Description
Tales out of School
Hadleigh National School
Tales Out of School is a fascinating book detailing the history of Hadleigh’s first national school which opened in 1855. Published by Hadleigh and Thundersley Archives it is written by former teacher Chris Worpole and based on the school’s logbook.
Whilst Tales Out of School is essentially about the Hadleigh school, the contents reflect the economic and social conditions that prevailed in rural England in the latter part of the nineteenth century. At the time Hadleigh was still a farming community with just under half of the workers employed as agricultural labourers.
Prior to the school’s opening, children’s education for the most part came from Sunday Schools run by parish churches. However, from the late 1850’s the Government took a more active role in the provision of education for all, which allowed for the first time the new national schools to receive direct grant funding. To facilitate funding a revised code was issued that required the master or mistress of a national school to keep a logbook to record of daily events. In turn the logbook then had to be made available for outside inspection. The grants came by way of a form of ‘payment by results’ an early Victorian state intervention that dispersed the monies dependent on the results of the annual examination of student literacy and numeracy – with particular emphasis on the three Rs, Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic.
Tales Out of School is filled with hundreds of revealing logbook entries such as,
22nd January 1863, Several children absented themselves afraid of Mr Bias vaccinating them.
12th April 1866, I observe a great laxity of discipline in the children lately which I principally attribute to irregular attendance.
6th February 1880, I have punished several children for using indecent language.
The Hadleigh National School closed in 1924 and the remaining children moved to the nearby council school in Church road. The original building was later used as a hall for the parish church and now is a nursery.
The book’s author Chris Walpole’s wrote ‘I found the history of this village school fascinating. I particularly enjoyed finding out about the children. At times they made me laugh and cry but, ultimately, they demonstrated that children never change.’
Tales out of School
Hadleigh National School
By Chris Worpole
Illustrated by David Hurrell
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This price does NOT apply to shipments sent outside the UK
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https://www.essex100.com/despatch-outside-uk/
