National School, Tilshead

By 1841 a National School had been provided and this had between 30 and 40 local pupils by 1859, although a small number of local children attended Shrewton School which meant a daily walk of seven miles. A scheme to provide a National School was begun in 1824 and new premises were built c.1849; this was a brick-built schoolroom with a tiled floor, and separate desks and benches. Land was provided for an extension of the original national school and the elementary school existed from1874 with 62 pupils initially. This was rebuilt in 1905 on land north-west of the church given by Simon Watson-Taylor. It provided two rooms, one measuring 36’ by 18’ and 14’ high for the mixed pupils and one measuring 18’ by 18’ square and 14’ high for the infants. The original school building then became a church institute and later the Village Hall.

The Inspector’s report of 1874 states that the attainments are ‘below average’ and that with the recent changes in teaching staff it is hoped to improve the results of the school. The following year in 1875 there was a slight improvement and spelling is described as ‘moderate’ and arithmetic as ‘nearly a failure.’ More books were required plus the help of a pupil teacher and by 1880 there was steady progress. In 1895 the lower standards are described as ‘very good’ and the upper standards ‘fair’. The head teacher of 1901, Mr. Smith, is encouraged to pay attention to extra reading, handwriting and verbal responses and they hoped to increase the staffing levels soon. By 1906 the ‘tone and discipline and order of the school was very good.’ There was also mention of changes in staff in the Diocesan reports of 1917 and the effects this was having on the children. By 1920 the reports state that the school could be organised in a better way and that the Head is teaching 33 in the upper levels and requires help. By 1922 there is still room for improvement. However by 1930 the Inspecto’rs report states that the ‘children are happy and enjoy their school life. They are orderly in their movements and well behaved and attentive during lessons’. There had been good steady progress over the last three years.

In 1900 the school building was quite crowded and at times short of fuel. On one occasion the parents sent in wood and coal in order to maintain the fire in the main school room. The stove in the infants room had burnt out so all classes were crowded together in the larger room and this made the regular timetable difficult to stick to. The general condition of the school at this time was poor, with broken glass in the porch and a rough playground surface which caused a build up of mud, remedied by scraping. In 1901 the walls were distempered and other minor repairs were carried out.
New reading books came into use as well as new supplies of blotting paper and pen holders. Coal was regularly delivered, being the only source of heat, and new coal scuttles and shovels arrived to facilitate the making of fires. Other materials supplied at this time included 12 yards of unbleached calico and sewing materials, 5 desks, 50 copies of the church catechism, a set of dumb bells, 24 sponges, 2 pointers, for the blackboard, one box of slate pencils, 6 dusters and a number of copy books to improve the handwriting. A large map of the district went up on the wall and Palmerston readers were in use by this time. By September 11th 1905 the school was closed for the opening of the new school, by the Bishop of Salisbury. This new school, north-west of the church, was known as Tilshead National from April 1st 1906. Renovations in 1929 included white washing and distempering as well as alterations to the teachers and pupils desks and two ‘tortoise ‘ stoves in 1936 replaced the old style open fires. A piano was provided in July 1945.
The Log Books for Tilshead School date from 1874 and give an impression of a school that struggled to achieve standard targets with a great number of changes of staff.

Object lessons taught in 1886 included study of the horse, pig, sparrow and robin, the night, seasons, chestnuts, plums and pears, and Alfred the Great, as well as the calendar. By 1895 these object lessons included, animal life, natural productions such as cork, beeswax and slate, and miscellaneous items covered included steam, our nails, bravery and cowardice and current coins, and common objects studied included boots and shoes, sealing wax, the frying pan and the looking glass (mirror). Recitations were common as a means of learning and in 1898 included ‘The playful lamb’ and ‘The little coward’, for the infants and ‘The railway crossing’ by R. Walker for Standard I. Regular visits occurred by the vicar and he was responsible for scripture tuition and children were regularly examined on this by the Salisbury Diocesan Inspector. These tests included the Old Testament scripture, the New Testament and the catechism.
By the early 1900s history, especially early history, was being taught regularly. There were also lectures on poultry keeping illustrated by lantern slides in 1901. Prizes were awarded for sewing and items made were sold at a sale of work raising just over £1.00.
Books for reading received in 1915 included ‘Jack the Giant Killer’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ for the younger children as well as ‘The Water Babies’ and ‘The Christmas Stocking’ for the older children. In 1915 there was also a lesson on hygiene and washing. In 1917 a piece of ground was cultivated by the boys and potatoes were planted. In April 1918 the school had a visit from the balloon section of the Royal Flying Corps and a talk was given about the use of balloons. By 1923 nature walks or rambles were part of the school year and specimens were often collected and used for discussion and art work as well as written pieces. These would include such items as the larvae of the dragonfly and wild flowers. The school had the use of library books that were circulated amongst the schools and Tilshead usually passed theirs on to Orcheston.
In 1931 there were lessons given on the census and how to fill it in and in November of that year, lessons on the Great War were followed by two minutes silence, observed annually since 1919. In 1935 the children saw and handled a baby python that was over 12 feet in length, and saw a bag made of linseeds and a walking stick made from a hippopotamus hide. A small number of senior girls were by now attending domestic instruction classes and these took place in nearby Shrewton.

The school’s head teacher in 1874 was Sarah Anne Green, and she stayed until 1885 and was supported by monitors and also another teacher called Lucretia Howell. By 1878 Caroline Hall taught the Infants and also covered needlework and by 1879 Mary Blake began as ‘constant’ teacher to Standard I as well as helping the vicar in his instruction of the children in scripture. After Miss Green’s resignation she was replaced briefly by Mary Fletcher, and then in 1886 by M.A. Hill who stayed until 1895, followed by Martha Line with Miss Ford as assistant mistress.
By 1899 John Smith and Hannah Smith began teaching at the school as Master and Mistress and they were succeeded by George Yeabsley with his two daughters as assistants, one of whom was later made an assistant teacher. From 1913 there was a succession of head teachers, the longest only staying in post for four years, until the arrival of George Langdown in 1924; he remained until 1937 when he retired after forty years in teaching and appears the longest serving head at Tilshead School the Inspector’s report in that year was ‘excellent’. He was replaced by Annie Hackett in 1940 when there were 40 children on the school register.

In 1874 there were 62 children on the register and these were divided into four classes. Lateness occurred for various reasons, including watching a funeral in the village in November 1875. The average attendance in the 1890s was 60-70%. In 1900 eight children were reported to the Attendance Officer and one father was fined one shilling for the non-attendance of his daughter. By June 1901 the numbers attending the school had risen to 87. Attendance was often affected by the agricultural calendar and the harvest in particular, when children would be expected to take refreshments to their parents working in the fields or indeed, to help with the harvest themselves. In 1901 medals were presented for good attendance and prizes awarded for Sunday School attendance as well. In 1914 the average attendance hovered around 90%, a marked improvement and by 1916 there were still 80 on the register. This dropped to 67 by 1924. The average attendance by 1935 was 82% with 53 on the roll and in 1941 there were 61 children attending the school.

Special holidays would be taken, sometimes for unforeseen events, like a fire in the village in October 1874; and also for national events, such as the celebration of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in June 1887 and then her Diamond Jubilee in June 1897. St. David’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day were observed in 1917 as well as Empire Day, celebrated on Queen Victoria’s birthday, May 24th. A flag staff was provided and used for the first time in 1917, the Union Jack was hoisted and saluted by the children and was followed by the singing of patriotic songs.
Salisbury Fair in October 1917 was also attended by some of the children meaning a leave of absence and then on November 11th 1918 a half day’s holiday was given for the signing of the Armistice. In 1923 the royal wedding of the Duke of York merited a school holiday, as did the Silver Jubilee of George V in May 1939 and then the Coronation in 1937. Occasionally parties were given for the school children, such as the one at Tilshead Lodge by Mr and Mrs Farquharson and outings occurred to places such as Bournemouth in 1937.

The Tilshead Feast in the late 19th century also meant absence from school and this always happened in July. Occasionally children were absent for non payment of school fees and this happened for 2-3 days running in 1874 for one pupil. In poorly paid rural areas money could be hard to find some weeks and absences could occur as a result of this. School had become compulsory since 1880 until the age of ten years and the fees were not abolished until 1891. They amounted to one penny or twopence per week depending on the number of children attending from one family.

Absence was also caused by bad weather such as snow in 1889, and heavy rain could make roads and tracks impassable. Floods in 1914 caused the school to remain closed for an extra 13 days after Christmas thereby disrupting the timetable.
Mumps in 1878 and ringworm in 1896 also affected attendance, as did whooping cough in 1913 and mumps again in 1916. In 1917 a boy’s death was caused by meningitis and in 1923 a child died of diphtheria. By 1910 the children were regularly being weighed and measured and the dentist was visiting, providing treatment where necessary and this often included extractions. November 1918 saw instances of influenza and suspected Spanish Flu, and only 18 children attended school so it was closed until the health of the local population improved. Scarlet fever occurred in 1922, again closing the school, and one child was removed to the isolation hospital in Salisbury. The school was disinfected to help prevent the spread of these diseases.

Church was attended regularly, specifically for services on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as well as Ascension Day. There were school outings from the early part of the 20th century to such places as Bournemouth or Portsmouth and Southsea, and also to see ‘Titania’s Palace’ a dolls house built by Neville Wilkinson as well as the cathedral in Salisbury.
Punishments were handed out for truancy, talking in class and disobedience; and more unusually for getting into the pond on the way to school, cutting a girls hair and in 1879, for tearing up the reading books. Caning was the favoured form of punishment and could be a number of strokes on the hand, perhaps two strokes for inattention in class.

Most boys after leaving school went to work in local agriculture, much like their parents. As education became more comprehensive and the leaving age rose by 1919, so more options became available. Some children were lucky to obtain scholarships and advance their education.
The school photographer visited in October 1938 and took images of the whole school and in 1939 the children were fitted for gas masks as the threat of war increased. The school had 45 pupils in 1955 when it was a two class primary school.