School Life and Administration
Age of Pupils - Although it is difficult to tell the exact ages of the pupils attending the school we can estimate that pupils entered into the Infants School at 5 years of age, moved to the Girls school at between 7 and 8 years of age, and left school between the ages of 12 and 14, pre-1918, and at 14 post-1918. When the school became a mixed Junior school in 1930 pupils attended between the ages of 5 and 11, then moved onto senior school.
Staff - Teachers were normally unmarried women. When the got married they were automatically recorded as 'supply'. However, this changed as time progressed. Staff were paid according to their station and qualifications. We know that in 1908 the headmistress earned £70 per annum, and was usually in charge of 50 children. An assistant teacher was paid £20-25 per annum and was in charge of 40 children, and pupil teachers, who regularly trained at the school, were in charge on 20 children. Curriculum - The curriculum for the Girls School was quite varied and included: household management, cookery, laundry, needlework, mental and written arithmetic, citation, reading, lessons in drill, geography, history, drawing lessons, and elementary science. Religious instruction was also a crucial part of the curriculum. Every morning began with prayers followed by half and hour of religious instruction. They were also examined on church history and catechisms. From 1910 they increasingly had outdoor trips, and from 1915 they began swimming lessons. The Infants School curriculum was far less varied, focussing on writing, reading, arithmetic, sewing, knitting, drill and religious instruction. They did however, do some singing and object and observation lessons. |
Holidays/School Closures -
It is clear from the log books that the early school was run along
family lines rather than official ones, with the clergy and their
families making regular visits to the school. Holidays were given for
unusual reasons, for example in 1898 2 days holiday was granted because
Barnum and Bailey's Show had come to the area. Until 1950 there were
holidays for every Royal occasion and visit to Bristol, the children
also received gifts on these occasions. Official holidays coincided with
religious celebrations and the School Boards Holiday, they were as
follows:
The school was also closed when the room was wanted for other purposes, such as confirmation classes, managers meetings or for polling purposes. The school was closed a lot due to poor attendance. This was a preoccupation of early headmistresses as they were paid according to attendance. When there were outbreaks of illness, or poor weather conditions, the number of children attending school fell sharply. In some instances it was better for teachers to close the school so they didn't have to record the poor numbers. However, as administration of the school changed, the headmistress had to apply to the Education Committee for permission to close the school, meaning it was closed less frequently. Bad Behaviour and Punishment - Interestingly, very little mention is made in the log books of poor behaviour or punishments. As far as we can tell from the copied school reports behaviour in the school was good, and as there is no reference to punishment, or existence of a punishment book, we can assume that punishment was left to individual teachers discretion. |
Medical Examinations - The log books detail numerous visits to the school by both a doctor and a nurse. These visits became regulated from 1919, prior to this time they had been much more sporadic. The nurse made regular visits to inspect the general cleanliness of the children, she also weighed and measured the children prior to the Doctors visit. Dental examinations and sight tests were also carried out. There were regular outbreaks of illness in the school the most common of which were chicken pox, measles, heavy colds, whooping cough and scarlet fever. Diphtheria was also a huge concern at the time, and the Doctor would make additional visits if a child was diagnosed with the disease. From 1931 annual inoculation, against diseases like diphtheria, was carried out at the school.
Overcrowding- Throughout its history, the school had great issues with overcrowding. The admittance of new pupils had repercussions throughout the school. There were constant efforts to alter the school in order to create more space; for example, in 1905 the Girls School held a Christmas concert to raise money for 3 big curtains to divide the main teaching room. A boundary was also introduced to prevent children with long distances to travel from attending the school, in an effort to reduce numbers. It appears that when the school became a mixed Junior school in the 1930's, more attention was paid to its needs, and longer term solutions were considered. The Methodist Hall was rented and used as a classroom for some time, and 2 Nissen Huts were erected on the Rectory Field for a similar purpose. However, this didn't resolve the issue, with 3 classes being taught in the Methodist Hall simultaneously. Therefore in 1953-1954 a new school was built on the present Bishop Manor Road site. When it was first opened some of the old school buildings were still used until 1962. Overcrowding remained an issue in the new school as a temporary classroom had to be built in the school playground to accommodate the needs of the school.
Overcrowding- Throughout its history, the school had great issues with overcrowding. The admittance of new pupils had repercussions throughout the school. There were constant efforts to alter the school in order to create more space; for example, in 1905 the Girls School held a Christmas concert to raise money for 3 big curtains to divide the main teaching room. A boundary was also introduced to prevent children with long distances to travel from attending the school, in an effort to reduce numbers. It appears that when the school became a mixed Junior school in the 1930's, more attention was paid to its needs, and longer term solutions were considered. The Methodist Hall was rented and used as a classroom for some time, and 2 Nissen Huts were erected on the Rectory Field for a similar purpose. However, this didn't resolve the issue, with 3 classes being taught in the Methodist Hall simultaneously. Therefore in 1953-1954 a new school was built on the present Bishop Manor Road site. When it was first opened some of the old school buildings were still used until 1962. Overcrowding remained an issue in the new school as a temporary classroom had to be built in the school playground to accommodate the needs of the school.