Church School, Enford

School Plan drawn by pupil Stanley Sargent when ownership of the school was transferred to Wiltshire County Council

In 1842 a sum of money raised by John Prince, vicar from 1793- 1833, was used to buy £670 of stock. The interest, £15 a year, was to go towards supporting a church school in the village. In 1845 a school with a school house was built by Sir Edmund Antrobus, who was lord of the manor of Enford. He continued to support the school financially. In 1858 it was attended by 20-30 pupils (out of a population of 911) taught by a mistress who had received some training at Salisbury. The school is described as being on the road out towards Netheravon being a large building with a school building on each end and the school house in the middle.

The school seemed to struggle slightly with keeping up its attendance, and many children were often absent through illness, weather or having to work in the fields. The wind was so bad in the winter of 1893 that much of the slate was blown from the roof.

In 1878, the Inspector’s report read: “The children are being managed fairly well by the mistress who has on the whole been fairly successful in her teaching.
“Reading fairly good.”
“The drainage needs attention. The teaching staff is hardly adequate to the work of teaching the number in attendance.”
In 1893, the inspectorate wrote: “The school is in good order and well taught.
“The work is even and generally good, though with so many children it is difficult to test it properly.”
“The girls needlework is fair and knitting a special feature.”
The school was later affiliated with the National Society so could be called a National School.