Ampney St Peter & St Mary Church of England School, Established 1873
The school was situated in Charlham Lane, Ampney St Peter. The names of schoolchildren were listed in a ‘Binns School Register’ published by William Binns. Details included full names, dates of birth, names and addresses of parents, dates of admission/leaving, previous schools. Reasons for leaving school included moving to a different school, ‘gone to work’ and ‘going into service’. The register records the number of a child allotted when joining the school: the highest number in the register is 1181.
Other materials included a school map showing a ground plan specifying proposed additions of school building with an Education approved stamp dated 30/8/1894.
There were separate entrances and school rooms for girls and boys.
On 5 December 1935 a meeting was held in the Rectory in Ampney St Peter to discuss the future of the school. A decision was made to keep the school open for as long as possible, with no steps being taken for a year. On 13 January 1936 the Local Education Authority said that the school would be maintained until Easter to give the teacher time to look for a new job. School Managers protested at the school closure. Assuming that the school closed in 1936 it would have been open for around 63 years: the numbers of pupils who attended the school in each year is not shown in the School Register but the highest pupil number recorded in the register is 1181 which may indicate an average school size of around 18.
On 5 November 1940 the school became a play centre for children.
The last set of Minutes of School Managers was dated 5 December 1950 although there is no indication of what happened to the school building when it closed in 1936.
The building is now called The Old School and is a private residence.
Information has been taken from the Gloucester Heritage Hub archive.
The Log Book of Easington and Ashbrook School
Further information about the school taken from The Log Book of Easington and Ashbrook School is as follows, and appears to have been written by school teachers over the years 1899 to 1912. (Ampney St Peter was known as Easington or Eastington and Ampney St Mary was known as Ashbrook in the past.)
Extracts taken from the Log Book generally cover the following topics: teaching and inspections, school numbers on the register, illnesses, weather, absences. Taken together they make for a fascinating insight into social history.
Teaching and inspections
Taught simple proportion to Std V also short division to Std 1V. Some of the girls commenced their garments in needlework. Taught songs ’ England’s Glory’ and ‘Haymaking’ (in 1899) ‘Hurrah! Hurrah! For England’ and ‘Hid in an Oak (1900).Have commenced the teaching of the Tonic Sol Fa system, (1900). Taught simple proportion to Std 11 and complex fractions to Std V1. Std 11 had the subject of a reading Lesson illustrated this week by a working model of a locomotive.
Half holiday on Thursday afternoon being Ascension Day. Children taken to church in morning instead of Scripture lesson.
The secretary of the Victoria League wrote to say that Professor Ainsworth who examined essays on History of South Africa awarded the school the Challenge Shield this year (1911).
The children had lessons in the morning on the duties and responsibilities of the British Citizens and a half holiday in the afternoon. The full programe of Empire Day was carried out in the evening (1911)
School Inspections: ‘This is an extremely well taught school in every respect. The work is thorough and the behaviour excellent’ (1899)
‘What was a good school is now a better one, the work benig equally thorough and intelligent and the relations between teachers and scholars more sympathetic. The tone, order and discipline are exceptional (1901).
‘A special word of praise may be given to the Singing and Physical Exercise. The walls must be recoloured and if possibe the lower porton should be matchboarded. New blinds are wanted. A musical instrument for permanent use in the school is also needed (part of the school report for the year ending 31 May 1904).
Illnesses
There is an extraordinary amount of illness in the two villlages. Three children are away with a threatened attack of mumps. Ten children have been away owing to the presence of diptheria at Ranbury, chicken-pox at Ashbrook (1902). 25 children away with measles, school closed for one month for measles, and re-opens after 5 weeks (1904). A boy reported with diptheria. When further cases were reported the Rev. F.D. Bateman thought it would be safer to close the school. The school was re-opened after five weeks, with only 41 present out of 66. Two children away ill with scarlet fever. Owing to the outbreak of diptheria swabs were taken from all the children and teachers and the school closed for two weeks for the Christmas vacation. The school was disinfected during the vacation.
The farming community
At harvest time thrashing (or threshing) operations were carried out in the field (now called the ‘Moor’) by the school, and was very interesting to the children.It was the process of loosening the edible part of grain, or other crop, from the straw to which it was attached.
A day’s holiday would be given for Cirencester Fair, sometimes referred to as the Statute Fair, at Michaelmas, after the ‘changing of farm hands’ when families might have move to other parishes for employment. An H.M.I report stated ‘ An unfortunate drawback which the Teachers have to contend with is the migration of Scholars which takes place in this district in the spring and autumn’.
A child would be absent from school all week ‘… employed by his father in the bakehouse.’
Three boys away helping in the harvest field.
Two boys were allowed to go to work, owing to loss of men through the war.
National/important local events
On Monday afternoon a holiday was given in honour of the proclamation of peace.
One weeks holiday is given in honour of the Coronation (of King Edward the V11 in August 1902).
Empire Day: the children met at the school at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., a lecture on each occasion being given by the Rev. F.D. Bateman. The National Anthem, the Flag of Britain and Rule Britannia were sung.
Registers were marked at 9 a.m. to allow children to hear the proclamation of the King at Cirencester at 12 o’clock.
Some general points
Daily attendance figures must have varied as a result of bad weather, illness and pupils leaving the district as their parents moved and changed jobs:
- attendance again this week very bad; the weather being severe and there are several cases of illness (1899),
- the attendance has suffered this week through the second hiring fair at Cirencester and also through stormy weather,
- some children have been kept away potato picking (1902),
- the usual Michaelmas changing of hands has this week caused the attendance to drop to 86%,
- very heavy rains today and attendance very small, only 39 present, school commences this afternoon at 2 p.m, so as to allow children who live at Ashbrook plentry of time for dinner (1903),
- very heavy rain and floods today.The roads from Ashbrook and near the horse-pond were quite impassable,
- ‘boarded-out’ children (…made out return for boarded out children…’), the practice of placing workhouse children in the long-term care of foster parents who usually received a weekly allowance for each child staying with them
- there are references to children being sent to Ampney Crucis school for Labour Certificate examinations. A child needed to obtain such a certificate by passing a certain grade standard in school work and school attendance before being able to leave school and commence employment.
Ampney St Mary Village Website 