Perlethorpe Primary School part 2.

 

 Above: Class of c.1953 / 54.

My gratitude to one time school mate Allan Wignall and his sister Joan for sending me a full list of the pupils' names:

Back row from left to right. 1 Mrs Storey. 2 Carol Mendan. 3 Pauline Johnstone. 4 John Singleton. 5 Richard Gill. 6 Pamela Cooper. 7 Stewart Johnstone. 8 Sheila Carnitas. 9 Mrs Bruce.

Middle Row from left to right. 1 Robert Rayner. 2 Hazel Wood. 3 Ronald Pashley. 4 Janet Fuller. 5 Josephine Jackson. 6 Christopher Devereax. 7 Christine Mott. 8 David Reddish. 9 Philip Whittaker.

Bottom Row from left to right. 1 Christopher Cooper. 2 Joan Wignall. 3 Rose Carrol. 4 Kenneth Mott. 5 Tommy Riddley. 6 Francis Hendem. 7 Christine Craig. 8 Cynthia Wilks. 9 Madelaine Crowden. Mistakes can be corrected via the comments box.

 Education at Perlethorpe in the 1950s adhered of course to a strict timetable, but always incorporated a rich tapestry of creative exercises in manual dexterity, from weaving to maypole dancing, and from plasticine modelling to drawing the butterfly specimens that surrendered their short lives to Mrs Bruce’s thumb. If the sun came out (which seemed to happen practically every day), we simply all went on a nature walk. The nature books in which we drew our collected specimens were dark green hard backs. Dip-in pens were a compulsory element of writing lessons. New nibs were periodically issued to the class who were then instructed to place the small brass nib in their mouths to suck off the protective wax coating. (Perlethorpe Church records list no fatalities from this activity!) The walls were covered by large posters depicting the different animals, birds and trees from each season. When my older sister and myself retrieved a stag's skull and antlers from beneath the rhododendrons of the Pleasure Grounds that also became part of the display. (It's still there). Mrs Storer was in charge of the juniors prior to the arrival of Mrs Ward. Mrs J E Bruce became Headmistress in January 1950, in charge then of the seniors as they approached the "11-plus" examination.

At the start of the school day, and after dinner, the pupils would line up in two orderly rows at the sound of her bell, ready to enter the school via the dark oak door which was situated on the left of the front of the building. (This porch entrance was converted to a window during the renovations of 1959, and the porch became a storeroom.) Coats were hung inside that porch. The seniors then turned right and sat in rows with their backs to two rectangular windows, awaiting Mrs Bruce's instruction. The juniors walked straight ahead, beneath the high arched window on their left, and entered the rear classroom to be taught by Mrs Ward. A spelling mistake might merit a light slap on the back of the leg from her, whilst good work could merit a new pencil, complete with the novelty of having an eraser on the end.

Before the renovations of 1959 the pupil's toilets were stagnant metal drums with wooden seats situated on the right of the building where the entrance porch is today. The boy's urinal was a brick wall which separated them from the girls' toilet on the other side. This was open air, and swilled only occasionally by a solitary tap. A favourite game among the boys was seeing who could pee the highest up that wall.

Miss J E Bruce resigned as Headmistress in December 1960. She was noted for her dedication towards getting her pupils through the 11+ examination and on to a grammar school beyond. But the population of Perlethorpe Village was ever diminishing as the Estate's fortunes changed with the decades.

Above: This is what a pupil's exercise book and school reports looked like in the late 1950s / early 60s.