Church School Stockton

In 1861 the opportunity arose for a school room in Stockton. The lease on a cottage and adjoining shop came to an end and the property reverted to the lord of the manor, Henry Godolphin Biggs, who in turn allowed the rector to become the yearly tenant. The shop and a small room behind it were made into the School Room and the cottage adjoining was repaired and made fit for the residence of the schoolmistress and her family. In 1862 the repairs of the cottage were completed; the east side of the roof was tiled and the stone dormer windows were erected. The cost of the whole work was £171.13s.5d. , presumably paid for by Mr. Biggs, who also gave five years rent at a cost of four guineas a year. Donations were received from the late Mrs. M.A. Biggs, Mrs. Emma Yeatman and Jonathan Miles.

The Diocesan Visitation Return for 1864 records that the boys stayed at school until they were eight or nine, the girls a year or two later. Almost all the children continued to attend Sunday school and there was a well attended evening school for boys held during the winter months. In 1867 there were about 40 children on the roll and the average attendance was 30-35. The children were still leaving at a very young age but continued to support the Sunday and evening schools. Parents had to pay a small fee for each child, which for many families was something they could ill afford. They would also have wanted the children to leave school as soon as possible so that they could start earning some money.

The 1870 Return shows a similar situation. Both the day and night schools were supported entirely by the rector. This suggests that they had not been founded or supported by the National Society and because there were no voluntary subscriptions the schools were not entitled to any financial assistance from the government. Regulations at that time meant that a grant could not exceed the amount of voluntary subscriptions and in the case of Stockton this was nil. The passing of The Elementary Education Act in 1870 brought the school under government control. Grants were provided for both the day and evening schools. The boys were now staying until the age of 10 and the girls aged 12 or 13. The Sunday and evening schools continued to be well supported.

By 1876 the average attendance had risen to 40. The school was now under government inspection and had been enlarged and furnished. The boys continued to leave at 10 but the girls were now staying until the age of 13 or 14. The night school continued to run, but it was no longer as successful. It received an occasional grant. Three years later the attendance at the day school was constant, but the Sunday school was poorly attended and the future of the night school was uncertain.

Unfortunately no logbooks from the Victorian period survive in the public domain but we know in general terms what school life would have entailed. By 1880 children were educated up to the age of ten, although they could stay longer. The learning age was raised to eleven in 1893, when children normally started as infants, aged four or five. School fees, one penny or twopence a week, had been removed in 1891. The school day was likely to have been from 9.00 to 12.00 noon and from 2.00pm to 4.00pm. Children either brought their lunch and ate it in the schoolroom or went home to eat. The teacher was assisted by paid monitors in their mid teens or by a pupil teacher, who was training to become a certified teacher.

Lessons were the elementary ones of reading, writing and arithmetic with scripture; some lessons in the latter subject were often taken by the vicar. The girls learned sewing and all had singing and recitation. Some geography and history would have been taught. School holidays were about a week or 10 days at Christmas and Easter, a week at Whitsun and five weeks Harvest Holiday in the summer. Full day and half day holidays were given for various reasons such as church or chapel teas or Sunday school outings, Royal and national occasions and the afternoon after the H.M.I. examinations. Unauthorised absences included seasonal work on the farm and in the garden for the older children and visits to local fairs, military events and other local happenings.

The school managers’ minute books begin in 1891 with the appointment of Miss Lucy Maidment as headmistress. She was paid a salary of £60 and was expected to play the organ in church on Sunday and to help run the Sunday school. The following year Lucy sent a letter to the school managers: ‘Revd Sir, In consideration of my very heavy Sunday duties, I must ask the managers to increase my salary to £70 per annum from this date [November 1892]. Failing this, please accept my resignation of all duties connected with Stockton….’ The managers clearly did not take kindly to this demand as Lucy’s resignation was accepted. The demands made on the headmistress continued to be an issue, as in October 1893 the managers offered the post to a Miss Osborn. The salary continued to be £60 and duties included playing the organ when required, training the choir and helping with the Sunday school. Miss Osborn lodged with Mr and Mrs Mould where she had two rooms and an evening meal cooked for her. She was also given two tons of coal. (The surviving documents do not indicate why the mistress was in lodgings and not at the school house).

The salary, Sunday duties and the lack of a school house all contributed to the headmistresses regularly moving on. Miss Osborn resigned in February 1898, Mr and Mrs Mould gave their notice in March and the post was still vacant in June. The school was in the care of the assistant mistress and two monitors. Bishop Yeatman indicated that he was prepared to consider providing a school cottage.

In August 1900 Miss Walton was appointed. She was assured that the school cottage would soon be ready. Her salary was £65 and she was given two tons of coal and 25 faggots. There was no mention of any Sunday duties. At the same time Miss Giles, the assistant mistress, was given a £5 salary increase due to the number of infants in her class reaching 39. The 1901 census is the first census to name the School House, where Miss Walton was living with her widowed mother. It was some distance from the school.

In April 1902 the school received a poor report and therefore a smaller grant. Miss Walton was asked to resign and she was replaced by Mr Cyril Davis. His request for a salary increase in October 1903 was declined and he promptly resigned. The managers wanted another master but the Local Education Authority would not support this (probably because a man was entitled to a higher salary) and advertised for another mistress. Miss Elliott was appointed with a salary of £75 which rose to £90 in 1906 when she had completed her training. Miss Elliott was the first mistress to settle at the school, staying for twelve years. At last, after six head teachers in 13 years, Stockton school was able to enjoy some stability.

Unfortunately Miss Elliott was forced to retire in 1917 due to ill health. Again, housing proved a problem with potential candidates who all said the school cottage was too small. Mrs Lucy Cox was appointed in 1917, followed by Mrs Nokes in 1923. In 1926 Miss Giles retired as infant teacher after 32 years. She was presented with a silver tea set.

The surviving school logbook starts in 1923. The school had two rooms; the school room measured 33 feet by 16 feet and the infant room 26 feet by 12 feet. There were 44 pupils on the roll in 1923.

In 1924 the school received a good report from the Inspector. The children were described as ‘orderly and attentive, painstaking and neat in their written work.’ Particular praise was given to composition, which the Inspector described as above average. Arithmetic was satisfactory and the singing was good. The children did not do as well in history and geography, the Inspector suggesting that a simpler approach to these subjects would be better, enabling the children to grasp the general principals. Unfortunately the infant class did not get a good report. The teacher was kind, but her teaching was not sufficiently stimulating and the children were not adequately prepared for the next class. (Four years later the situation was very different and the infants were given a better report than the older class).

Perhaps this group of children were not as able as their predecessors. The results of the written Religious Knowledge examination give an indication of the range of ability in the class. The children were tested on their knowledge of the old and new testaments, prayer book and catechism, and church history. Twelve year old Mary Gilbert was the brightest pupil scoring 45 marks more than the second placed pupil. In 1930 Mary passed her school exam and was awarded a free place at the Warminster Secondary School. Religious Instruction was an important part of the school syllabus and most schools were visited by their vicar each week. In 1933 the Diocesan Inspector noted that the school had a well maintained tradition of good religious education.

In 1934 Stockton school experienced a major change when it became a Junior School. All pupils aged over 11 would continue their education at a school in Warminster. This reduced the number of pupils from 33 to 23 and the whole school was taught by the headmistress, which unfortunately meant that after eight years at the school Miss Taylor was made redundant. The headmistress at this time was Mrs Bosworth; she arrived in 1930 and was to stay at Stockton for 25 years. This was a remarkable achievement considering that she spent 20 of those years as the only teacher, with no other adult to engage with, exchange ideas and receive support.

The children were all taught together in the larger room, the smaller room being used for games in wet weather and handiwork. At times it must have been difficult for the teacher to plan her lessons. With such a small school, pupil numbers could change very quickly. In 1934 for example, two families left the village, taking six children with them; there were also some children away ill, leaving just eleven pupils. The Second World War increased numbers a little, as the school had four evacuees in September 1939. A further six children arrived in June 1940 with a teacher, increasing the pupil numbers to 25. The new teacher taught the infants and Standard I. She stayed until January 1942, when she was called back to London. The last evacuee to return home left in September 1945. There were now 24 children at the school.

All schools had to cope with disruption, the two most common influences being illness and the weather. The usual way of coping with illness was to close the school in order to prevent the spread of infection. In 1930 the school closed for twelve days due to an outbreak of whooping cough. The following year it closed for three weeks due to measles. The Whitsun holiday followed, meaning the school was closed for the whole of May. In January 1939 an outbreak of scarlet fever disrupted the whole term with short periods of closure and several children away.

Bad weather was a problem due to most parents not being able to afford protective clothing. If the children were caught in a rain storm on the way to school, the teacher would often send them home again as they could not wear wet clothes. If it rained at lunch time, many children would have stayed at home, resulting in far fewer children returning for afternoon lessons. Snow was another problem for those children who had a long walk, or perhaps difficult conditions under foot.

School holidays were the standard four weeks in the summer (taken to fit in with the harvest), two weeks at Christmas, one at Easter and one at Whitsun. There is no mention in the logbook of any attendance problems caused by the harvest, suggesting that the older boys all returned to school at the expected time. There were numerous occasions during the year when the children were given a whole or half day off. All Royal events were marked by a day’s holiday. Other examples were the choir outing in July and Ascension Day when a half day holiday followed a church service. Sometimes the children played truant for an exciting event such as the Salisbury Fair in October!

From 1930 onwards Stockton school enjoyed a long period of stability. Mrs. Bosworth stayed at the school for 25 years and Mrs. Pearce stayed for 15. There are entries in the logbook referring to work undertaken at the school, such as decorating, electricity and wash basins, indicating that the school had a stable future. In 1947 a second teacher was appointed due to the increase in pupil numbers. In September 1948 there were 30 children on the roll and Mrs Mines was appointed as the infant teacher; she was to stay at the school for nine years.

The situation changed in October 1968 when the managers received a letter from the Education Department notifying them of the intended closure of Stockton school and the transfer of the pupils to Codford School. Understandably the managers were not happy. Having visited Codford, they felt it was too small to accommodate another 26 pupils. If a temporary classroom was put in the playground there would be no where for the children to play. They were also concerned about overcrowded and dated cloakroom facilities. In July 1969 Mrs. Pearce retired and there were just 22 pupils at the school.

Initially the managers’ objection was successful and the school was kept open until the new school in Codford was completed. This was achieved in the summer of 1971 and Stockton school closed.