British School, Bromham

A nonconformist school was established in 1843, probably by the Baptists. It was well supported in 1858 when between 30 and 40 children were attending. In 1862 an Education Trust was created and it conveyed the school to the British School committed to become a non-denominational school. A new site on the Bromham to Devizes road was found and a new building, that could accommodate 76 children, was erected there. This was the gift of Elizabeth Peepell.

The school log books begin in 1878 and provide an interesting, though incomplete, picture of the school during the later Victorian period. The size of the school is given as 37 feet long by 18 feet wide by 15 feet high, to the top of the roof. For many years the certified mistress had little help in the school. A monitor was appointed in June 1878 but an H M I report in 1891 stated that the mistress had to teach 7 standards and the infants and deserved great credit for her efforts. It was not until 1892 that an assistant mistress was appointed but unfortunately this coincided with a new mistress and a period of poorer teaching ensued. This was remedied in 1896 when a new mistress was appointed and the 1897 H M I report is much better.

Back in 1878 the attendance was around 40 pupils and they were then divided into upper, 1st and 2nd standards and an Infants class. Home lessons, work to be completed in their exercise or copy books, was given and, on the whole, this was neatly done. It was found that children took time to get used to school life, particularly in their behaviour and punctuality. There seems to have been a shortage of equipment in these early years and, although geography books were obtained in September 1878, by December the children had to write on slates as the state of the pens was so bad. This situation improved in the 1880s and equipment coming to the school included; bottles of red and black ink, exercise books, mixed school arithmetic cards, set of new reading sheets, London School Series Reading Books, Hughes' Historical Readers, Royal Readers, Infant Readers, slates, pens, pen holders, pencils and copy books. By 1896 materials that the children used also included drawing books, blotting paper and sheets of foolscap paper. The Infants had received new pictures to decorate their area in 1884.

During the latter part of the 19th century attendance varied between 40 and 50 but never seems to have risen above the low 50s. The older children were often irregular attenders with many kept at home to help their parents. Infants were better at attending but bad weather would often keep them away from school. Regular absences by the older children included work at potato planting (April), helping fathers in market gardens as they couldn't afford to pay men for work that their children can do (April), pea-picking (June/early July), hay making (July), gleaning (September), and potato picking (September/October). In the 1880s and 1890s the attendance officer called to collect lists of absentees and from October 1896 he came to the school every week.

When at school the children learned a variety of subjects. The elementary subjects were the 3 'Rs' - reading, writing and arithmetic and these including spelling, dictation, copying, recitation, multiplication, long division, compound subtractions, proportion and fractions. Other subjects were scripture, geography, history and, by the 1890s, drawing and drill. The girls learned needlework although in the 1870s and 1880s it was difficult to get material for them to practise on. They normally only brought in small strips of cloth from home and so were unable to make clothes. Despite this they learned such tasks as knitting stockings and making buttonholes and were said to be interested in their work. By the mid 1890s the school was receiving supplies of material; in 1896 twelve yards of calico and ten yards of printed fabric, along with cotton, wool and sewing needles were delivered. Singing was taught, although in 1878 the mistress noted that this was difficult as the children shouted them at the top of their voices. Songs learned that year included 'the Gleaner', 'Watching and Waiting', 'Come Soft and Lonely Evening' and 'Now the Day is Over'. The children had poems to learn by heart for recitation. In 1887 these included extracts from Macauley's 'Lays of Ancient Rome' for the top standard, 'Bruce and the Spider' for Standard 3, and 'The Child's First Grief' for the Infants.

In 1889 the top standards were learning Goldsmith's 'Deserted Village' and Standard 3 learned Southey's 'The Inchcape Rock'. The school came late to object lessons - learning many facts about one particular object - but began them in 1891. In that year subjects included, a postage stamp, a railway train, day, year, roots, starch, earthenware, a thermometer, and tails and their uses.

Annual holidays were similar to those of today but shorter. There was one week for Christmas, just Good Friday and Easter Monday or occasionally one week for Easter, a week at Whitsun and four weeks Harvest Holiday in August. There were also some special half-day holidays such as for the chapel tea and the Temperance Fetes. Half holidays were also given after HMI examinations for the school treat at the Methodist chapel, on the annual meeting of the school and before an evening entertainment provided by the children. Illnesses kept children away form school, although there do not seem to have been any closures because of epidemics. Apart form the usual colds and sore throats there were outbreaks of whooping cough (January 1878), measles (April 1885), scarlet fever (September 1885) and an infectious skin disease (May 1887).

The weather was responsible for keeping children away from school on many occasions. Heavy snowfall was the main culprit; in March 1878 only 8 children were able to attend; in January 1886 only half the school was present, while in March 1896 only 12 children were able to attend on some days. In February 1888 the school was closed for 10 days because of heavy snow. Wet and stormy weather also reduced attendances and in very cold weather many of the infants were kept at home.

Much of the misbehaviour tended to be unruly behaviour, untidiness and carelessness. For the latter children were often kept in to sweep and clean the schoolroom. Pupils were often summonsed for irregular or non-attendance and in 1883 one pupil was fined 2 shillings and sixpence (12½p). Much of the trouble seems to have been caused by the older boys.

There are various points of interest in this Victorian period. In 1878 the mistress visited parents of children who were often late to encourage them to send them to school on time. In 1880 she visited parents to discuss their children's progress, a fairly unusual event at his time. In the later 1870s and early 1880s there were frequent examinations, especially in arithmetic, in order to chart the children's' progress and improvement. During this period the HMI reports on the school and children are generally good, apart form 1892-95, and discipline and good order are commended.

In 1901 the school was enlarged so that it could accommodate 115 pupils and by 1906 the average attendance was 90. In 1907 the school was transferred to Wiltshire County Council and became known as the County school. It continued as an all age elementary school until 1938 when the older pupils (11+) were transferred to secondary schools in Calne. Bromham County School then became a junior mixed and infants' school with 46 juniors and 50 infants. In the 1950s the average attendance was 82 and there were 3 teachers. The number of children in the village decreased dramatically in the late 1970s/early 1980s. There were 220 at two schools in 1978 but only just over 100 in 1984. The Council School closed at the end of the summer term 1984 and the children and two of the teachers were transferred to St. Nicholas's Church of England School for the start of the new school year in September 1984.