The school moves to Well Lane – 1915
School reopened in January 1915 and on 12th January the Headteacher, Edwin Bond noted that the “New School buildings” had been recently completed.
There was further cause for celebration on 22nd January a report from the “Bird and Arbour Competition” that the school had been entering every year for several years had awarded the Royal Society’s Prize Medal to Percy Edwin Bond, aged 11! Now, I wonder if he had any extracurricular support there?!
On March 22nd, 1915, LEA circular 122 advised the school that, whereas the school had been founded as a “National School” overseen by a “Board”, that with the creation of LEAs it would be redesignated as “Welton C.E. school – number 244”. This name would continue until the academisation of the school.
January 1915 also includes HT reports of an influenza epidemic (Jan 26th) which adversely affected attendance.
During the spring diocesan and quarterly exams continued, as did visits by Rev J.F Sugden, who on June 10th, now also checked the “Gardening Register” as well as weekly registers of attendance. There was a growing focus on the new gardening curriculum for boys with periodic visits by the LEA Horticultural Instructor, Mr. C.F. Lawrance.
Finally, the school year ended on July 30th for the 5-week summer break, but not before the children, the HT reports, in response to Circular 471, received the directed lesson on House Flies.
Whilst recognising the risk to health of house flies, this seems an odd area to focus on in the middle of a war.
School reopened in September to further LA Circulars: 478 and 479 relating to “The Teaching and Practice of Thrift”, which noted the “shortages of certain materials (chiefly needlework requisites”) and the “difficulty of supplying schools with these goods at present”. So, whilst we see evidence of the effects of war, the HT Logbooks tell us nothing directly about the impact of war on the children or their families.
Life carried on as normal, it seems. Oct 21st, 1915, marked the school celebration of Trafalgar Day with specific lessons delivered on this while in the outside world at this time…
- The Canadians were defending Ploegsteert Woods (with heavy losses)
- Allied troops arrived off Salonika
- The Lusitania and a German Merchant ship were sunk in the Baltic by British submarines
- Austrian / German troops invaded Serbia
- British nurse, Edith Cavell was executed by the Germans after Court Marshall on 12th Oct
- The decision was made to “wind down” the now infamous Gallipoli campaign…
But Mr Bond did record the receipt of a letter from an ex Welton pupil, William Jackson, on 18th November 1915 who was now stationed in Hong Kong which, he recorded gave, “an excellent account of his journey and experiences”.
Refugees and snow – 1916
On January 29th, Mr Bond recorded: “Departure of the Belgian children after a stay of 1 year and 3 months. Although totally unacquainted with English at the commencement of that period they have gained a useful knowledge of the language, being able to speak readily and write fairly correctly. In some subjects, such as drawing and handwork, they have shown very marked progress. They have also joined in the amusements of the children after overcoming some initial shyness and their presence apart from the deplorable reason for its necessity has been a pleasing feature in the history of the village school.”
Context: During WWI there was a considerable influx of Belgian refugees following the German invasion of August 1914. A number of villages in the Daventry district, including Welton, actively hosted refuges. The influx of Belgians represented the largest refugee movement in British History, which at its peak was 250 000.
On October 23rd 1914 the Northampton Mercury reported that trains carrying nearly 1000 refugees stopped at Castle Station in Northampton where they were greeted and supported by locals.
Meanwhile life in Welton School continued, with heavy snowstorms leading to high absence on Feb 24th, March 8th, 28th and 29th. The average depth of the snow was 2ft with drifts of 5ft, and the HT reports that 3 infants who arrived in school “in a saturated condition” and “whose boots and clothing rendered it inadvisable for them to remain at school”. I’m amazed they set off in the first place!
In 1916 the school year ended on June 30th, and the new school year started on July 1st and the effects of war continue in the background when, on July 24th, written instructions from the LEA were received regarding the collection and disposal of used drawing and exercise books. Consequently, Mr Bond recorded on July 27th that the “older children [were]engaged this afternoon in the preparing and classifying of used paper as above”.
The school summer holidays ran between Friday August 4th and Monday September 11th… meanwhile the disastrous Somme offensive had begun (1st July) … but again, the school logbooks only refer to the effects of war when in response to LEA circulars and letters, such as:
- Oct 2nd: “Received consignment of school supplies delayed in consequence of war conditions”
- Oct 20th: “Received Circular 534 referring to Air Raids During School Hours”, C 530 ref. to shortages of school materials and C525 re regulations as to coal and coke supplies” – the latter inevitable as demand increases due to season change at a time when supplies were limited, but not good news for the community.
However, all was not doom and gloom – Trafalgar Day was celebrated again on Oct 20th and on November 10th the school received a “Cromwell portrait from the LEA as acknowledgement of a Trafalgar Day essay”. I do wonder who wrote it? Bond junior perhaps?
And Welton traditions did continue despite shortages, with the school closed on 27th November for the annual Welton Feast.
Note: Northamptonshire had a tradition of village and town feasts, typically held at the end of November. With records showing they ran in multiple locations from at least 1860 and, in Welton’s case, through to 1911, these annual events were a community celebration of the end of the agricultural year. They were also tied to the timing of rents becoming due and to saints’ days. They appear to have started on a Sunday and gone on until Monday – a little like some of our bank holidays today. Schools and businesses would shut, there would be food and drink, entertainment and generally a good time had by all.
Finally, on Dec 19th 1916 a War Savings Association was formed in the school, as part of a national initiative.
And so to 1917…..
The start of 1917 seems to be a re-run of 1916, with heavy snow on Feb 5th adversely affecting attendance of the younger children and another “excellent” performance in the Bird and Arbor competition, with a Certificate of Merit for the school and the Society’s Prize Medals going to Percy Bond and Violet Carter.
Indeed, Mr Bond reports that “the essay by Percy Bond was especially commended and placed amongst the ten best in the whole competition”.
April 19th – 30th saw another influenza epidemic as well as an outbreak of whooping cough on 30th April.The Medical Officer visited the school on April 30th and closed the school until May 21st 1917.
On their return (May 22nd) the lessons that week, “in accordance with suggestions from the LEA…varied so as to bring before the children the question of our National Food Supply and the importance of avoiding waste”.
Life must have been tough and for those of us who grew up with grandparents who were children during WWI, we can begin perhaps to understand why they might have got so angry at us as children declining food. My grandmother could never accept my refusal to eat tinned fruit!
The summer continued with Empire Day on 24th May, on which “lessons were given throughout the school, the Roya Proclamation was read and patriotic songs were sung with the National Anthem at assembly and dismissal.”
On June 6th Mr Bond reports receipt of
“Circular S.A.63 with reference to ‘Absence of Children under Special Permit for Agricultural or other Employment”.
Context:
With agricultural workers leaving jobs to join the war effort food production was under pressure.
Harvests still needed to be brought in and farms kept working. In many rural areas children aged between 11-14 stepped in to provide unskilled labour on farms. LEAs, agricultural unions and other organisations accused farmers of exploiting the war time emergency to use children as cheap labour.
Under local byelaws, school attendance committees could permit children over the age of 11-12 to miss school to work but only in exceptional circumstances. Board of Education statistics reveal an increasing number of children aged between 11-14 were excused school for agricultural work during WWI. Between Sept 1914 and January 1915 just over 1500 children in England and Wales were excused for this reason, however a return on the number excused for agricultural work on 31st January 1916 totalled over 8000, doubling to 15 753 on May 31st 1916. This is why monitoring became closer but it was difficult to stop as the need was great.
Accepting the war time emergency, an extra 6 weeks holiday was given to schools in rural districts so older boys might work the harvest.
Thus, on Sept 14th: “In accordance with a scheme organised by the Food Production Dept holiday was given this afternoon to enable the children to gather blackberries for the use of the Army and Navy food contractors.” This was repeated on Sept 18th, Oct 2nd and 11th. On Sept 19th Mr Bond notes that “lessons were delivered on ‘Sugar Registration Cards’ and their necessity to the older children at the request of the LEA”.
On December 12th, 1917, the head teacher, Mr Bond, made the following, fascinating entry:
“An interesting presentation has been made to the school in the form of a bell which was found in Combles by the father of one of the school children when the town was captured from the Germans in the Somme campaign last year.”
He does not tell us who the soldier was, not the circumstances of its discovery or donation.
We can tell from the picture above that the battle must have been intense. The school believes that the soldier found the bell amidst the ruins of the church and brought it home to fix it up.
This was done and the bell engraved … and this amazing donation is still held by the school to this day!
The bell is inscribed “Combles 1917 – Presented to Welton School”.
It seems astonishing that no other information was given at the time.
However, we have subsequently discovered, from his granddaughter, that the bell was brought back from Flanders by Jim Fleming. Jim was father to the artist Eric Fleming, who was the pupil in school at that time.
Born in Ireland, Mr Fleming had joined the Irish Guards in 1907 with duty at the Royal residences. He served with them for 13 years. His discovery of the handbell was reported in the Rugby Advertiser on March 24th, 1961, which states that the bell was found in the ruins of a school.
This was later presented to Welton School, inscribed as above. Mr Fleming went on to become a handyman at the Grand Union Canal Company.
The article was published to celebrate the Golden Wedding anniversary of Mr and Mrs Fleming, who at this time lived in Newnham. Edith, his wife, was formerly Edith Webb of Welton.
Context: The Capture of Combles – September 25th–26th 1916
Combles lies 30 miles NE of Amiens, 8 miles S of Baupaume and 10 miles E of Albert on the D20 Rancourt to Guillemont road. The capture took place during the Battle of the Somme’s “Battle of Morval”, involving the 5th and 56th London Divisions of the British 4th Army and a combined French force. Troops entered the village on September 26th but only after a major artillery barrage of 3 000 shells forced the Germans to withdraw. The soldiers from the London Rifle Brigade and the Queen Victoria Rifles were supposed to have been supported by tanks, which had just been introduced – however they were notoriously unreliable, as was the case in this attack: 2 of the tanks remained at the assembly point in Leuze Wood, whilst of the 3 allocated to the 56th Division which followed up the advance, 2 got bogged down.
Combles was a major German supply hub and shelter point as well as being a crucial salient into the Allied Line, which is why it was so heavily defended, such a priority for the Allies and brutally fought over. The village was later lost to the Germans on March 24th, 1918, before being definitively retaken in August 1918. The picture above illustrates the heavy damage to the village.
Losses: 5th Division: 1 749 casualties; 56th Division: 5 538; supporting NZ forces: 7 000 and German losses: 135 000.
Currently 535 British War Dead lie in Combles Community Cemetery.
1918 and the vital collection of conkers
On January 18th the head teacher’s log book reports that, as a result of heavy snow, only 19 children – including 2 infants – attended school: “as it was not considered advisable to retain those, they were sent home and registers not marked.” Two things are striking here: the difference in weather patterns over the last 100 years and the fact that in severe weather it is deemed acceptable to just send children out again into the weather to make their way home alone!
References to the ongoing war remain few and far between, however on March 21st Mr Bond records that the school “dispatched 3 ½ cwt of horse chestnuts collected by the children in accordance with a request from the Ministry of Munitions”.
Why? Because the Ministry of Munitions collected horse chestnuts to produce acetone via the bacterial fermentation process: this was a critical solvent needed to manufacture cordite – a propellant for bullets and shells.
When German U boats disrupted maize imports, conkers provided a crucial locally sourced alternative for the starch needed as part of the manufacturing process.
Across the country school children and boy scouts were instructed to collect, bag and send tons of conkers to factories.
Additionally, this process helped conserve critical grain supplies for food. The campaign was, for many, a ‘secret” and children were only told that it was “urgent and invaluable war work” rather than specifically for the manufacture of weapons.
On June 10th the HT logbook records that the head teacher was absent as he was “called up for a Medical Examination at Northampton under the Army Services Act.” Fortunately for the children of Welton it seems that he was not called up for active service and school life continued as “normal”.
The new school year started on July 1st with 3 teachers (Bond, Hirons and Clarke), however on July 17th Miss Clarke was absent “on account of an inspection of the Daventry VAD hospital”.
A VAD / Auxiliary Red Cross Hospital was operating in Daventry between July 1915 through to 1918, providing 30 convalescent beds for wounded soldiers.
After the summer holidays, the school reopened on September 9th and on Sept 12th the HT logbook records once again that ‘in accordance with the scheme organised by the Food Production Department holiday was given this afternoon to enable the children to gather blackberries for the use of the Army and Navy Food Contractors”. This activity was repeated on Sept 17th, 20th, 24th and 26th as well as Oct 1st, 3rd, 8th, 15th. Also, on Oct 21st the school afternoon started and finished an hour earlier to save fuel and lighting.
A Tragic Note (School Log Book):
On 21st November the school reopened, having been closed since Sept 30th, due to an outbreak of influenza on the order of the Ministry of Health. The HT records that “many of the children have been ill and with deep regret the death has to be recorded of Miss Ada M Hirons who for 8 years had been a member of the school staff”. Mrs Annie Bond, wife of Edwin, then became a temporary supply teacher.
1919 – and bizarrely no mention of the armistice!
What is most striking is that the HT logbook makes no reference at all to the armistice at all, except that on 31st January 1919 the head teacher notes that the children were dismissed from school at “3.10pm on order to …see the captured German guns on view in Daventry at 4pm.”
Despite all the hardships and inevitable loss of the previous 4 years, the school was still inspected by HMI on May 15th and the resultant report of 25th July rather unkindly noted the following: “As the work of the first 9 months, July – March, (inclusive of this current year) had been hindered by epidemics and by various wartime activities, this further disturbance of the work [the delay in appointing a new teacher following the death of Miss Hirons] has assisted in bringing it below its usual standard.”
The early forerunner of that caring, sensitive organisation we now call Ofsted seems manifest all these years ago!
Inspection aside however, the children still experienced Empire Day lessons (May 23rd), and an afternoon School Treat at Welton Place (15th July) as well as the long-standing Bird and Arbor essay competition!
On May 31st the school “…received Circular 632 notifying the desire of His Majesty the King ‘that in commemoration of Peace, an extension of the Summer Holidays may be granted in all schools by the Education Authorities”.
So, in 1919, the Welton School Summer Holiday ran from August 1st – September 15th.
In the new academic year, on Dec 15th we learn from Mr Bond’s logbook that this year the school continued to have its essays judged “excellent” and for the 2nd year in a row the school was awarded 3rd prize, but in addition “the Society’s Medal for meritorious individual essays was gained by May West and Mildred Carter. A special book prize was also won by May West.” May later went on to become Sunday School teacher in Welton and in later life she became a Sister May West – a nun – and lived in Plympton.
And so into the roaring twenties
February 11th: Sanitary Inspector for Daventry Rural District Council visited the school to make inquiries as to the water supply and drainage
March 15th: heavy snowfall affected absence especially of infants – when was the last time we saw snow in mid March?
March 26th: Major J.P. Clarke, formerly of Welton Place, visited the school. So the Clarkes have moved out by this period.
During this year HMI inspection – again; Bird and Arbor – again; an outbreak of measles – again; although the visiting Medical Officer of Health judged that the school should stay open unless attendance further declined. It didn’t, though remained low at about 60% through September.
On September 5th 1921 Circular 748 was received notifying “the adoption of a uniform school year for all public Elementary Schools, such Education Year to begin with the first school meeting following the summer holidays.” The September school year start finally brings Welton School in line with schools today – 100 years on!
September 14th: Circular 691 re school libraries and C692 re Raising Age limit for Compulsory Education: under which education was to start on 31st December, March or August following the 5th birthday and this 1921 Education Act consolidated the raising of the school leaving age to 14. Prior to 1918 some children left school aged 12-13, boys to help on farm or to work and girls to assist in the home.
The 1918 Education Act had begun this process of raising the leaving age to 14 and made provision for a system of part time “continuation day classes for those at work aged 14-18. It also abolished all fees in state elementary (primary) schools.
October 26th: saw the first visit as part of a new “School Nursing Scheme” of the District Nurse!
1921: As the 1920s continued there remained a very careful focus on attendance, with regular reporting of cases of poor attendance, usually 5 – 6 per month, as well as annual HMI visits, diocesan inspection and reports as well as regular visits by the School Nurse.
The continued cultivation of the school garden remained a priority and on May 12th, 1921 ‘specimens of the school gardening class notebooks were sent to the Royal Horticultural Society’s show at Chelsea”. Welton School was evidently doing well!
The new academic year began on July 1st, 1921, with the following staffing structure:
- Class 1 – standard IV – VI: Edwin Bond: Peterborough College 1897
- Class 2 – standard I – III: Mary Robinson: Preliminary Certificate 1919
- Class 3 – Infants: Daisy E Derby – Supplementary Teacher.
On return after the Summer Holidays, on Sept 5th, Circular 748 notified of “the adoption of a uniform school year for all Public Elementary Schools, such Education Year to begin with the first school meeting following the Summer Holidays”. And so, we see the start of the September – July school year – in 1921!
Scholarship Award (School Log Book):
“On September 23rd, as a result of the County Scholarship Examination held in March last [academic] year [1921] a Free Place at Daventry Grammar School has been awarded to Arthur Jones”. Good news day!
October 3rd saw the introduction of the National School Dentistry Scheme (Form M.I.D. 3) and the day after the afternoon holiday for the Statute Fair in Daventry which was held o 19th October, the school received its annual HMI inspection by Mr F Northrop – this time written in red ink!
Still in October – on the 31st – we see the introduction of the National Savings Association in schools, with Mr Bond absent from school between 10am and midday to attend a meeting regarding this in Daventry.
It is clear that, post war, there was a flurry of activities designed to improve the health, education and welfare of the nation… although the first 2 visits by the School Dentist had to be postponed – no reason given!
1922 – more snow and poor attendance
The year began with the usual entries regarding snowstorms and attendance, staff absence and the regular visits by Rev Sugden (register checks) as well as the School Nurse.
The Bird and Arbor medal winners were Winnie Elliot and Hilda Holland, Empire Day lessons were taught and the Annual May Feast held on 12th May. On February 28th following Circular 774, “a whole day…granted…[for] the wedding day of HRH Princess Mary” was held and the school closed.
Mrs Robinson (standard 2 teacher) was away from work from Nov 1921 until May 1st, 1922, which must have caused pressure in school. This must have been a hard time for Mr Bond, as his log book also records that on April 12th the school was “unavoidably closed for a day owing to the head teacher being granted leave of absence in order to attend funeral of father”.
June 30th saw the annual diocesan inspection, July 7th a “visit from the School Nurse in connection with the County Inspection Scheme” and on July 14th Mr C F Lawrance FRHS visited to inspect the school garden.
After the summer holidays there was a huge change for the school when on Sept 29th Mr Bond records that: Miss Derby [Infants Teacher] ceased duty in accordance with a decision of the LEA that the services of a supplementary teacher should be dispensed with and the school organised upon a ‘2 group basis’”.
Thus, on Oct 2nd the school was rearranged into senior and junior sections only.
Oct 11th records receipt of “Circular 806 together with a special edition of a Japanese newspaper printed in commemoration of the recent visit of HRH the Prince of Wales [the future Edward VIII] to Japan”.
Finally, the year drew to a close with: Nov 15th: school closure for use as polling station in parliamentary elections, Nov 26th: Annual Village Feast and Dec 22nd: resignation of Mrs Robinson due to ill health.
A trying year by all accounts.
1923 and a new name for the essay competition
Feb 12th: The now re-named “Bird and Tree” essay competition: “this school was judged ‘excellent’ and a Certificate of Merit awarded. The Society’s Medal for meritorious individual essays was given to Hilda Holland and Frank Emery.”
Note: This is Frank Emery junior who still lives in the village as of 2026!
The competing group of pupils were, in addition to the above: Winnie Elliott, Phyliss Webb, Phyllis Smith, Arthur Smith, Arthur Carter, Robert Bradshaw and John Hartwell.
Other events that spring included one child being excluded on Feb 28th – no reason given, 6 reported cases of poor attendance to the SAO (School Attendance Officer) and on April 12th a “demonstration lesson” delivered by visiting Inspector of Physical Exercises, Mr W Abbott.
April 26th saw another school holiday closure “in accordance with the desire of His Majesty the King ‘that a whole holiday be granted in all schools… on the wedding of HRH the Duke of York”. [the future George VI].
Fascinatingly, on May 29th “The Royal Messages to School Children were read and lessons upon ‘Our Empire’ were given”. The Royal Couple had recorded on March 28th a gramophone record designed to be played to school children across the Empire to encourage children to understand the “unity” of the family of the Empire, the personal responsibility of every child to “play their part” and moral guidance for them to develop the knowledge, bravery, honourable conduct and to put others before themselves. The image below is of the record.
Queen Mary also spoke of her wishes for the children. A recording of the content can be heard using the link here. This is the only surviving voice recording of Queen Mary.
Following the Summer Holidays, the School Dentist, M H Walmsley LDS visited the school on Oct 20th and on Nov 2nd an Ordnance Survey official called at the school to verify alterations in the map of the parish of Welton since the last survey.
There is work to be done here to investigate these changes!
1924 – difficult times for the school and Mr Bond
This was the start of a difficult time for Welton School. As the photograph shows below, Mr Bond’s regular entries in the logbook were always beautifully written in a careful hand and meticulous detail.
However, at the start of January 1924 it is very evident that something is wrong. The detailed regular entries are gone. There are only 4 entries for the month of January: 7th, 11th, 14th and 21st, each of a line or two only.
The handwriting is thicker, less carefully formed and the final entry from Mr Bond on January 21st reads:
Very poor attendance, many children ill.
Presentation of Bird and Tree prize medals by Headteacher.
Illness of Head Teacher. School closed.
And that was it. No explanation. After leading the school with evident pride, care and attention to detail for 20 years, Mr Bond suddenly and inexplicably stopped.
On January 23rd the HT logbook continues in a very different hand:
“School reopened; Miss C H Adams as a supply teacher. V poor attendance. Many children ill. L.J.B. Sheffield in charge. 52 pupils on roll”. From this point on the HT records are less frequent, less carefully written.
On Feb 2nd, Henry J Wright, headteacher of Great Weldon School took over, followed on Feb 18th by M.T. Wright, with other supply heads covering days or weeks at a time. During this time attendance continued to fall, with an average of 47.6% on Feb 20th.
On March 21st, Phyllis and Roy Smith were excluded for mumps and the Medical Dept of Health advised, followed by Alma Gregory, John and Bernard Moss on March 31st as well as Phyllis and Freda Starmer on April 4th. An epidemic of mumps was clearly sweeping across Welton.
Attendance rose slowly to 74.4% on April 11th, though snowstorms that day which “prevented children living across the field from attending”. The visit by the School Nurse on April 15th resulted in Arthur Miller being excluded “owing to a verminous condition”.
A Mrs Wilson and Mrs Nicholls – parents – were sent “white cards” – the school nurses used white cards to track children’s health, suggesting that there were concerns about the health of these children.
On May 16th the SAO visited and weighed the children to be medically examined.
When the Medical Inspection date came around on July 4th 21 children were listed for inspection of whom 3 were absent.
These problems possibly reflect the plight of many people living in Welton at that time. A 1914 land assessment report records significant numbers of cottages on all roads in Welton in a poor state, numbers are described as “uninhabitable” or fit only for demolition.
Many small cottages occupied closes and had shared outdoor toilets (called closets).
Given the privations of war, the post WWI epidemic of Spanish flu and subsequent epidemics such as the Whooping Cough above, life must have been very hard for many Welton families.
In 1925, whooping cough (pertussis) was a major, cyclical public health issue across England, including in Northamptonshire, in the era before vaccines became available in the 1940s and 1950s.
The mid-1920s saw significant numbers of reported cases, with approximately 152,003 cases reported in England and Wales in 1925.
And what of Mr Bond?
A newspaper report of December 20th, 1940, records the funeral of Mr Edwin Bond in his birthplace, Tiddington in Warwickshire, 1.5 miles NE of Stratford on Avon.
As the cutting below reveals he left his post in Welton after a nervous breakdown, leading to his retirement.
His son Percy, of Bird and Arbor success, was at his funeral with his wife, possibly Claire. We don’t know what triggered his collapse specifically though we can speculate.
He had been head teacher at Welton School since May 15th 1905. He had started as a pupil teacher at the Tiddington and Alveston National School, qualified at St Peter’s College in Peterborough in 1897. After his retirement he retired to his birthplace until he died. His wife, Annie, predeceased him on 15th February 1935.
Oddly the 1925 HMI report on Welton School refers to the “failing health of the late headmaster” and does not mention the fact that he is still alive, suggesting a real stigma regarding mental health issues in the 1920s.
In January 1925 Norah F Burrows took up the post of headteacher at Welton School and would continue her leadership into the 1960s, with current villagers having been taught by her. Her first comment on Jan 8th reads:
“There appears to be no complete scheme of work in the school for the school year ending 1925. Consequently, one is now in course of preparation by the present head teacher. Number on roll: 43”.
And at the end of the academic year HMI report concluded: “the school has suffered much during the last 2 years owing to the failing health of the late headmaster and to the interruptions in staffing which followed his departure from this school in January of last year.
Class II which consists of Infants and standards I and II is in a very backward state… class I (consisting of standards III to VI) is far below the normal in attainment. Seven of the scholars in that class are in their last year of school and some of them find difficulty in reading passages containing such words as ‘necessity’ ‘precaution’ and ’violence’… The admission register is in a very neglected state”.
As is often the case in education there is a sense of implied criticism of all previous heads with the new head teacher the one celebrated as putting things right.
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