typhoid made an appearance in November 1896. In March half of the school were absent with measles while in 1891 the school was closed from 27 July to 5 October because of several outbreaks of scarlet fever. The school was closed again in 1893 (17 May – 12 June) for the same reason and one child died from the disease (two had died in an outbreak in 1877) while in September that year an outbreak of sore throats prompted another closure, for 14 days, in case this was a return of scarlet fever. Influenza struck the village in 1895 when the school was closed from 2 March to 18 March.

Bad weather was also responsible for low attendance, often because some families were too poor to be able to buy waterproof clothes and boots for their children. In January 1867 it was so cold that the children in the schoolrooms were scarcely able to hold their pens. On 29 March 1878 a severe snowstorm reduced the attendance to 13 while in January 1881 the school was closed for three days owing to heavy snowfalls and the roads remained blocked for a week. Much the same happened in March 1891 but the school was only closed for two days. Heavy rain also reduced attendance as in 1891 when there were violent storms in mid October.

Older children were also kept away from school when they were required for jobs at home or in the fields. These seasonal jobs included haymaking, potato digging, potato picking, gleaning, gathering acorns and ploughing. Girls were also kept at home for housework and looking after younger siblings. In 1863 it was noted that some children were away in the afternoon because of ‘a foolish practice’ of their parents of giving them half a day’s holiday once a week for fear of two much confinement.

Official school holidays were one week at Christmas, Good Friday and Easter Monday (although children had to attend church), one week at Whitsun and five weeks Harvest Holiday in the summer. Half-day holidays were given for special events and these included the annual treat, and a holiday when the school was needed as a polling station at election time. In April 1891 the school was closed for two and a half days when Entertainments were put on to raise money for the school funds. Holidays were also given for national events, such as the marriage of the Prince of Wales (1863), wedding of the Duke of York and Princess Mary (1893) when an afternoon treat was provided for 140 children, and Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee (1897). In May 1900 the school was closed for a day for a joint celebration of the Queen’s 81st birthday and the relief of Mafeking.

There were often occasional treats and prizes for the children. On 31 December 1891 a substantial tea was given to the 130 children of the Day and Sunday schools by the rector. Prizes were presented to Sunday school scholars and all children enjoyed a magic lantern show, given by Mr. Thomas May, in the evening. In March 1892 Mrs. Hitchcock provided the prizes for children who had obtained the highest marks in examinations in reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and recitation. Two prizes were also given for the best needlework.

Although in the 1890s there were between 120 and 140 children registered for the school the average attendance was around 90. This rose to a high point of 107 in 1906. In 1903 £200 was spent on improving the building and at that time there were 59 infants, taught by two mistresses at a cost of £42 p.a. and 69 older boys and girls taught by a head teacher (£100 p.a.) and three assistants (total of £85 p.a.). Around this time the school was taken over by Wiltshire County Council. Further information will be found under All Cannings C of E Primary School.