Category:Education

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Schools

In 1833, the government awarded grants of money to schools. Not everyone who was in charge was able to read themselves, so the standard of education was not very good. In 1844, Parliament passed a law requiring children working in factories, be given six-half-days schooling every week. 'Ragged Schools' were set up to provide free basic education for orphans and very poor children. One of the first “Ragged Schools” was started by a Sprowston Shoemaker John Ellis; he sold up to fund the Saltley Reformatory in 1853. In 1870, Parliament passed the Forster`s Education Act, requiring all parts of Britain to provide schools to children between the ages of 5 and 12. Not all schools were free and many families could not afford the “School`s pence” which had to be paid each week. Schools were not free until 1891. Queen Victoria`s reign brought many improvements to the education of children, especially for the poorer families.

Kingston Fowler memories. (born 1902)

School at the “Switchback” on Wroxham Road. There used to be an Infants School at the corner of Sprowston Park, about 1860`s, part of the foundations are still there, also flowers from the old School garden still appear every year. According to Kingston Fowler`s mother, the first school existed near the dip on the right looking towards Wroxham, and was known as “Hillsens Hole”, near Home Farm, and nearly opposite the Blue Boar PH, on land owned by the Gurney family of Sprowston Hall; parents had to pay to send their children to this Infants School. My mother and father in Law attended the School, it was not compulsory, and they made a charge of one penny per week. In about the year 1910, my grandfather William Graver, agricultural engineer and blacksmith, owned a four seater Benz car with cushion tyres. On one occasion he took some of his grandchildren for a ride in this car, which he called “Old Ben”. On approaching the hill in the Sprowston “switchback” he said “I don`t know if Old Ben will get to the top, if not you will have to get out when I stop”. Fortunately this was not necessary as Old Ben got there all right. I cannot remember that part of the road getting flooded in my young days, I don’t suppose a school would have been built there if it were so. My Father in Law didn't go many times; found it was more profitable to go Crow scaring I expect. He never could read or write until the day he died, he however produced six lovely daughters and four sons, that’s how he learnt to count I think. When I went to school I could name everybody who lived on the Wroxham Road, not many houses then, I could count on one hand the number of people who owned cars in Sprowston.

My classmates at the school in School Lane, were –

Alfred Whiting, Maurice Coleman, Levi Blake, Arthur Burgess, Percy Howes, Billy Lee, Clemmy King, Reginald Quantrill, Jimmy Gale, Reginald Wrench, Gimp Gardman, A. Garman, Violet Walker, Mabel Dawson, Maude Land, ……. ? Woods, Bertha Patteson, Gladys Codling, May Dark, Ethel Carter and Susan Quantrill.

The boys would play football going to school and the girls would have skipping ropes, during our school dinner time, we would go to the Brickfields, and watch the men make bricks, they used to stamp in the clay with bare feet, and the bricks were all made by hand. You can see some of the houses built by the bricks, opposite the new church of St. Cuthbert’s on Wroxham Road.

Before the 1st World War, the rear of the girls` toilets was approached from the boys` playground and on occasion’s boys used to get stinging nettles and sting the girl’s bottoms! One day the Headmistress was the victim of this escapade; she reported the matter to the Headmaster Mr. Tom Delves. He came to the class where the suspected culprits were and enquired who the boys were, who took part in the incident, but no boy owned up. So he had all the boys in the class out in front and gave each “Six of the best”. I bet Mr. Delves had a laugh when he told the story to his pals in the Blue Boar, over a glass of whisky.

There was a temporary Headmaster for the latter part of the War. Mr. Martin was called up; Miss Jessie Miller was a teacher with Miss Simpson in the tin hut. Tom Smith was the Scout Master and caretaker of the Lazar House, Sprowston Road, which was used as the Scout headquarters, also for the Sprowston Black Minstrels, run by the church choir, and for school concerts. Lazar house later became a library, given by Sir Eustace Gurney. Mr. Tom Delves was a tyrant of a schoolmaster. He always seemed to have a cane up the sleeve of his jacket. His pet thing was to come into the classroom about 15 minutes before we were due to go home and put a sum on the blackboard and say we must get it correct before we go home. George Martin, the schoolteacher, could not resist playing football with the boys at playtime, although all we had to play with was an old tennis ball. If the ball got “Mumped” over the school wall, into a neighbour’s garden, George would disappear until the ball was retrieved.

Elementary School, School Lane.

The School on School Lane was built IN 1860 to accommodate the children from the Victorian housing built near Sprowston Road, extra classrooms were built. It was extended in 1873. Once again the increase in the housing sector in the 1920`s and 1930`s resulted in another school being built on Recreation Ground Road.




Recreation Ground Schools.

Children 4 years to 7 years went to School Lane, children 8 to 11 went to Recreation Ground Road Junior School and 11 to 15 went to the Secondary Modern School also on Recreation Ground Road.

Schools on Cannerby Lane, Falcon Road West & Fairstead Road

Increased housing created the need for much larger school, and in the 1960`s the Schools on Cannerby Lane and Falcon Road were built. There was also a building used for the young children (Infants) on Fairstead Road. There is no doubt that with more housing being planned for Sprowston, there will be the need for more schools!

Pages in category "Education"

The following 4 pages are in this category, out of 4 total.