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The Birth Of A Country School - The Infant's School - Lakenheath, Suffolk. 

The First Five Years: 1878-1883

Introduction

It was Forster's Education Act of 1870 which led the the setting up of a 'Board School' at Lakenheath. This Act was a compromise - it did not create a new national system of education or a completely compulsory system or a free system. However it was and improvement on what went before. There were schools at Lakenheath prior to 1870 but they were schools provided for a limited number of the village children by religious denominations (Church and Chapel Schools), by endowments, (Charity Schools) or by private individuals. 

In 1744 George Goward gave 18 acres of land at Soham, part of the rent from which was to be used to pay a schoolmaster for teaching 30 poor boys of Lakenheath. By 1844 the master was Walter Death and he was receiving £40 per annum from this charity and £10 per annum for teaching an additional 7 free scholars under the terms of the John Evans & Robert Kitchener charity. These two had, in 1756, given 13 acres of land in Mildenhall Fen to provide for the education of Lakenheath children. In 1818 there was said to be one 'parochial' school, (presumably church school) with 40 pupils and one Dame School with 70 pupils. [Dame schools were usually little more than baby-minding establishments - often conducted by elderly women who were unable to earn a living by any other means. They took charge of very young children, in their own home - perhaps only a cottage - for a weekly fee. How one woman could manage 70 children is not made clear!] 

By 1833 there was said to be four 'daily schools', with a total of 117 pupils, (7 assisted places,) as well as the endowed schools and Sunday schools. By 1865 the two endowed schools, Goward's Free School and Evans and Kitcheners Free School had 30 and 11 pupils respectively, with John Edmund Fletcher master of the former, (at £40 p.a.), and John Rolph master of the latter (at £16 p.a.) There was also a school run by a Mrs.Elizabeth Capp - possibly a Dame School. John Rolph was still a master in 1873. To return to the Act of 1870. This divided the country into 'School Districts', in rural areas normally the civil parish. The Government Education Department was empowered to investigate the available school accomodation in each District. If there was a deficiency the religious denominations were given until the end of the year 1870 to fill it - if they did not a new local authority, the School Board, was to be set up - and this was obviously the situation in Lakenheath. 

The members of the Board were to be elected by the ratepayers and would have powers to establish and maintain public elementary schools with rate aid in addition to Government grant and fees paid by pupils. The Board was empowered to appoint an officer to enforce attendance of children between the ages of 5 and a minimum of 12 years. Boards only had to compel attendance if they wished - by making by-laws to this effect. [An Act of 1880 made attendance compulsory everywhere for children between the ages of 5 and 10.] The Board was to prescribe the weekly fee to be paid by a child - which was not to exceed 9d. Board Schools continued to be run by a Board until Boards were abolished by an Act of 1902. 'Voluntary Schools' continued to run alongside Board Schools. Board Schools were secular and non-denominational and parents could continue to send their child to a church or chapel school if they so wished. Exemptions could be obtained from further attendance at a Board School up to the age of 14 based on proficiency or attendance. 

Elementary education was made virtually free, (by a grant system,) but not until 1918 were fees finally abolished. The Government grant was paid largely on the basis of attendance, (hence teachers had to keep accurate registers, were keen to get good attendance - and in some cases were tempted to 'fiddle' the figures!) From 1875 children were allowed to qualify for grant on the result of an examination. (Later only a sample group of not less than one third of the school's pupils needed to be examined.) The 1870 Act had caused an influx of new pupils into schools. Many of these were utterly ignorant yet had to be coached and crammed for examination purposes instead of being dealt with according to their needs. Mechanical rote teaching was thereby encouraged. The supply of well trained teachers was well below demand. From 1882 grants were determined by a different system but it resulted in well supported and well staffed schools receiving a high grant whilst a poor school with irregular attendance and inferior teachers could only qualify for a low grant. To turn to the recruitment of teachers. 

Pupil-Teachers were children chosen at the age of around 13 from the most promising pupils of an elementary school. They were formally apprenticed to the school managers, (i.e. the Board), for a period of five years and were examinded on a graded syllabus at the end of each year. At the age of 18 the Pupil-Teacher could sit for a competitive examination. Successful candidates were awarded a Queen's Scholarship which entitled them to a three year course at a Training College. At the end of this they qualified as Certificated (Assistant) Teachers. At Lakenheath a Board was formed on 6th. December, 1875. It had five members (later 6,) with the Rev.Frederick George Scrivenor in the Chair. Edwin John Rolph was Vice-chairman, Frederick Evan Rolph Clerk to the Board and Charles Pearce was appointed Attendance Officer. The school was built in 1876 on Mill Road, (then the road to Brandon, via Wangford), opposite the old smock windmill. Although there was only one building it was run as two separate schools: the 'Infants School' under a (Head)Mistress and the 'Mixed School' (also called the 'United School' or 'Mixed Department') under a (Head)Master. 

The school was designed for 220 mixed children and 100 infants. [Since the Infant's school took boys and girls it is not clear why the other was called 'Mixed']. The Infants School taught Standards 1-4 and the Mixed School Standards 5-7. 'Retrospects for 1876' in 'The Mildenhall Almanack & Directory' of 1877 gives an account of the school building: "it was decided to build a block of school building, with residence, on a site in the Brandon Road. Competitive plans were invited by advertisement and those submitted by Mr.Henry Lovegrove were selected for execution. The accomodation is for about 300 children, arranged in two departments, a 'mixed' school for boys and girls with classroom, and an infants school with classroom. Adjoining the Boy's entrance is a Board room with lavatory attached. In the rear of the school are large playgrounds and convenient offices. One of the gables is surmounted by a fleche, containing a bell. [This has long disappeared - when I have not been able to ascertain]. 

The Master's residence adjoins the Infant's School and is conveniently arranged, containing six rooms and the usual domestic offices. The walls are of brick, faced externally with Littleport white bricks with the bands and arches of red bricks, the roof slated. The design is of a simple Gothic type. The contract was carried out by Mr.Edgar Everson, builder, of Upwell, Cambridgeshire, under the supervision of Mr.Henry Lovegrove, A.R.I.B.A., architect, 30 Budge Row, Cannon St., London". There was only one room for the four classes of the Infant's School and one for the three classes of the Mixed School. Each room had a gallery. The 'convenient offices' mentioned would have been earth closets. The school was not provided with lighting and heating was by means of a coal fire in each room. Water supply was from a well with a pump. The Board appointed Mr.Ireland as Master and Miss Margaret B.Liddle as Infant Mistress. Miss Liddle was to take up her duties after Christmas.

The account below refers only to the first five 'school years' in the life of the Infant's School - which continues today, 122 years later, in the same building - with additions.

© R.A.Silverlock. Feb. 2000.
see also School in 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, Illness, Poverty and Postscript
 

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