August 2020

10 Buckden Roundabout August 2020 Buckden school history 150 years of school—or is it? Buckden School in the twentieth century 2020 marks 150 years of school as the Elementary Education Act was passed in 1870. However, Buckden has had an active school since before this Act was passed. In the fourth of a series of articles, we look at Buckden School following the Elementary Education Act in the first half of the twentieth century. You can access previous editions of Roundabout via www.buckdenroundabout.info t o find out more about the Ele- mentary Education Act and Buckden School. Do you have any photos of yourself or your family wearing school uniform? Please email them to us! School in the early twentieth century In common with our current COVID - 19 pandemic closing schools, epidemics of whooping cough, measles, diphtheria, mumps, influenza and jaundice caused lengthy school closures in the early twentieth century. It was also much more common for children to be excluded because of scabies or ‘ verminous heads ’, though higher stand- ards of hygiene could explain this. There were inspections reg- ularly from the School Medical Officer, the School Nurse and later (1931) the School Dentist. Similarly to the late nineteenth century, falling rolls continued to be a cause for concern. The downward trend of the 1890s continued and by 1907 the Boys ’ headmaster was worried enough to observe: ‘ The number of boys gets less and less. An- other family left the village for London. ’ There were only 40 on the books. In 1911 he reiterated: ‘ Number of children on books decreasing. Two families emigrated to America. ’ A recovery in 1933 ( ‘70 on register—highest in 20 years ’ ) did not continue, and by 1943 there were only 31 boys, aged 7 to 14, being taught as one class. In 1944, the boys ’, girls ’ and in- fants ’ classes were amalgamated in anticipation of a new Edu- cation Act, which would mean senior boys (11+) would go to Brampton and Offord schools. Wartime Two world wars were bound to affect the running of the school. The first passed without comment in the Log Books until 1916 when the uncertificated teacher was called up. After the war the managers refused to reinstate him. Shortages be- gan to bite soon after: ‘ Poetical Reader not to be supplied (War Economy) ’ (1917) and ‘ Apr 18 th . Only half the drawing books sent due to a scarcity of paper ’ (1918). The shortage of coal immediately after the war was more seri- ous because the girls ’ school had to close several times when the temperature was near or below freezing point. It would seem that preference was given to heating the boys ’ school. The children probably enjoyed other aspects of wartime econ- omy, however, ‘ Oct 12 th . In accordance with a request from Government the School had a half holiday to gather blackber- ries. 79 lbs were gathered . . . 1253 lbs of chestnuts have also been collected .’ Extra holiday was also granted for potato pick- ing. The day peace was announced has a dry notice in the Log Books— ’ Nov 11 th . Half - holiday on receiving news of the Armi- stice. ’ —but the real story, as told by a pupil of the time, is much more lively. The children were hard at work when the windows were suddenly darkened, and when they looked up it was soldiers from the Military Hospital at the Towers, who refused to go away but like Pied Pipers led the children off to celebrate with bonfires and fun in the Palace grounds. The Second World War was prepared for long before it arrived: plans were made in case of evacuation as early as September 1938. A year later the Headmaster recorded solemnly: ‘ Sept 11 th . School opened today under historic conditions. ’ The school did not after all have to host evacuees: ‘ Some 200 boys from Tollington Secondary School, Hornsey have been brought here and are now resident on the village. These will be using the Towers as a school and so our building is not required and normal hours will be worked. ’ Helping with the potato harvest was again sanctioned and oth- er diversions included, intriguingly, on 30 July 1943, ‘ Police - Sergeant Cragill visited the school this morning and demon- strated and spoke about various bombs to the Senior and Jun- ior Girls and Boys. ’ To mark the end of the war, the local education authority gave each child one shilling to buy a celebratory ice - cream. Perhaps emboldened by this relaxation of austerity, the School Manag- ers pressed for a school bus service for the older Buckden pu- pils who attended Brampton School and Huntingdon Grammar. (Continued on page 11)