The Building

We are very grateful to Mrs Irene Collingwood for providing most of the photographs, and for spending time talking about the old school in the 1940s and 1950s.  If you have any memories or photos of the old school, please contact us – we’d love to hear from you.

To the left of the school was a farmyard, the farm itself being situated on the corner of Main Road and Norton Hill.  The school building at that time was surrounded by iron railings, and the back playground was divided strictly into two halves, again by an iron railing.  One side was used by the boys, and the other by the girls.   At break time the children amused themselves with traditional games such as skipping and marbles as well as circle games such as “I sent a letter to my love”.

The facilities were very basic.  The toilets were in separate buildings in each half of the playground.  There was no running water or hand-wash basins, and the pan closets (buckets) had to be collected and emptied on a regular basis.  The main school building was served by a single cold water tap, located on the wall of what is now the main entrance lobby. Underneath the tap stood a white enamel bucket (to catch the drips) with two white enamel cups.  Children had to ask permission of the teacher if they wanted a drink.  As there was no kitchen, all the children also had to go home at lunch time and return for afternoon school.

In those days there was no school uniform.  There were two classes. The younger children aged 5-8 were taught by Miss Wilkins in the smaller of the two rooms.  The older children, up to age 11 initially and (later) up to age 15 were taught by Miss Tissington, the Headmistress, in the larger room.  Each group had their own entrance.  The layout of the main building was therefore similar to today (except without the kitchen area).

The larger schoolroom was wood-panelled.  There were three chalkboards, to cover the age ranges of the older children attending school.  The desks were large wooden affairs with cast iron legs, seating two children each.  Each room was heated by an open fire, fuelled with coal, which had to be lit every morning and cleaned out every evening. In the winter Mrs Tissington used to sit on the fireguard to keep warm! After Miss Tissington left and Miss Bramall took over, these fireplaces were replaced by cream-coloured coke burning stoves. The wooden cladding was also removed, and the toilet facilities improved.

The younger children had to write on slates.  However when children went up to the older class, they were permitted to use pen and ink – with the traditional dipping nib and inkwells which were cleaned out by two girls, who were inkwell monitors, at the end of each term.  

The children learnt the normal “3-r’s” of reading, writing and arithmetic as well as English comprehension and essay writing, but other skills were included.  All the children had to learn sewing and knitting – including the boys.  At the front of the school were small “allotments” where the children grew flowers, two children to each plot.  In the summer the children did art and were allowed to pick a flower from their “allotment” and draw it.  Sport was played in the field opposite (Glebe Field), although all equipment had to be carried over each time, including netball posts!  Twice a week the children also enjoyed exercising to the BBCs “Music and Movement” programme, which they listened to on a radio in the schoolroom.

Miss Tissington was a good teacher and worked very hard.  However she was also very strict, and woe betide any child who misbehaved! The boys especially got the cane for poor behaviour.  Miss Tissington was also a thrifty Headmistress.  She kept the school functioning on a very tight budget.  The books, whilst being more than adequate for the task of education, were old and tattered and much mended with tape, and cleaning equipment and materials for the school caretaker were carefully monitored and measured out.  At Christmas however Miss Tissington would buy each child a gift of a handkerchief.  The child with the most points, scored by performing well at school, was allowed the first choice of this gift!

The school had a very important role in Austrey village life, and its use was by no means restricted to education.  Various events were held there including whist drives and village dances, with music often provided by Dennis Kirtland’s 4-piece band.  Most of the couples in the village also held their wedding receptions there. When these events took place, the schoolroom had to be emptied of all equipment.  This resulted in towers of heavy desks up to three high being stacked in what is now the main lobby – certainly something that would not pass a modern H&S inspection today! Long trestle tables with benches on each side were used at these functions, and the ladies of the village helped with food and drinks service.  After an event, the floors had to be scrubbed by hand with soft soap and water to get them clean before the school-room furniture could be returned.