National School, Pewsey

The first National School in Pewsey was opened in 1824 alongside several private and dame schools that continued to exist for several decades. By 1833 there were 60 pupils in the school. In 1840 a new National School was built in River Street with the aid of a government grant of £75. The school was constructed of stone and was just the other side of a river bridge from the entrance to the rectory. By 1846 the school had two teachers and an average attendance of 108 pupils. An evening school for older children, who were working during the day, existed by 1856 with two evenings for boys and two for girls.

The school census of 1858 reported that the school had 'A good room for ample area, damp looking brick floor, and wall desks. Master and uncertified teachers. Instruction and discipline moderate, books, incomplete, attendance irregular, general results unsatisfactory'. There were 80-90 children in the mixed school, with a further 40 infants who were taught by an uncertified mistress in a rented room. In 1862-3 a new National School was built at King's Corner and opened in 1864. At this time children were said to be educated there until the age of 10. The old school at River Street was then used for the infants. The River Street school was rebuilt in 1867 and further enlarged in 1871. The King's Corner school was enlarged in 1872.

The King's Corner school in the 1880s had a schoolroom 50 feet long by 17 feet wide, 12 feet high to the top of the walls and 25 feet to the top of the open roof. There was a separate wing of 12 feet by 12 feet of the same height and a classroom 18 feet by 12 feet but only 18 feet to the top of the open roof. The management of the school was taken over by a School Board in 1888, by which time the children from the Union Workhouse, who had formerly attended the Union school, were being taught at the King's Corner school.

School logbooks exist from 1881 and show some aspects of life at the mixed school for the older children. There was a headmaster, and assistant mistress who also taught sewing and 3 pupil teachers, who were taught by the headmaster and sat examinations to become qualified teachers. In the late 1880s a paid monitor was also employed. The pupil teachers received their lessons either between 7.00 a.m. and 8.15 a.m. or between 4.45 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. In the early 1880s the H.M.I. reports on the school are not particularly good - 'regrettable slackness about the school discipline, and 15 months work with a considerable staff have not sufficed to raise the standard of attainment above the level of last year.' (1880-1). 'General condition of school progress are fairly satisfied but there are elements of weakness which can only be removed by concentration of force and of more careful application of the means employed to the average intelligence of the child. Matters began to improve gradually but considerable improvement came after a new headmaster started in June 1888, and by 1889-90 the school was receiving good reports.

For most of the 1880s the average attendance was around 150 pupils, although this might drop to about 130 at times of bad weather or seasonal occupations. By 1892 the average was down to 131. These children learned the elementary subjects of reading, writing and arithmetic with plenty of scripture and religious knowledge lessons. Scripture lessons were often taken by local vicars or curates, or by clergymen staying with the rector, the Hon. and Rev. Bouverie. Canon Bouverie took a great interest in the school, with frequent visits and lessons, while Lady Bouverie often helped with the needlework lessons. Several other ladies also helped with these lessons over the years. Other subjects studied were geography, drawing, physical drill, musical drill (from 1890) and singing, both by ear and by note. In the early 1880s there was much learning of songs and hymns. Among the songs learned in 1883 were, 'See how merrily the skaters go', 'Ye Gentlemen of England', 'Weel may the keel row', and the round, 'London's Burning'. Different standards leaned poems of different complexity and these were learned by heart for repetition. Children worked on both slates and paper and in one week in 1884 the head teacher noted that most of the work was done on paper.

Annual holidays in later Victorian times were similar to those of today. There were 2 weeks at Christmas, one week at Easter and 5 to 7 weeks Harvest holiday. This holiday in August and September was often longer than many other Wiltshire Schools, where the norm was 5 weeks. The Whitsun holiday, at the end of May, varied from 2 days to one week. There were several regular half or full day holidays including; Foresters' Fete (July), the school treat in the rector's meadow (July), the Temperance Fete (July), the Cottagers' Flower Show (August), the church Sunday School annual outing (August) and the choir festival at Marlborough. Half-holidays included Ash Wednesday, Ascension Day, after HMI morning examinations, and for confirmation services in the church.

At other times children were kept away from school to help at home or to help at the start of harvest (early August) or at the remains of the harvest (October). On one occasion, 1st November 1883, there were very few children, in the school as Mr. Strong had given them permission to clear his orchard of apples. Later that month several boys were absent while attending a local foxhunt. Bad weather also cut down numbers attending school and sometimes, as in February 1889, snow caused the school to be closed, as children could not reach it. That year there were heavy snowfalls through February and March. Epidemics sometimes caused the school to be closed. An outbreak of measles meant a 2-week closure in June 1885 while an outbreak of scarletina in the master's house brought about an extra long Christmas holiday from 14th December 1885 to 11th January 1886. There were also outbreaks of scarlet fever and whooping cough that caused low attendance for several weeks, as well as the usual colds, coughs and sore throats.

At this time parents paid for their children's schooling at the rate of one-penny (0.4p) or two pence (0.8p) a week. Very often children came to school without their money and were sent home until it could be paid. The Union Workhouse children and those from poorer homes had their fees paid.

In 1902/3 the school was taken over by Wiltshire County Council and further information about it can be found under the heading, Council Mixed and Infants' School, Pewsey.