Education in Salford
Early Education in Salford
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. It was reported to the Bishop by the Vicar that there was no educational provision for poor people in Salford.
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. The vicar, Edward Smith, wrote that: "There is a Sunday school at Hulcote open to this parish, but the poor are desirous of possessing more sufficient means of education".
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. By this time, Salford had two Sunday schools which taught 26 boys and 43 girls. The schools were both supported by Miss Eliza Dane. ". It is worth noting that these Sunday Schools were just that, School provided on a Sunday and would have taught reading and writing and, perhaps, other subjects, in addition to the religious knowledge for which Sunday Schools are reserved 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 return for Salford noted that there was one Church of England Sunday school which was supported by the rector and attended by 62 children. The Inquiry reported that: "The children go to work at such a young age that a Day school would not be attended".
Salford Council School in 1903 [Z50/98/15]
Salford National School
Despite this view, a school did open in Salford. The Kelly's Directory of 1894 states that the school opened in 1860 (the buildings are still there, opposite the Swan public house), the Victoria County History states that it was 1867 and that it was supported, in part, by the Salford Town Lands Charity. The earliest records directly from the in Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service are logbooks which begin in 1872, although in the parish archive [P77/12] we have as part of the account of the Overseers of the Poor for 1868 the line: "Received for the support of the School, this balance of £18-0-10½" .
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 in association with the Act states that Salford was a National School (i.e.formally in union with the National Society rather than simply a Church of England School) and had accommodation for 74 children.
The school log book records irregular attendance throughout the 1870s and 1880s. On July 9th 1872: "Mr Redgrave, inspector of factories, called. His object being to enforce half day attendance at school of all lacemakers under 13. He also visited the two lace schools in this place to make known his purpose" [SDSalford1]. There were treats for those children who did attend such as on August 25th 1888 when: "A half holiday was given on Wednesday, as the Sunday school treat took place at the Rectory".
the former Salford School in February 2007
20th Century Education in Salford
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. Salford was such a school.
Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service has a scrapbook of cuttings of visits made to most Bedfordshire Schools by School Inspectors for a period from just before the First World War through the inter-war years [E/IN1/1]. In 1910 the Inspector noted: "Considerable improvement has been effected in this School since it was last reported upon, both in the instruction of the older scholars and infants. Order and tone are both satisfactory and the level of efficiency reached is creditable. A playground is very much needed. At present the public road is the only space available for outside exercises". In 1913 it was recorded: "This little school [average attendance 29] seems likely to do well under the present Mistress. Owing to several recent changes of Head Teacher the children have naturally lost ground but there is every reason it think it will soon be recovered".
During the upheaval of the First World War inspections ceased, the next was in 1921: "When the present Head Teacher took charge of this School just over a year ago, it was not in a satisfactory condition, and but little progress can be reported. Most of the work is very poor and far below the average. The lower section of the upper children is very weak indeed, and the condition of the Infants is thoroughly unsatisfactory. There are only six of them but the Supplementary Teacher has done so little for them that the class is almost inefficient". This poor situation continued as the report for 1924 explained: "This small Junior School (with only 17 children on the books and a monitress to aid the Head Teacher) is not doing satisfactory work. Most of the work was seen or heard in some part of the School and it was all very disappointing. A great improvement must be made".
By 1925 things were improving a little: "The school a year ago was practically inefficient. There is still much lee way to make up, but the Head Teacher appointed in July has done very well in improving neatness and encouraging industry. She is approaching her task in the right spirit, and is not afraid to jettison schemes which, after trial, are found too ambitious. In time this should become a good little school". As far as buildings were concerned: "Here there is no playground: the heating is poor: the cloakroom is not satisfactory and the offices [toilets] are in need of repair". By 1929 there were just 16 on the roll one of whom was "decidedly backward, but has improved lately in writing, reading and recitation, to an extent which proves he is not Mentally Defective though this was suspected: and the girl…who has been admitted…seems to be at least many years retarded…The Mistress, then, is working well, and is generally successful up to a point. She would welcome the opportunity of seeing similarly situated schools in the county at work, with a view to getting a clearer standard…" The final inspection, in 1933 noted marked progress, there were 22 on the roll.
During the Second World War the school admission register shows that children were evacuated from Walthamstow, London and Bromley [Kent] [SDSalford3]. The school became much larger than usual as the following two entries from the logbook show:
- September 11th 1939: "School reopened today – owing to the exceptional circumstances the senior scholars who would normally attend Aspley Heath Council School have returned here. (4 boys, 4 girls)";
- September 18th 1939: "Mr Hewitt headmaster of the William Morris Central School called. It was arranged that the Senior Boys should work entirely with the evacuated children in the Parish Hall and the Senior Girls should take certain subjects with them"
The usual school routine was interrupted by air raid warnings, practice drills and special talks from ARP wardens. October 31st 1940: "Registers not marked this afternoon. Air raid siren sounded at one o’clock the ‘all clear’ being given at 3:10" [SDSalford2]
Z50/98/12
The photograph above was taken in September 1940 and shows, with teacher Mrs.Linnell: back row (left to right): Eileen Sedgwick; Doreen Newell; Joan Cox; Dorothy Young; Winnie Brooks; Lily Biggs; second row: Donald Rust; Dennis Young; Pat Perrin; Enid Pettit; Marina Sedgwick; Judy Gadsden; Peggy Cameron; Margaret Brooks; June Hill; front row: John Hill; Joyce Defraits; Ron Bass; Peter West
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. Salford became a Voluntary Controlled County Primary School, however, it closed in 1952 due to the small numbers on the roll.
Sources
- AB/RD/A0: deanery return including section on education: 1848;
- ABCV57: return indicates "no gramer school" in Salford: 1858;
- P77/12: Overseers account includes money received to support school: 1868;
- SDSalford1-2: school logbooks: 1872-1952;
- SDSalford4: miscellanea: 1892-1939;
- Z50/98/1: postcard of school: c.1900;
- Z50/98/15: postcard of school and village street: 1903;
- E/SA3/1/2: managers' and inspector's reports: 1903;
- E/TE5/3: details of teachers: 1904-1908;
- E/TE5/4: details of teachers: 1908-1912;
- E/IN1/1: inspector's reports: 1910-1933;
- Z50/98/8: postcard of school with children outside: c.1911;
- SDSalford3: admissions register: 1912-1952;
- Z50/98/12: photograph of school group: 1940;
- PCHulcote&Salford6/2: conveyance of former school classrooms to parish council: 1964;
- PCHulcote&Salford6/1 and 3: conveyance of former school house to parish council as Mary Agate Hall: 1977