The
South elevation of Elm Grove School, based on an 1892 drawing by the
eminent schools architects Thomas and John Simpson.
Elm
Grove Junior Mixed Department-1906 Onwards.
The
school opened on the Monday 1st October 1906 in Wellington Street.
There were 281 children on the books They were taken from the Girls'
Department, the Boys' Department and the Infants Departments, and
44 children were admitted from other schools. The Headteacher was
Lillian Carver, and there was seating for only 128 children. By the
end of the month all the furnishings were in place and the children
were tested for the 'three RRR's'. Reading was generally good, but
writing and arithmetic percentages were rather low. A visitor found
" the school to have a bright and happy tone throughout. There
is a large difference in the forwardness of the upper and lower halves
of both standards." The work of the school carried on in an uneventful
way. The clerk of the Education Committee visited the school and said
in 1907, "This department has opened in October in premises which
are well planned, bright and convenient. It has filled rapidly. The
work done so far gives every promise of future success."
1906.
Audrey Cowel's mother sitting in room 2.
In
1908 an inspector wrote that, "This school, which has been opened
for 16 months, has filled rapidly and is in good working order. The
lowest class, consisting of children whose early education has from
one cause or another been neglected, has been patiently and effectively
taught, and the children have passed through it as rapidly as possible.
In other classes the aims of the instruction are right, the methods
are generally sound, and progress creditable, but something more might
be done in the way of training the children to speak audibly and articulately;
the map should be more in evidence in geography lessons and the stories
in history should be less disconnected. An ample supply of reading
matter should be provided, so that it should not be necessary to read
over and over again books which have served their purpose, and books
should not be retained in use when they are dirty, dilapidated and
incomplete." Children were sometimes admitted to the school prior
to and throughout the first world war, who could be as old as nine
years old and who had never had the chance to go to school before.
Before
and during the first world war there was a great deal of sickness.
There were measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever, mumps, ringworm, whooping
cough and chicken pox. Children were often said to be verminous and
sent home. Several children died. The inspector's report of 1913 remarks
that, "The girls should have manual work as well as the boys.
Nevertheless there is too much telling, too little appeal to the natural
powers of the children, and too little perception of what they can
do for themselves. This appears very clearly in the character of their
reading, recitation and story telling, and in their speech. Their
arithmetic would be satisfactory if they were disposed to guess instead
of thinking. Some of the hard work, but not all, is educationally
managed, and drawing is good. A room recognised for 60 is habitually
occupied by two classes numbering together 83 children on the roll.
The corridor is used practically all day long for classes: although
warmed by a fire, it is often cold and draughty and unprovided with
seats. This is not the purpose for which the corridor is intended
and for which it is well suited."
The
First World War 1914-1918
The
war does not seem to have impinged on the school in the same way as
the Second World war did. Student teachers seem to have been used
a great deal. There was a great deal of sickness. In 1915 twenty children
were supplied with boots from the New Year Boot Fund, a charity which
had supplied boots to needy Brighton children since the late 19th
century. 14th July 1915 was French Flag Day and a holiday was declared.
Hop picking was very important, both during and after the war. Many
children were away in September when whole families went to pick hops.
In 1915 the hours of the afternoon session were changed from 2:00-4:30pm
to 1:30-4:00pm on account of the Lighting orders (a form of daylight
saving?).
In
1916 the school worked double sessions with St. Lukes Terrace School,
which had been taken over as a military hospital. Elm Grove School
worked mornings from 8:30-12:30 for a month and then switched to afternoons
for a month. There was an absence from school by children when their
fathers came home on leave from the Front. Teachers also were away
quite frequently, either from sickness or because of news of the death
of loved ones at the Front. On 28th June 1918 the school was closed
to celebrate its 25th birthday. Towards the end of 1918 there was
an influenza epidemic and the school closed for four weeks. Several
children died. There was no mention of the armistice on 11th November
1918 but on 17th July 1919 the school was closed for a peace holiday.
1919-1939
In
1921 the Inspector visiting the school said that because of the shortened
day because of sharing premises with St. Luke's School, all pupils
had been retarded. He asked that children should be moved up a class
as soon as possible. Some needed special classes in order to catch
up on work. In general, he commented that arithmetic was weak. In
July, 1922 a small class of girls went to Queen's Park in order to
study an island. The boys went up the Race Hill for geography. In
December of 1922 there was an open day for mothers to attend and more
than 100 mothers attended.
The
Inspector's report of 1924 shows a great deal of improvement in standards.
"The term tests were thoroughly carried out and each subject
marked. The danger of assigning too much importance to the examination
results, in the case of these young children, will doubtless be overlooked,
the primary aim of these lessons being to add to the children's ideas
and interests and practise them in ready continuous speech. It should
be said that the children appear to take a genuine interest in these
lessons and to talk readily about them."
|
Edna
Morton says they wore their Sunday best for this photograph
taken in 1930, the same year that Amy Johnson visited the
school, after her record solo flight to Australia. |
In
1927 the Inspector's report was not so flattering. He blames the fall
in standards on the ill health of the Headmistress.
In
1928 the school was recognised and the Infants moved into the Wellington
Street building. The bottom two floors of the large building became
the Junior Mixed School for children aged 7-11 years with a new headmaster.
There were now nine classes with 432 children on the roll. Work seemed
to have continued smoothly during the following years. Race meetings
were very important to the life of the school. The impression is given
of thousands of people trooping up Elm Grove and the school having
to close early to get the children home before the last race.
From
the end of 1930 for fourteen months the school had to share premises
with Lewes Road Juniors whilst their school was being rebuilt. The
Inspector seemed pleased with school at the end of this period, although
he refers to shortages.
Second
World War
Before
the start of the war on 3rd September there had been gas mask drills
and discussions on evacuation plans with other head teachers in case
of war. Term did not start until 18th September 1939 but attendance
was normal and the staff complete. Finsbury Road Junior Mixed School
and Hanover Terrace Junior Mixed School shared the Elm Grove building
at the start of the war and Elm Grove were taught from 8.30am to 11.30am
only. Trenches were dug in the boys' playground and a large number
of evacuees applied for admissions but were sent on to St. Luke's
School. No out of school activities were possible because of the upheavals.
On 21st September there was respirator drill and A.R.P. wardens came
to the school to test all the childrens' gas masks. There were 324
Elm Grove children at the school and attendance was 93.2%. The new
timetable was intended to "keep junior children in touch with
the 3Rs, with a mixture of a little singing and drill and handiwork
exercises". Sessions were soon extended from 9 to 12 noon. On
5th October 1939 school closed for a week whilst teachers carried
out a survey of billet accommodation for evacuees. On the 16th October
the school started working afternoons only. When the Junior mixed
school went to the air raid shelters the senior girls were there and
there was not enough accommodation for all the school in the trenches.
Weekly services resumed at St. Wilfred's Church after half term for
the school. In spite of the difficulties, on 30th November 65 children
and three teachers went to the ice ballet at the Stadium. Gradually,
before the end of 1939, out sessions were organised away from the
school in halls such as the Bentham Road Mission Hall.
1940
1940
began with very bad weather and attendances at school were very low.
The school was closed on 25th and 26th January because the outside
lavatories were frozen. On 23rd February Finsbury Road School moved
out of the Elm Grove premises which eased accommodation problems.
On 6th March there was a better rehearsal of all air raid precautions.
Sometimes there was no hall available for the out sessions and the
children had to be sent home. The trenches remained crowded and the
small children were confused as to what to do in case of an air raid
but they were learning. On 6th May swimming instruction started as
usual. There was a snap air raid practice as children were assembling.
The Headmistress said "We learned much from the simple mistakes
of the children". On 3rd June four steel helmets were issued
to the trenches at Elm Grove ( I wonder who used them!) Filters were
fitted to the children's gas masks and children registered for possible
evacuation "to Canada and the Empire". Aluminum saucepans
were collected for war purposes. Summer holidays were from 26th July
to 12th August in 1940 and it was then that air raids began in earnest.
The staff and children pasted paper and net on many of the windows
to give fuller protection against glass splinters. At the start of
the school year there were 341 children on the roll. On the 20th September
at noon "there was a sharp succession of exploding bombs in the
neighbourhood. "Children's behaviour exemplary". On 9th
November school worked on a Saturday Morning for the first time ever.
Teachers were called up for service and replaced by supply teachers.
As a treat on the 20th December arrangements were made for 50 children
and two teachers to go to see the film Tom Sawyer.
1941
Various
schools and periods of sharing seem to have taken place but on 27th
January the school managed to work for two full mornings and afternoon
sessions and children were inoculated against diphtheria. Fire watching
began at the school in the evenings and at weekends. It seems to have
been done by teachers and some of the local people. A great deal of
difficulty was caused when the school milk was delivered in quart
bottles and had to be shared out. On 14th March School was closed
until further notice. 83 children and three teachers were evacuated
to Yorkshire because of the frequency of air raids in Brighton. However,
school re-opened on 24th March with 270 children on the roll. The
staff was: the head teacher, three permanent staff members and three
supply teachers in six classes. There was a display from the Ministry
of Information in the hall. On 7th July Miss Gill, the headmistress
of the Infants School died and the school was closed. Fire watching
still took place during the summer holidays with help local streetwatching
fire groups. Mr Councillor Ingham and two other gentlemen addressed
the school on "salvage". During the school holidays milk
for the children was still available and savings were collected. The
new school year from September to December seems to have seen some
improvements in organisation. There were now seven classes.
1942
At
the start of the year the weather was bad and "the whole of the
sanitation system and washing arrangements have broken down so the
school had to be closed". There was a drive on the collection
of salvage at the end of January. Above 9cwt of paper and cardboard
has been collected. On 24th March there were discussions about what
to do in case of invasion. During the Easter holidays the school was
used as a Government Registration Centre for mothers and children
to be evacuated if invasion threatened. A rota of teachers to carry
out this work was arranged. On 19th May, there was what was termed
"a minor blitz" and billeting was done from the school.
Before the summer break classes 1 and 2 performed a play called "In
Praise of Britain and her Empire". Although school was officially
closed, on 4th August 26 children and four teachers voluntarily attended
school. When the school reassembled for the new school year, all gas
masks were overhauled a October and orders for replacements given
to the children. On 12th October there was a bombing raid in a neighbouring
part of the town but attendance seems to have been little affected.
Before Christmas, on 17th December, a professional ventriloquist entertained
the children.
1943
The
routine of monthly gas mask inspection and air raid drill continued.
The school could be in the trenches in two minutes. On 29th March
there was a special "Wings for Victory" savings drive which
raised 49 pounds and 17 shillings and 6 pence. During the morning
there was an "enemy attack" c there was lose to the school
but no children were injured and discipline sound throughout. On 25th
May there was an air raid on Brighton during dinner and attendance
was low in the afternoon. At the end of the summer term the children
performed a play called "Wings for Victory". On 22nd October
the school windows were blasted by an air raid during the night and
the school was closed for two weeks.
1944
Life
continued at the school with the children attending various parts
of the day and the staff often absent through illness. Staff were
still involved in billeting families who were, presumably, bombed
out of their homes. School savings drives continued. On 21st September
fire watching finished at the school. It had been going on since 17th
February 1941. The amount paid out in fire watching subsistence during
that period was 1080 pounds. The school still worked either mornings
or afternoons. On 15th November normal morning and afternoon sessions
were started. There was a Punch and Judy show before Christmas.
1945
Bad
weather at the start of the year. Gas masks were still inspected.
78 children attended the Mayor's party for Service Men's children.
On 10th April the school assembled after Easter as a primary school
under the new Education Act. On 8th and 9th May, the school was closed
in celebration of Victory in Europe.
From
the 1950s on
A
typical class from 1950
One
of the key developments for the two schools occurred in 1974, when
the Infants School in Wellington Street became a First School for
children from 4+ to 8+ and a great deal of building work was done
to accommodate the extra year group. It was around this time that
the hall and some extra classrooms were built. At the same time the
Junior School became a Middle School for children of 8+ to 12+ and
facilities were introduced into the main Elm Grove building for the
teaching of science, craft and home economics.
An
example of a typical end of term report from 1952
1979
Onwards
The
school had newsletters to parents from 1979 onwards. The first dates
from 7th September. In that first newsletter mention was made of saving
ring cans and stamps. This recycling has continued ever since. The
school shop was opened with a bumper sale of Christmas goods to raise
funds for the school. Ten pence per term was also raised from each
pupil. Since then there have been many ways mentioned of raising money
for the school. There was a school fair in 1981.
1981
saw falling rolls at the school which left the school vulnerable to
closure and the Head Teacher sent notes to parents denying rumours
of this. In 1982 the campaign was effectively waged not to sell part
of the building to the Church of England for an infants and junior
school. On 24th September 1982 there was a momentous meeting with
Joan Mont, of the Education Committee, to decide on the future of
the two schools. Parents and teachers had campaigned well, because
of strong opinions it was decided that an amalgamated school should
be housed in the Middle School Building. In 1985 when the new Primary
School opened there were only 185 children on the roll, which dropped
to 175 in September 1987. After review of the school in 1987 the Primary
Adviser wrote:"Considerable progress has been made in the last
two years by welding the former schools into a cohesive whole. This
is in no small measure due to the leadership given by the Head and
the commitment of staff, both teaching and non-teaching." The
latest event in the long history of the use of the building was in
1991 when the school regained possession of the old domestic science
building. In 1992 Pepperpot playgroup opened after the building had
been completely refurbished.
When
the Kemptown Railway closed in 1971, this left the area behind the
school available, adjoining what is now William Clarke Park, named
after a much-loved Labour Councillor and former Mayor of Brighton,
and in 1983 the school was able to hold its school sports day on this
land. In 1988 the Woodland Walk project began with steps and paths
being made. Under Operation Eyesore in 1989 the open space was cleaned
up to improve the walk. The new gate was opened, and in 1990 a pond
was installed. It is certainly a great asset for what is essentially
a town centre school. Work was also started on improving the playground
in 1991 with new brick flower beds, adventure equipment and a rubber
crumb safety surface. All these events were recorded in the Evening
Argus.
In
1990 the teaching of French in the school hit the headlines when The
Independent published and article on the excellent teaching which
was picked up by Radio Sussex, BBC South Today and even the Readers
Digest. This teaching had been started in 1986.
Pond
building day, 1990
Also
in 1986 East Sussex County Council started a new experimental scheme
for the local management of schools. Under the scheme the school received,
in addition to the old capitation allowance for books and stationery,
a generous budget for gas, electricity and oil. The surplus from this
allowance could be spent on more books and equipment for the children.
In 1990, with only 185 pupils on roll, Elm Grove was the smallest
of eight Brighton primary schools chosen to pilot the national LMS
scheme in East Sussex and run its own delegated budget. This gave
the school the flexibility to manage a larger part of its funds and,
through prudent spending, to equip all its classrooms and maintain
the building and grounds to a high standard and develop the Woodland
Walk, the infant adventure playground and refurbish the old domestic
science building for use as a playgroup.
In
1983 the school held their first sports day in William Clarke Park
on the old railway line, a unique setting for such sporting events.
In
1989 the national curriculum was introduced into the school with English,
maths and science. Technology followed in 1990, history and geography
in 1991 and music, art and PE in 1992. The first testing of six seven
year olds took place in 1991 giving the class teacher an immense amount
of complicated work.
In
February 1993 the General Primary Adviser wrote, after his inspection,
"The school is continuing to develop well and the head teacher
and staff are to be congratulated on the progress made to date in
the quest for high levels of achievement across the curriculum."
On
a lighter note the school supported Red Nose Day in 1993. The School
continues to go from strength to strength.
