Chapter Five

The Infant’s Department  [1860 – 1939]

The first Infants’ Mistress was a Miss Hill. She was paid £30 per year. Unlike the Master of the Boys’ Department and the Mistress of the Girls’ Department the Mistress of the Infant’s Department was not provided with accommodation - but she did have the benefit of an assistant, Miss Heming who received £15 per year. We know very little about the Infants’ Department in the very early years, as there is no Infants’ Log Book until January 1867. It is possible that Miss Hill was not a qualified Mistress and therefore not required to complete a Log Book, as she was not eligible to attract a Government grant.

By January 1867 the Infants’ Mistress was Emma Johnston. The first recorded Inspection report by Mr. H. Sandford reads ‘The school has increased in numbers since my last visit. A trained Mistress, who evidently takes great pains, has been place in charge of it. The children appear to be carefully taught. They are hardly sufficiently under control at present. A higher fee might with advantage be charged in several cases ’. He omits to say that a higher fee may mean better-behaved children.

It was not surprising that the children were difficult to control. The number attending, all in one room, could be as high as one hundred or more. A number of these were less than 3 years old.

Emma Johnston did not teach all the children herself, all the time. She had monitors. These were girls of 13 or 14 who received some education whilst training to become assistant teachers themselves. The Inspectors criticised the School Board for employing monitors and not teachers. Violetta Perks and Eliza Evans each had charge of a class. Violetta ‘bids fair to become a good teacher’, but poor Eliza found it difficult to control her class.

The highest number recorded of children attending the school at this time was 109. They were all in one room paying 2d a week for their education. There were three classes and although comments were not supposed to be written in the Log Book the Mistress does complain she finds it a great drawback not to have a separate room for the younger children [less than 3 years of age]

The children’s attendance was affected by bad weather, epidemics and poverty. In 1867 the school had an epidemic of scarlet fever. Parents afraid of infection kept their children away and in fact several died. The school struggled into November and December but the fever raged so violently that it had to close a week early before Christmas. In January conditions were little better, children were still staying away so the Head visited the parents. She found ‘much children were withdrawn to attend the Town’s Ragged School because the parents could no longer afford to pay for them ’.

The numbers attending seem to have suffered severely during the winter. The nailers of the area went on strike and this again meant lack of money for school fees. Miss Johnston sent one boy home for his fees but he did not come back. The Curate paid one girl’s fees because her father had been ill and she had been unable to attend school.

Emma Johnston frequently comments that the parents of the children were finding it difficult to pay the fees, owing to poor trade in the district. In fact the population for the district only rose by 120 in the twenty years from 1851 to 1871.

The Rector and Mrs. Craufurd visited the Infants’ Department regularly together with the reverend and Mrs. Adley. They gave clothing to the children and every Christmas provided a treat. In the summer the children were invited to a tea party at the Rectory. Many charitable acts by the clergy, their wives and daughters are mentioned in the Log Books. In 1870 Mrs. Craufurd gave a complete suit of clothes to a boy in the school and on Christmas Eve she gave buns and oranges to all the children before they went home.

In 1869 Emma Johnston transferred to the Girls’ Department. Emma Wood replaced her.

The 1870 school accounts of the subjects taught seem to concern the teaching of the Scriptures, and lessons taken on such varied subjects as ‘the cow’, ‘the horse’, ‘the hare’. Writing and Reading were tested regularly – although the children were all less than seven years of age. Nine boys and eleven girls reached the standard required to enter the Boys’ and Girls’ Departments. As for the Monitors, two failed their examinations to become candidates for pupil teachers and were dismissed promptly from their positions.

Soon after Emma Wood became Mistress she was replaced by Ellen Davis who also left soon afterwards in 1872. The next Mistress was Jane Hall, the former pupil teacher from the Girls’ Department [she was to return to the Girls’ Department as Head Mistress in 1876]

In 1873 Jane Hall records that the income for the fees was 11s 3d for the week with 82% attendance. In July following, a Mrs. Talbot makes a great deal of fuss at being asked to pay 2d for her child. She threatens to report the Mistress to Mrs. Craufurd, however, after storming out of the school, she sent the child back with the necessary 2d.

By 1873 the Infants’ Department had grown considerably and the numbers recorded reached 147 - still crowded into one room. However, there was a new Pupil Teacher to assist in addition to the Monitors. The Mistress, Jane Hall, took her duties in training her Monitors seriously. She took their lessons from 8:30am to 9:15am in addition to the hour they had to work at midday. Occasionally she varied their training by taking them a long walk in the evening. After this training, they were required to take examinations – if they passed they were then allowed to become Pupil Teachers for about five years.

Jane Hall left the Infant’s Department in 1876 and was replaced by Eliza Evans. She appears to have been a conscientious Mistress as the Inspector’s report of 1877 confirms. ‘A very well taught and intelligent school, in which every child seems to have its share of teaching’.

As in the other Departments the design of the building caused problems. In 1879 the Inspector wrote ‘The large room appropriated to an Infant School is from its unusual height and defective acoustic properties ill-suited to its object. The first and second classes are of inconvenient proportions, and babies, i.e. infants under four years old, have to be taught along with the other infants, owing to the want of any classroom. All these circumstances hamper the work of instruction, and lead to a want of thoroughness, which gross irregularity of attendance increases. In every class there are some infants well prepared, along with many backward scholars. I feel sure that Miss Evans does her best but the circumstances are against her. She should have more experienced help in her work, and as soon as possible the youngest children should be moved to a room of their own. About forty per cent of the first class count and write very nicely: the second class is generally inferior: the third is in part unusually good. Sewing is well done. Attention needs to be paid to the Infants behaviour on leaving school for their home. I have mentioned to the Mistress the circumstances to which I now allude’. A glass screen dividing off one third of the Hall  was eventually provided in 1882 which segregated the ‘babies’ from the rest of the infants. The infants were seated in a ‘gallery’, with seating arranged in tiers. [This was removed in 1889].

In 1880 schooling was made compulsory for all children and frequent references to the Attendance Officer coming to the school can be found in the Log Books. The Head Mistress and the Attendance Officer appear to have spent a great deal of their time rounding up children to get them to school at this time.

Miss Eliza Evans married and became Mrs. Hambry, before leaving in 1881. Miss M. J. Corbett replaced her. Also in 1881 ‘The school was heated for the first time by the new heating apparatus which was a great improvement on the open fireplaces’. [The ‘new heating apparatus’ consisted of the central heating pipes that were still in use in 1977.] In spite of the ‘apparatus’ being better than coal fires, winter after winter the temperatures in the room was recorded as being only 40 or 50 degrees F. and the children were made to march round the room every half hour or so in order to keep warm.

During Miss Corbett’s time as Mistress of the Infants’ Department epidemics and poverty are frequent entries in the Log Book. During 1882 an epidemic of measles meant that many children were absent from school. The closure of the Heath Glass Works also affected the numbers attending ‘as the parents were leaving the neighbourhood seeking employment elsewhere’. Fever hit during Christmas of 1883 when ‘two second class girls died during the Christmas Vacation. Many scholars absent’. In 1884 the Attendance Officer visited the school and reported that several children were suffering from skin diseases. One entry in the Log records ‘several children were sent home for their school pence and returned without it, some of the parents having no work’. From January 18^th 1886 to February 22^nd 1886 the school was closed because of an epidemic. Not only did the epidemic affect school life, but also the parents were finding work difficult to find and so for the first time it is noted that meals were being provided – all from charitable contributions. March 16^th 1886 the Log reads ‘Mrs. King called to arrange for penny dinners which would probably be given shortly’. On March 26^th ‘Several children who had been absent since Christmas returned to school. Mrs. King brought some tickets for half-penny dinners which were given to about 70 children’. A Mrs. Evers is also mentioned as giving half-penny dinner to 75 children during April.

Before Miss Corbett leaves in 1887 there is an interesting entry in the Log for September 1886: ‘Mrs. Hill, one of the parents came into school on Thursday a few minutes before school time and took the cane from the table and beat her child for stealing from a neighbour’s garden. She was sent for and told that she must apologise for the liberty she had taken. She did so – the teachers were told to refuse admittance to parents who come before school hours.’

The School Log Books at this time refer to Queen Victoria’s visit to Birmingham when the school was given a whole day holiday on 23^rd March 1887 and to a ‘treat’ on 21^st June 1887 to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee Holiday. On November 18^th 1887 the school was dismissed at 11am for the opening of the newly built Stourbridge Town Hall.

Miss Pearman replaced Miss Corbett as the Infants’ Mistress. She held the post from 1887 to 1894. In 1894 she was transferred to the post of Head Mistress of the Girls’ Department. Following Miss Pearman, Miss E. Burford was appointed. She was to remain as the Infants’ Mistress from 1894 to 1920 and thus gave the Infants’ Department the stability at a time of rapid change which was provided in the Boy’s and Girls’ Departments by Mr. Sutton and Miss Pearman.

In 1891 Free education for all children meant that the weekly school pence was no longer required from parents. However in February 1897 there is reference to soup being distributed to 179 poor children belonging to the three School Departments, their parents being out of work owing to the severe weather. Soup again distributed three times a week until the end of March 1897.

The turn of the century saw the Relief of Mafeking when a whole day holiday was given on May 21^st 1900. A half day holiday on 1^st February 1901 ‘given in the afternoon to allow the big boys and girls doing errands today because of the Queen’s funeral on Saturday’. June 2^nd 1902 half-day holiday given because Peace is Declared in South Africa. June 24^th 1902: a holiday given for the old people’s dinner and children’s’ tea on the occasion of the King’s Coronation.

1903 [April 1^st] ‘The Old Swinford Schools passed from the care of the Managers to Worcester County Council. C. King, Esq., Correspondent read the notice to the effect before the children and the teachers.’ For the first time exercise books were ordered for the top class instead of slates.

Following the transfer to Worcester County Council the Log Books still contain references to epidemics and poverty. In 1904 [May 1^st to July 4^th] the school was closed as too many children had the measles. In 1906 [July 3^rd to July 31^st] the school was closed for whooping cough. ‘68 children only turned up on July 31^st so the school was closed until September 3^rd.’ In 1909 soup dinners were given to the poor children whose fathers were short of work ‘….they will be continued as long as funds last’.

There is no mention in the log Book of the war with Germany beginning but some effects on the school can be seen in the following extracts.

In 1916 the school hours were altered to conform to lighting restrictions. Children were sent home many times during the 1916/17 winter as the temperature in the schools was often only 40 degrees F. and it was too cold for work.  The Log Book records showed from January to April and in May, an epidemic of measles, so the school was closed until June 4^th. When the school reopened the children had to alternate their lessons so they could use the blackboards owing to the scarcity of paper.

I918, during February, the teachers were asked to help in filling in food rationing cards. During November influenza was rampant and the school closed. On November 11 news came that the Armistice was signed and the children were sent home for the day.

It is surprising that no other details of the war were logged as many of the former pupils were killed. A Roll of Honour and plaque for those who died in the 1914 –1918 World War was placed in the school. It has been re-located in the current School Hall, Field lane.

In 1920, Miss Gladys Muriel Eveson replaced the Infants’ Mistress, Miss Burfurd. She remained the Infants’ Mistress until 1939 when the amalgamation of the schools took place, and continued as Assistant Teacher under Mr. Round until her retirement in 1958 [an association with the school of 38 years - she is doubtless remembered by many people of Oldswinford today.]

The growth in housing in the neighbourhood in 1929 resulted in this entry in the Log. ‘I sent Frank Hughes and George Tyler into the Boys’ Department to help a little in accommodating the extra children constantly appearing from the Grange Estate. The number on the books is now 161 instead of the accommodation number of 140, the over-crowding being due to the admission of children from the council houses.’

January 28^th 1936 ‘The children did not assemble this morning but came as usual in the afternoon and afterwards went to church at 3:00pm for a memorial service to King George Vth’.

May 11^th 1937 ‘School closed this evening for the Coronation Holiday. The children will assemble tomorrow afternoon ‘Coronation Day’ for their party and afterwards proceed to the Mary Stevens Park for the Entertainment’.

Throughout the Log Books, mention is made of the school children being excluded

for many diseases. Diphtheria, scarlet fever, mumps, measles and whooping cough were frequent occurrences with very long absences and ring worm, scabies, impetigo, body lice, and head lice caused shorter absences. After the First World War the school children were inspected for cleanliness and a dentist examined their teeth. Mention is made of ‘delicate’ children being sent to Malvern Open Air School for varying periods and the Doctor came to inspect the general health of the children fairly regularly.

In 1939, after 79 years, the Old Swinford Infants’ Department ceased to exist. It was absorbed into the new Junior Mixed and Infants School. Miss Eveson, Infants’ Department Mistress since 1920, agreed to become an Assistant Teacher under Head Master Mr. S. W. Round [Head Master of the Boy’s Department] in the newly formed school alongside Miss Sharp [Head Mistress of the Girls’ Department]. This arrangement must have been quite unique with the new school opening with three experienced Heads on the Staff.