A History Of Pembridge C of E School, 1866-1966

Two Schools

The school building was funded by endowments left by William Carpenter in 1650, and Henry Bengough in 1818, and by the National Society. It opened on 29th January 1866.
There were two separate schools, one for 53 girls in the west rooms, and 50 boys in the east rooms. Each school had its own headteacher who each had a schoolhouse. The schools merged in 1878.

Church and School

To this day the school has close links with the church, the Rector visits the school regularly and leads an assembly once a week. The school follows a Christian ethos.
Children were expected to attend church on Sundays, with special school services held on important days, such as Ash Wednesday and Ascension Day.
The rector, his wife, and the curates played an important role in school life, Christmas treats were dispensed at the rectory.
From 1908 to 1926, and from 1955 to 1966, pupils sat a Bible and Prayer Book exam. Successful entrants went to Hereford Cathedral School.

School Fees

At first, education wasn’t  free, and pupils had to pay school fees. Children of better off families paid 6d (2.5p) per week.
Labourers’ children paid 2d (1p) for the first and second child, and 1d for the third. Any further children went free. A labourer’s wages at this time were around 12s a week (60p).
Some children’s fees were paid by the rector, his wife, or the curates and the fees of pauper children were paid by the Kington Poor Law.
Teachers had difficulty collecting the fees and often children were sent home “to collect your pence.”

Payment by Results

Some grants were available from the Government for teachers’ salaries and materials. To get these the school was inspected annually, and pupils were tested in the three Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic). Payment was only forthcoming if the pupils passed the tests.
SATs exams and Ofsted Inspections of today may seem daunting, but at least the funding of the school doesn’t depend upon their results.
Once schooling became free in 1891, the annual examinations ceased, but those aged 12, had to sit a Labour examination to prove their proficiency prior to leaving.

Pupil Teachers

The staff in each school consisted of the headteacher plus monitors. These were older pupils who were proficient at reading, writing and arithmetic. They stayed on at school and were tutored by the head teacher each morning between 7am and 9am.
They served a five-year apprenticeship and were examined by the Diocesan Inspector each year. The last pupil teacher left Pembridge school  in 1932.

Broadening the Curriculum

The core subjects of reading, writing and arithmetic formed the basis of the school curriculum. Singing and religious education were also included and led by the Rector and curates.
By 1888 Geography was added to the curriculum. This was perhaps inspired by improvements in travel. The railway at Pembridge had opened 30 years earlier. It meant that villagers could now travel  beyond the parish and neighbouring villages for work.
Most pupils needed practical skills to earn a living, girls were taught needlework and boys drawing. The rector’s wife and the gentry often visited the school bringing material and wool for the girls to learn mending and knitting.
In 1914 the girls were offered cooking and laundry skills training in the Village Hall. In 1927 the boys were given instruction in woodworking.  During the Second World War gardening became an important subject.
By 1966 the subjects taught included, Music, Physical Education, Art, History and Science.

Absence

Education wasn’t compulsory until 1876, and then only to age 10. Absence was common. In a farming district, children often provided essential labour on the farm, especially at busy times such as haymaking, harvest, lambing, and cider making.
Families also depended on the wages of their children to make ends meet. A boy could earn 3s (15p) per week for doing jobs such as stone picking, crow scaring, apple picking, and hay making. Girls were expected to help around the house and assist mothers, who might take washing or mending in, to earn extra pennies.
Girls gathered acorns, used to make flour, they were paid 1s6d (7.5p) per bushel. In Spring they would pick bunches of primroses and violets, sold to a dealer for 2d (1p) per dozen.
In 1892, despite education being free, pupil attendance was poor. The headmaster recorded that he rode up Bearwood Lane, on his Penny Farthing bicycle, in search of missing pupils.
Sometimes children couldn’t attend school due to lack of shoes or clothes, perhaps shared with a sibling, each taking turns to attend. For many 19th century pupils their education was interrupted and short lived.

Ill health and School Closures

In the 19th century child mortality remained high and many children often missed school due to ill health. Once education became compulsory, some children held medical certificates, stating them to be “delicate and not to be forced at their lessons.”
Infectious diseases such as chicken pox, measles, scarlet fever, mumps, influenza, and scabies were rife. There were no vaccination programmes and no free medical care. Contracting one of these illnesses was much more serious then than today.
Pupils of the 19th century and early twentieth century would have been familiar with school closures, due to infectious diseases, which we experienced during the Covid lockdown. The school was closed many times before 1939, due to an outbreak. Vaccination programmes in school didn’t start until 1942.
In the early twentieth century, school medical officers were appointed and the first examinations  at Pembridge took place in 1911, followed by school dental inspections in 1921.
Health and welfare became increasingly important aspects of school life. School milk was introduced in the 1930s and school dinners followed a decade later, initially served in the village hall, before the school kitchen opened in 1955.

High Days and Holidays

School holidays, as now, revolved around the Christian calendar. The long holidays in July and August coincided with the busiest times on the farm when children were needed to help with harvest.
Up to 1882 a day’s holiday was granted for the Pembridge Races, held in June. The Foresters’ Fete was also a great day for the children, it was held annually until 1912.
In 1895 the headmaster discovered that of the 80 plus pupils, only 3 had ever seen the sea. He decided to raise funds for a trip. Four years later the  older pupils were taken to New Brighton for the day. A trip to the seaside then became an annual event.
The Cowslip Fayre, held on 13th May, was a hiring fair until 1914. Here the older pupils would seek work. They lined up near the Market Hall for prospective employers to inspect them. If hired, they would be paid 1s (5p) to bind them to their employer.
Until 1920 a whole week’s holiday was granted for the Cowslip Fayre, then reduced to a day until 1938, and half a day until 1947.

Weathering Storms

The exterior of the  older part of the school remains largely unaltered and has withstood some challenging conditions in its 157 years. The bell tower was twice struck by lightning and both times tiles were ripped from the roof. During the great storm of 16th March 1947, a chimney collapsed, and the large room was unusable for several weeks.
Heavy rain was also a problem. In 1932 the school was flooded five times. The floorboards rotted and had to be replaced. Teachers and pupils were kept busy sweeping out the dirty water.
It was only in 1939 that part of the playground was tarmacked and the rest completed in 1954. Before then playtime on wet days was very muddy. Keeping clean at school wasn’t easy.

Keeping Clean, Dry and Warm

Up to 1892, when the school appointed a cleaner, the children had to clean the school room at the end of the day. If not done to a satisfactory standard, a fine of 6d (2.5p) was imposed.
Modern washing facilities weren’t installed until 1952, and mains water was only connected in 1960.
In the early years water for washing and drinking was obtained from a well and hand pump in the playground. Pupils were punished for getting themselves wet under the pump. Punishments included chores such as chopping wood for the fire.
There was no central heating in the school, open fires provided heat and were replaced by stoves in 1935. The following year saw electricity installed, until then only oil lamps provided light, which must have been difficult on dark days in winter.

Classroom Equipment

In the beginning the floors of  the classrooms were tiered and the pupils sat on long backless benches with desks in front of them. These galleries were removed in 1909.
Pupils wrote on slates. They either brought their own or paid 2d (1p) for one at school. Paper was only allowed once the pupil’s handwriting was considered neat enough.
In 1935, funds raised locally, purchased a wireless set for the school and pupils were able to listen to the first Broadcasts for Schools.
By the 1960s pupils wrote in exercise books, teachers used blackboards and chalk. Lessons were supplemented by day trips and schools’ programmes on TV, but there were no computers, nor the internet.

The 1930s

This was an important decade for the school, with many improvements to its facilities, lighting and heating were improved by the installation of electricity. Schools Broadcasts from the BBC could now be accessed, and the playground was improved. A new well and toilets were built.
Along with the rest of the country, Pembridge school celebrated the Silver Jubilee of George V and Queen Mary and commemorated it with a beech tree planted in the playground.
From 1933 -39 the school supported Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. Boxes of violets, primroses and cowslips were sent to the hospital in the Spring and holly and mistletoe at Christmas. Funds were also raised for Kington Hospital.
Unfortunately, this decade of progress and optimism was halted by the advent of the Second World War.

Pembridge School During World War II

1939 saw the arrival of 58 evacuees from Tiber Street Liverpool, and 24 from West Ham in London’s Docklands. This caused a good deal of disruption to the school timetable, to accommodate the new arrivals. The Village Hall became a school for the children from Liverpool, while the Londoners were fitted in at the school.
Many of the evacuees came to Pembridge by train and lived with local families. Some took to country life and enjoyed the experience ; others missed their families and familiar streets. Did your family house evacuees? Did they stay in touch with you? Was your family evacuated from the cities?
Even though the countryside offered relative safety, the children were issued with gas masks and took part in regular drills.

Digging For Victory

The pupils were encouraged to “Dig for Victory,” to provide home grown food for the nation, as the Nazis tried to starve Britain out of the war by attacking merchant ships. In 1942 the school rented the New Inn Garden and took over the Almshouses’  gardens. Gardening became an important subject. Pupils collected horse chestnuts (conkers) which were sent to Brentford for use in medicines and cosmetics as part of the war effort.

Leaving Pembridge School

In 1866, children left school at  age 10, or before. Many worked on a family farm, or in a family business. Some were hired at the Cowslip Fayre, held each May in the Market Hall. Boys became labourers, farmworkers, or apprentices. Girls often went into domestic service.
From 1880 the school leaving age was set at age 10, and increased to age 11 in 1893, and 12 in 1899. After the First World War it was raised to 14 and in 1947 to 15.
Children who didn’t pass the Bible and Prayer Book examination, which gave entry to Hereford Cathedral School, stayed at Pembridge School to complete their education.
From 1947 the 11 plus was introduced, and pupils went to a grammar school, technical school, or secondary modern school, depending on their results. This saw pupils transfer to Kington at age 13.
In 1962 Lady Hawkins School opened in Kington, followed by Weobly School in 1963 and from then on pupils transferred there at age 11. 1962 also saw the closure of Broxwood Primary School and children from Weston, Marston and Broxwood joined Pembridge School.

Kay Ingram

Co- Ordinator

Portrait of Pembridge Steering Group.

April 2023