July 2020

13 Buckden Roundabout July 2020 Buckden School history Standard IV (the standard for total exemption) before the age of 11. This can only be accomplished by the managers provid- ing a sufficient and efficient teaching staff. The minimum teaching staff required by the Code will not obtain the maxi- mum Grants, nor the above desideratum. ’ It is not surprising that he wrote a month later: ‘ March 26 th Rule: Home lessons based on the instruction at school are giv- en daily and consist of arithmetic, grammar, spelling and memory work, and for Monday morning Scripture and Cate- chism. Keeping the managers happy was a vital consideration. The other essential was to satisfy Her Majesty ’ s Inspector, who visited annually and examined the children on his report, as the school ’ s grant depended on this. Curriculum was one of his concerns and in 1877 he reported that ‘ the Geography and Grammar were not sufficiently well known to justify a grant under Article 19(c). ’ And in 1886: ‘ The grant for Geography was barely earned; that for English was lost owing to the weakness of the fourth, fifth and sixth standards in Grammar. In other years the subject grants were awarded, but the In- spectors also criticized discipline. When the school was first inspected in 1871 the Headmaster ’ s attention was drawn to Article 17 under which ‘ the grant to the whole school was en- dangered by an unfavourable report from H. M. Inspector ’ on the Infants ’ discipline. In spite of this threat, the pupils seem to have been controlled with only occasional resort to corporal punishment: ‘ Punished W. E. 3rd Standard for gross imperti- nence to P. T. 3 Raps on Palm of Hand with cane am glad to say such punishment is not so frequently necessary as heretofore ’. (1888) Gentler methods were also used: ‘ Being abusive I put her off the premises. She called me a dirty beast. E. D. with others kept in at noon to write punishment task for disobedience. Mother came and demanded her before the work was done ’. (1890) Such entries are rare. On one occasion the Inspector com- plained of the boys ’ listlessness and the Headmaster wrote tartly: ‘ H.M.I. said Children appeared half asleep (not unlike- ly—waiting 2 hours for his appearance). ’ (1881) Besides the visits of the Government Inspectors, there were frequent checks by the vicar, who examined the registers and spoke to the children. The Diocesan Inspector visited yearly too, since the schools were Church of England, and tested the children on their catechism and knowledge of the Bible. In the next instalment of the series we will explore Buckden (Continued from page 12) 150 years of school—or is it? Development of School and Lessons (continued) The coronavirus pandemic has altered the way we live our lives at the present time. Amongst other things, many of us miss our local libraries: the joy of choosing new books or CDs, the hustle and bustle of various events. We have embraced the digital world instead, finding new ways to connect with each other, read books and listen to stories. However, there are people we might know who used to visit a library all the time, and are now struggling to get books or spoken word because they have to shield or self - isolate. Or you might know someone who is not currently a library mem- ber, who lives on their own, is shielding with a partner, is a full time carer, and now has real trouble sourcing large print or audiobooks. For various reasons they might not be able to access the library ’ s digital offers. Cambridgeshire Libraries can now accept new referrals to a Revised Library@Home service. This service is not open to everyone, but is limited to Cambridgeshire Residents who fit a set of criteria: - The service is for anyone who usually relies heavily on read- ing books or listening to audiobooks AND who is shielding or isolating due to age or health conditions under the current Covid - 19 Government guidelines. People accepted for this service will be contacted by a mem- ber of Library@Home team who will then arrange delivery, to their door, of a bag of specially chosen books/audiobooks. Book deliveries will be monthly (by prior arrangement) and previously loaned books/audiobooks will be picked up when new ones are delivered. To enquire about the Revised Library@Home Service you can contact us: By email - volunteers@cambridgeshire.gov.uk By phone – 07442 022 926 (Magda) or 07342 700308 (Fay) A member of Library@Home team will respond to the refer- ral. school in the twentieth century. - Wendy Trattner Sources www.bl.uk Buckden, A Huntingdonshire Village, Mike Storey & Robin Gib- son (Eds.), 2010 Buckden C.E. School 1871 – 1971 Centenary Year, FWR Clax- ton, 1971