Everleigh School

In 1819 the village school was kept by a woman for 22 children, financed by subscription and by parents. There were two schools in 1833 educating around 31 boys and girls. In 1844 Francis Dugdale Astley gave a site for a school to be constructed. In 1906 it had places for 100 children, and average attendance of 44. It acquired controlled status in 1947. But in1975 there were only 18 children in the school. The school was of a single story gabled construction. A teachers house was added later in the 19th century. 

 School log books for the years 1903-1961 are held at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.

They cover information relating to individual pupils (often bad behaviour and punishments but also new registrations and leavers), attendance, weather, illness and health, holiday patterns, school inspections, staff, lesson content and the condition of school building. 

 The first log book records the size of the two classrooms at the school as 33 ¾ feet long by 21 feet wide and the second as 15 ¾ feet long and 15 ¼ foot wide.  

 Changes in staff are provided throughout. Samuel Stocks began duties as Master on April 10th 1899 with his daughter Mary, Louisa Stocks (an ex-pupil) as an assistant for the infants and for sewing. On September 23rd 1907 Carrie Ida P. Gregory took over as headmistress of Everleigh national school.

Mrs C A Gregory (her mother and certificated teacher) assisted with the infants. Following the death of Mrs Gregory in 1909 a new assistant teacher was appointed. In December of 1909 the younger Ms Gregory records a conflict between herself and Rev Astley when she asked him to provide a reference so she could apply for a position at another school. In March 1910 she left for Warminster school after which Ms Maud Brows took charge with her sister Marion with responsibility for the infants. Ethel M. Strachan took charge in July 1914. On January 15th 1915 a new cleaner was appointed by they gave in their notice the following day (the previous cleaner having resigned on Dec 15th and the school having been closed on Jan 4th due to the premises being too cold and dirty). Miss M Wykes takes over the school in September 1922 followed by Mrs JE Mawen and Mrs Sougher in 1928. Mrs CM Maybury then takes a permanent role as the new headmistress in January 1930. In November 1942 Mrs VJ Wheeler takes charge until October 1944 when A.E.A. Morton takes over with help from Mrs Bones from the village taking dinner time duty. A “V.B” becomes new headmistress in August 1945 followed by Marguerite Underwood in January 1960.

The head teacher at the time of the schools closing in July 1976 was Mr I Allsopp. 

 Individual pupils receive mentions generally concerned with bad behaviour and punishment, but also new registrations and leavers.

Transgressions included talking and noise, ‘persistent sullenness’, throwing mud about the school room, overexcitement at the passing of aeroplanes, and a student who ‘would not stop laughing this morning when the work was being explained to him’. 

 Attendance is consistently recorded and in July 1908 a copy of a letter received by Rev Astley from the General Education Committee is included which states that the ‘school obtained the highest percentage attendance of any school in the Pewsey Rural District during the year and is thereby entitled to receive a school library’. 

 Reasons for poor attendance are explored, generally poor weather or illness. The school was closed at various points for different outbreaks. It was closed for 3 weeks for mumps between May and July 1904. The school was closed for another 3 weeks on the advice of medical authority thanks to a measles outbreak.

It was closed again in 1914 due to scarlet fever and whooping cough kept attendance low during December and January 1916. A few months later the same year chicken pox again reduced attendance. It was closed for 6 weeks due to whooping cough in June-July 1934. The school was also closed for more positive occasions; although there was little reference to the end of the war there was a note on Nov 11th saying the children were given a half-holiday in the afternoon owing to armistice being declared. There was also a holiday for V.E. day on the 8th May 1945.  

 A six week harvest holiday was normal. The school was also used a centre for the community with a concert being held there at the end of 1907 where ‘the children sang several songs, gave recitations, and some physical exercises to music’. On May 24th 1909 Empire Day was celebrated; Mrs Astley gave the school a Union Jack and Rev Astley gave 2 pictures of the King and Queen. Songs were sung and the children were dismissed about 12pm.

A school garden was started in November 1933 and in January 1936 the wireless belonging to the head-teacher was made available for the children. Christmas activities in 1961 included a film show, Christmas supper and carol singing. A few months before the school closed Roald Dahl visited the school and spent just over an hour talking with the children and signed a book for each of them. 

 School inspections are recorded. The report of the Diocesan Inspector in 1905 stated that the hours of religious instruction should be longer and that the elder children might learn more suitable passages of scripture for repetition, but that otherwise religious knowledge was satisfactory.

An inspection of 1919 noted some improved some improvement since 1918 but ‘unusually limited powers of speech, and the lack of interest and intelligence shown in class lessons such as Geography… few of the boys show interest and try to answer questions, the girls make no effort and are entirely lethargic’. 

 Lessons included ‘Object Lessons’ on subjects such as the cod, rattlesnake, potato, seasons, the hen, wheat, the village shop, and postage stamps. The Great War was the subject of history study for a week during November 1928.  

 The school closed on the 23rd of July 1976 with Mr I Allsopp as headmaster.