The main building in the picture was the Wesleyan chapel or church. The part building on the left is where the school buildings began. This was a smaller kitchen area where tea was made by the older girls, for the teachers, and the school dinners were delivered for the dinner ladies to serve at lunchtime.
The head teachers classroom was nearest to the road. (Mr Proctor). He taught the ‘secondary’ aged pupils before the new secondary modern school was built. His classroom was divided from the one directly behind it, where Mrs Parkinson taught an ‘upper junior’ range, by a wood and glass screen with a door in it. . Mr Proctor played the piano for hymn practices with gusto. He would come into Mrs Parkinson’s classroom where the piano was situated and we would be joined by most of the pupils in his class.
To the left of the school building was another classroom, again by the road, where Mrs Woolley taught a ‘lower junior’ range of children. Mrs Woolley was new from Teachers Training College and very enthusiastic. She took netball and was keen that we all should be able to watch the new film of David Copperfield which was being shown on black and white television and for those who did not have a television invited them to watch it in her home.
The infants part of the school was the rear part of the main building. It was open plan in the sense that there was no divide between the ‘reception’ part and older infants. There were rows of wooden desks with attached seats which were fixed on iron frames. The reception teacher might have been called Mrs Green.
A small cloakroom was on the side of the building which opened into the infants classes and Mrs Parkinson’s classroom. There were pegs in there to hang coats on and a row of washbasins along the outer wall. (I remember great excitement when paper towels were introduced in the 50’s). We were given a talk by Mrs Parkinson on how to use them without waste.
I think it likely that this cloakroom area backed on to the front kitchen part of the building).
The toilets were across the yard and had wooden board seats. They were in a row with a fence for privacy in front of them. The boys would pretend to peep.
As well as a big playground to the left of the main building, where football could be played, there was also a large field to the rear with a football pitch, room for rounders games and a school garden for growing vegetables. (Perhaps part of the previous war time effort?)
The school and chapel were closely linked and many of us went to Sunday school and services.
A very nice husband and wife were the caretakers and lived opposite the school. The lady took Sunday school. Apologies for not remembering her name.
The main building in the picture was the Wesleyan chapel or church. The part building on the left is where the school buildings began. This was a smaller kitchen area where tea was made by the older girls, for the teachers, and the school dinners were delivered for the dinner ladies to serve at lunchtime.
The head teachers classroom was nearest to the road. (Mr Proctor). He taught the ‘secondary’ aged pupils before the new secondary modern school was built. His classroom was divided from the one directly behind it, where Mrs Parkinson taught an ‘upper junior’ range, by a wood and glass screen with a door in it. . Mr Proctor played the piano for hymn practices with gusto. He would come into Mrs Parkinson’s classroom where the piano was situated and we would be joined by most of the pupils in his class.
To the left of the school building was another classroom, again by the road, where Mrs Woolley taught a ‘lower junior’ range of children. Mrs Woolley was new from Teachers Training College and very enthusiastic. She took netball and was keen that we all should be able to watch the new film of David Copperfield which was being shown on black and white television and for those who did not have a television invited them to watch it in her home.
The infants part of the school was the rear part of the main building. It was open plan in the sense that there was no divide between the ‘reception’ part and older infants. There were rows of wooden desks with attached seats which were fixed on iron frames. The reception teacher might have been called Mrs Green.
A small cloakroom was on the side of the building which opened into the infants classes and Mrs Parkinson’s classroom. There were pegs in there to hang coats on and a row of washbasins along the outer wall. (I remember great excitement when paper towels were introduced in the 50’s). We were given a talk by Mrs Parkinson on how to use them without waste.
I think it likely that this cloakroom area backed on to the front kitchen part of the building).
The toilets were across the yard and had wooden board seats. They were in a row with a fence for privacy in front of them. The boys would pretend to peep.
As well as a big playground to the left of the main building, where football could be played, there was also a large field to the rear with a football pitch, room for rounders games and a school garden for growing vegetables. (Perhaps part of the previous war time effort?)
The school and chapel were closely linked and many of us went to Sunday school and services.
A very nice husband and wife were the caretakers and lived opposite the school. The lady took Sunday school. Apologies for not remembering her name.