CLUTTON COUNCIL SCHOOL LOG BOOK 1903 TO 1921 (Extracts)
1903
31 August 1903
We commenced school in the new buildings this morning.
Teachers & children alike thoroughly appreciate the great difference from the old building.
I admitted 30 new scholars mostly for the babies’ class, as so many parents have been waiting for the new Schools before sending these little ones.
7 September 1903
We have received the Kindergarten & Needlework materials & the books to came from the Scholastic Trading Co.
No pictures & diagrams are sent so I suppose they have been cut out by the C. Com# so we shall have practically bare walls, & no illustrations to use for Object Lessons, not even for the Infants.
30 Septptember 1903
H.M.I. Report.
Mixed School – The scholars are receiving careful instruction.
The habit of thinking has been cultivated, & the work throughout is thorough & intelligent. The tone & discipline are very praiseworthy.
Infants Class – The Infants are in good order & are well advanced.
Staff for 1903–4
J. Pullen – Hd. Master. St. V, VI & VII
Miss M. Chapman – Art 50. St. III & IV
Miss H. Bevan – “ St. I & II
Lily Bent – P.T. helps Miss Chapman & generally.
Miss M. Tomes – Art. 68. Infants assisted by a monitress.
13 November 1903
Very good attendance this week an average of 198 with 212 on books.
We have not yet received our Drawing Books from the Ed. Supply Assoc.
Lily Bent has a holiday every Friday afternoon as she attends classes in Bristol on Saturday mornings.
1904
29 April 1904
Average this week 217. The girls are taking great interest in their little flower garden in front of the school. I have offered a medal (Toogood’s) for the best 4 prizes.
We received our gardening tools from Weston this week.
I have divided the ground into 14 plots & gave a lesson on Wednesday on trenching. Today (Friday) the boys are trenching their own plots. They are very keen about it.
Copy of H.M.I. Report 1904
Mixed School—“The children behave well & are making very satisfactory progress. The first class is specially bright & intelligent & shows much interest in its work. The handwriting throughout is taught with much care. The new & commodious premises are admirably fitted for the work.”
Infant Class—“The infants are pleasantly taught & give promise of doing very well under their new teacher, who has only recently taken charge. Reading was backward during the first part of the school year.”
Signed—Henry Harris
Correspondent
7 October 1904
Our attendance is not very good as several are away ill. There are still eight children away because of Scarlet fever.
Staff for School Year ending June 30th 1907.
Jno. W. Saller – Head Master, St. VII, VI & V.
Wm. J. Sheppard – U.T. St. IV & V.
Mary C. Chapman – U.T. St. II & III assisted by Amy Young, P.T.
Margt. E. Hooper – C.T. Classes I & 2 Infants assisted by Elsie Maggs, M.T.
Maud Mary Jones – S. Babies.
1907
25 January 1907
The attendance is very bad indeed owing to whooping cough which is very bad in the village.
8 February 1907
School closed because of the whooping cough, which is very bad indeed.
11 March 1907
Resumed school this morning after being closed Four Weeks. I am sorry to record that seven children have died, three being scholars & others have been dangerously ill.
There are still a good many away in the Infants class.
1908
10 April 1907
Miss Rees-Mogg came in with some very good news – We have won the Challenge Shield offered by the Victoria League for the best set of essays on “The Union Jack & what it means to us.” Eleven schools competed in North Somerset & the judge Mr. Wade King said he had no hesitation in placing Clutton first. Eva Young has also been awarded the prize for the best essay of all.
Gardening Report 1908
Most of the crops looked well here in June & again in Aug. when they were judged for prizes offered by the Clutton Horti. Soc.
Peas & Beans were very good also Parsnips, Onions & Carrots. The general appearance of the gardens would be improved if each boy took a little more care in keeping his share of the path free from weeds & stones.
Rainfall & temperature are taken each day.
There were 14 boys to 14 plots with another for experiments.
1909
23 June 1909
We had a half holiday this afternoon so that we could take the children to see the Prince & Princess of Wales.
All the children met at school at 2 and at quarter past, headed by the school drum & fife band, we marched to Temple Cloud & lined up with the Temple children in front of their school.
1910
22 May 1910
I have finished examining the school in all subjects & am very pleased with the results. St. I & II did exceptionally well. The worst part of the school seems to be the girls of St. III – some of whom are very irregular & they are by no means a brilliant lot.
Copy of H.M.I. report after visit June 29th & July 1st, 1910.
Instruction – The teachers have done a good year’s work; in almost every subject of instruction the progress of the children is most gratifying.
1. Specially good work has been accomplished in Music, Nature Study & observation of natural phenomena, oral & written Arithmetic, Geography & Needlework.
2. Reading is somewhat uneven in quality; the girls are better readers than the boys except in St. 3, where both boys & girls are decidedly weak.
3. The Recitation heard was well said & the meanings & allusions were well understood.
4. Handwriting is good, that of St. 1 & 2 especially so.
5. Drawing is fair. Rather more prominence might be given to Brush Drawing.
6. History is good.
7. The Infants are in very capable hands; they read well – some of them exceedingly well – write well & are well advanced in number.
8. Their Recitation is very nicely said & they sing creditably from notes.
9. Both hemming & knitting are good.
10. The large babies’ class is very well managed.
Premises – The babies’ gallery is an awkward useless structure. Its removal would provide much-needed floor space for activities.
24 October 1910
The measles has suddenly become much worse & there are several children now away with it. This continued bad attendance is upsetting the work of the school very much. We have not had a decent attendance since the summer holidays.
2 November 1910
The school closed by order of the Chief Medical Officer of School for a fortnight.
The children came to school but I was directed to send them home again.
16 November 1910
School closed for another week as there are still very many cases of measles.
23 November 1910
Reopened this morning with a very poor attendance – 10 in the mixed & 22 in the Infants.
Many of the children although recovered from the measles are still very poorly.
1911
16 June 1911
On Coronation Day the scholars assembled in the Playground at noon & after singing some patriotic songs witnessed the hoisting of the new flags. The flags & flagstaff were subscribed for by my past & present scholars, in small sums varying from 2d to 1s. Over 100 old scholars subscribed & the majority of them were present in the playground at the flag hoisting.
13 September 1911
The Cookery Classes at the Old Schoolroom have started this morning. We have sent seven girls to make a class with eleven from Temple. This afternoon we send the whole class eighteen.
15 December 1911
One hundred children away today mostly with the German measles. I started the term exam, but so many are away that it doesn’t seem worth doing.
18 December 1911
School closed four weeks, the Christmas vacation being lengthened because of the epidemic.
1912
Report of H.M.I – Inspection Feb. 1st 1912
1. This is a good school. The Head Master has wide intelligent ideas on education & gives full effect to them, & his subordinates give him loyal assistance.
2. Reading is efficiently taught & recitation deserves praise both for its delivery & grasp shown of the meaning.
3. The subjects set for composition are varied in character & are as a rule such as are calculated to arouse the children’s interest & to stimulate the flow of ideas. The scholars’ work is on the whole good.
4. Geography is good; that of St. 3 & 4 especially so. The connection between Geography & current events is kept in view.
5. Some of the most valuable work of the school is done in connection with Nature Study. Daily observations of various kinds are made by the scholars, recorded by them in writing & graphically. The uses of the barometer, thermometer, rain gauge, anemometer, weather vane, with all of which the school is equipped, are fully understood by the senior scholars. Plant & animal life is also intelligently studied.
6. Arithmetic is made thoroughly practical & the equipment for the purpose is very complete. Scale Drawing, Gardening & Nature Study are correlated when possible with Arithmetic. The children in Classes 1 & 2 show considerable readiness at Mental Exercises.
7. Singing is very successfully taught.
8. Handwriting is fairly good on the whole.
9. The teaching of Drawing has evidently benefitted by the recent visit of the Inspector of Drawing.
10. Needlework is very well taught.
Henry Harris
Correspondent
Report on Religious Instruction
The school is divided into four groups. The saying of the Prayers was marked by reverence, a good & suitable selection of Hymns have been learnt & were sung with expression, & the Scripture repetition particularly in the Infants’ Dept. was accurately said & correctly emphasised.
As to the general knowledge of the subject matter contained in the syllabus we found it to be, as a whole, distinctly good. There was great eagerness on the part of the children to respond to the questions, & their answers were, in the main, adequate & intelligent.
Important moral lessons, calculated to help the children in life, had been drawn & impressed upon them. The attentiveness & good behaviour of the children were pleasing features in all the groups, & the examination showed that careful & conscientious teaching is being given by the staff.
Note – We wish to emphasize the importance of drawing moral lessons, & we would suggest that a suitable map or maps illustrating Bible lands be provided for the use of the teachers when giving instruction in this subject.
(Sgd) James Mansfield
E.P. Polson.
9 May 1912
School closed by Dr. Savage’s orders for Whooping Cough – Three weeks –
1915
29 April 1915
I should like to place on record an account of what the school children have done to relieve distress caused by the Great War.
1. The older girls subscribed for the material & made 24 useful garments which we sent to the Bristol Belgian Relief Committee.
2. 13 cushions to the 2nd Southern Base Hospital.
3. Infants made pillow cushions for the local Belgian Refugees & for Gurney Court Hospital.
4. Infants knitted cuffs for Queen Mary’s appeal.
5. Sent 40 eggs to 2nd Southern Base Hospital.
6. Collected 1s 7d towards Christmas Pudding for Somerset.
7. Helped to get subscription from their fathers & older brothers for the £6 which I sent to the Carlyle Tobacco Fund.
8. £1-1-0 for Bristol Children’s Hospital.
9. 7/6 for Dr. Barnardo’s Homes.
10. 1/6 for Y.M.C.A. fund for recreation hut.
11. Sent potatoes for Gurney Court Hospital.
12. 13/6 Overseas Club Empire Day Penny Fund.
13. Sent potatoes Red Cross Sale.
I should also like to place on record the names of old scholars & teachers serving with the colours during the Great War.
Attwood Alfred – 1st Somerset L.I.
Baber William – R.G.A.
Cox Edward – Grenadier Guards
Cook Edward – 6th Gloster Regt.
Doman Leonard – N. Somt. Yeomanry
Eagle Oliver – R.F.A.
Eagle Cecil – 4th Somerset L.I.
Flower Thomas – 1st Somerset L.I.
Hall William – R.F.A.
Parsons Fred – R. Engineers
Perry Colin – R. Engineers
Pullen Edward – 6th Gloster Regt.
Sage Wyndham – R.A.M.C.
Stillman William – R.N.
Stillman Henry – 1st Somerset L.I.
Taylor Tom – 7th Somerset L.I.
Taylor Clifford – St. Wales Bord.
Taylor John – R.F.A.
Taylor Arthur – 10th Devon Regt.
Taviner Thomas – R.N.
Tovey William – 10th Devon Regt.
Westcott Ernest – R.E.
Weeks John – 3rd Mon. Regt.
Yaggs Alfred – Canadian Mtd. Rifles
Jarvis George – R.N.
Box Phillip – R.F.A.
Attwood Jack – 4th Som.
Whitley Walter – R.E.
Maul George – R.E.
1916
28 March 1916
Heavy snowstorm. Only 79 children present – sent few home who had wet feet & legs – did not mark register. Miss Harding who had very wet feet went home again. 90 present in afternoon.
1918
11 November 1918
Opened school after being closed for three weeks.
German Armistice signed.
We knew by all the pit hooters blowing wildly all round the district that the end of this awful war had come. Talked to the children for a few minutes about it.
Gertrude Tiley away ill this week.
6 December 1918
G. Tiley’s brother & sweetheart have returned to England & home after being for many months prisoners in Germany, the former under most horrible conditions. I gave Gertie permission to be away on Wednesday.
Clutton Primary School Log Book Part 2 1921 to 1992 Click here