Education in Husborne Crawley

Husborne Crawley Lower School in February 2007

Early Education

The Bishop of Lincoln carried out visitations to Bedfordshire in 1717 and 1720 and for both of these a list of questions was sent out in advance, one of which enquired about the provision of schools in each parish. In 1717 it was reported to the Bishop that there was no school in Husborne Crawley , "but there is an old man who teaches children who are sent to him to read English"; 1720 there was still no public or charity school but parents sent their children to schools in adjacent parishes so that they might be taught the "principles of the Christian religion"

In 1818 a Select Committee was established to enquire into educational provision for the poor. This was no doubt prompted, in part, by the recent foundation of two societies promoting education and specifically the building of schools. The Society for Promoting the Lancasterian System for the Education of the Poor was established in 1808 promoting schools run along the lines pioneered by Joseph Lancaster, who had himself copied those of Dr.Andrew Bell, in which older children taught their younger fellows. The Society was renamed the British and Foreign School Society in 1814,. It was supported by a number of prominent nonconformists, Lancaster himself was a Quaker, and sought to teach a non-sectarian curriculum. In answer to this perceived nonconformist takeover of local education the National Society was formed in 1811 to encourage the teaching of poor children along Anglican lines, including the catechism. The Select Committee sent a questionnaire to all parishes in the country asking for: particulars relating to endowments for the education of children; other educational institutions; observations of parish needs etc. In the return for Husborne Crawley the vicar, Thomas Farmer, wrote that "the poorer classes are desirous of having the means of education, and are wretchedly ignorant; but the farmers will not subscribe".

In the country generally the number of schools built continued to grow over the next fifteen years so that by 1833 the government agreed to supplement the work of the two societies, and local benefactors, by making £20,000 per annum available in grants to help build schools. It also prompted another questionnaire to be sent to each parish in England asking for details of local educational provision. The return for Crawley recorded that a Sunday school was started in 1829 and was attended by 30 boys and 22 girls.  It was supported by subscriptions. It should be noted that at this time a Sunday School was just that, a school which met on a Sunday and subjects such as writing would be taught in addition to the religious subjects reserved for such schools today.

The next national enquiry was in 1846/7 when the Church of England made an enquiry as to all its church schools. This was against the background of a new Whig government which championed secular education and the increasing importance of nonconformists, particularly Wesleyan Methodist, and Roman Catholics in providing schools. The Crawley return recorded that the Sunday School was attended by 20 boys and 18 girls "It is purposed shortly to make application for building a school to be in connection with the National Society". A letter [R3/5097] in the Duke of Bedford's estate correspondence of 1846 noted that a school was needed for boys in Husborne Crawley; it goes on to say, somewhat confusingly that a school was established and "going on well" but a school house was needed. This apparent contradiction is resolved by a return of church property to the deanery in 1848 [AB/RDA0] in which it is made clear that Husborne Crawley supported a Sunday School but that children had to go to Aspley Guise if their parents wanted them to attend school during the week. Thus it was a Sunday School which was going on well and a daily school was needed - it would not be provided for twenty years.

 
The school playground in February 2007

Husborne Crawley School in the 19th Century

Husborne Crawley National School was opened in 1867 in new buildings designed by Henry Clutton (architect of Aspley Heath church and the new Woburn church) and paid for by the Duke of Bedford [CRT180/162]. The school logbook illustrates the first few days; 9th October 1867: "Commenced school for the first time.  54 children admitted" 10th October "only nine can write even small words or do a simple sum, the rest can hardly form a letter". [SDHusborne Crawley1]  The Duke of Bedford took a real interest in his schools and the logbooks record a number of visits and estate correspondence reveals that he provided pictures and apparatus for the school in 1884 [R4/938]. 

The first Education Act was passed in 1870 (more correctly it was known as the Elementary Education Act). It was a milestone in the provision of education in Britain demonstrating central government's unequivocal support for education of all classes across the country. It also sought to secularise education by allowing the creation of School Boards. These were groups of representatives, elected by the local ratepayers and the Board had the powers to raise funds to form a local rate to support local education, build and run schools, pay the fees of the poorest children, make local school attendance compulsory between the ages of 5 and 13 and could even support local church schools, though in practice they replaced them, turning them into Board run schools (known as Board Schools). Naturally, and luckily for local historians, the Act required a questionnaire of local schools in 1870. The return for Husborne Crawley noted that the school could accommodate 155 children.

In 1878 a School Board was set up for Husborne Crawley and thus the name of the school changed from Husborne Crawley National School to Husborne Crawley Board School. A proposed list of object lessons for the infants in 1894 included the silkworm, butter making, seasons and a cotton plant. Later that year an inspector described the object lessons as ‘"wanting in interest" but found that on the whole the children were well taught and disciplined [SDHusborneCrawley1].

 
A group of Husborne Crawley Council School children about 1930 [see Z818/64 where all are named]

Education in Husborne Crawley in the 20th Century

A land mark Education Act was passed in 1902, coming into effect in 1903. It disbanded the School Boards and gave day to day running of education to newly formed Local Education Authorities, usually the county council, as in Bedfordshire. The old Board Schools thus became Council Schools whilst the old National, British and other non-Board schools became known as Public Elementary Schools. Husborne Crawley Board School duly became Husborne Crawley Council School, the LEA replacing the School Board in such areas as employing staff, caring for buildings and so on.

Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service has a scrapbook of reports made by the School Inspector for most schools in the county [E/IN1/1]. In 1910 the Inspector found "order and tone most praiseworthy; and the level of efficiency reached is very creditable to the Head Teacher and her Assistant". This state of affairs continued in the next report of 1913. There was then a gap in reporting caused by the First World War; in the next inspection of 1922 it was noted: "There is much that is promising in this school" although, in common with so many rural school the Inspector (who was obviously not a fan of the Bedfordshire accent) reported "…speech is indistinct, and wants a lot of attention" in addition "The singing seems to be rather loud and nasal", overall, though "The Head Mistress has made a good beginning in this, her first Head Teachership". In 1925 the Inspector reported: "This School has made good progress since the last Report was sent. the points therein criticised have received careful attention and the general condition of the School is now decidedly creditable".

The inspection of 1929 recorded 35 children on the roll who were "working well", he went on: "The tone is pleasant, and when the Teachers have more experience and have a clearer idea of the aims of the Senior Department in Arithmetic, it should be a successful little school". The 1931 visit reported that the school was doing good work "the children are enthusiastic and keen to show their efforts in books or to recite…speech training generally has improved greatly since the last report was written. The Teachers may both be congratulated on the condition of the children in their respective grades". The final report of 1935 simply says: "This Junior School continues to do work of a very high standard in all respects, much of it, indeed, being excellent. the teachers deserve very great credit".

At the beginning of the Second World War children from Walthamstow in London were evacuated to Husborne Crawley.  This had a big impact on school life: 21st September 1939 "owing to their having no desks the evacuees have been given permission to use the reading room with tables and chairs.  11 Husborne Crawley Seniors were taken by the Walthamstow teachers.  6 Walthamstow juniors are being taught with resident juniors". On the 10th February 1940 there were 31 resident children and 21 evacuees attending the school [SDHusborneCrawley2].

During the war children air raid drills and gas mask inspections became part of the school routine.  6th December 1939: "Gas mask drill during afternoon session.  Every child must bring gas mask to school". [SDHusborneCrawley2] V.E. Day (8th May 1945) was a public holiday. ‘Children assembled in the morning and after having a short service and games were sent home at 12 o’clock.  The Prime Minister broadcasted at 3 pm.’ [SDHusborneCrawley2]

The third of the great Education Acts was that of 1944 which established the principle of County Primary Schools for children up to the age of 11, at which time they took an examination to determine the nature of the secondary school they would attend until they were 15, the most academically able going to grammar schools, the rest to secondary or secondary modern schools. The act also created two types of successor to the public elementary schools - the Voluntary Aided and Voluntary Controlled schools. Voluntary Aided schools are those in which the Local Education Authority funds the school but the governing body is independent, they are usually Anglican or Roman Catholic schools. Voluntary Controlled schools own their own buildings whilst the staff are employed directly by the governors. Husborne Crawley thus became a County Primary School.

In the 1970s Bedfordshire County Council introduced comprehensive education, doing away with the 11+ examination and grammar schools and introducing a tier of school between the old County Primary and County Secondary Schools. Thus Lower Schools now taught children aged 4 to 9, Middle Schools from 9 to 13 and Upper Schools from 13 onwards. Husborne Crawley became a Lower School; it still occupies the 1867 buildings in School Lane, though with a number of on-site additions and improvements.

Sources

- R3/5097: letter to Duke of Bedford's steward noting that a school house was needed: 1846;
- AB/RDA0: form giving details of school: 1848;
- CRT180/162: school designed for Duke of Bedford by Henry Clutton: 1867-1868;
- SDHusborneCrawley1: school logbook: 1867-1914;
- E/SA3/1/1: tabulated return of pupils under Factory & Workshop Act 1878: 1879;
- SB22/1-5: School Board records: 1879-1903;
- R4/938: Duke of Bedford provided pictures and apparatus for school: 1884;
- R1/323: map of school site: 1888;
- CCA9: leases of land for school: 1904-1993;
- E/TE5/1: details of teachers: 1904-1908;
- X21/756/15: photograph of school: 1905;
- E/TE5/2: details of teachers: 1908-1912;
- E/IN1/1: inspector's reports: 1910-1935;
- SDHusborneCrawley2: school logbook: 1914-1968;
- Z50/142/414: photograph of schoolchildren: 1916;
- Z818/61-64: photographs of school groups, some named: 1922-1930s;
- CA8/1046: building maintenance file: 1966-1983;
- SDHusborneCrawley3: school logbook: 1968-1988;
- E/TE3/3: return of teaching staff: 1981;
- E/SC1/Gen6: details of school: 1981;
- PCHulcote&Salford6/1: school representative served on Salford's Mary Agate Hall Committee: 1982;
- E/TE2/2/L43: details of school: 1985
- E/TE3/6: return of teaching staff: 1986;
- E/MS3/2/2: kitchen and other details: c.1987;
- E/Pu4/4/3: prospectus: 1995