1985 Lacey Green School

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Hallmark October 1985. St Johns School, Lacey Green By Miles Marshall

It is impossible to put a date on the first village school in Lacey Green for there must have been many attempts over the centuries to educate the village children. We do know that in 1848, at the age of fourteen, Anne Horword, who was later to marry Peter Floyd, came from Aston Clinton to go into service’ with the Burgesses at the vicarage, so impressed was Rev. Wm. Burgess with her learning and intelligence that he asked her to start at small school.

Now known as St. John's C of E Combined School, it was originally called Lacey Green C of E Primary School. It enjoys 'Voluntary Aided Status! which means that the Church has a majority of the Governors and responsibility for 15% of the cost of improvements to the buildings and the maintenance of the exterior including the roof, The Governors also have responsibility for ensuring that religious instruction is given in accordance with the Trust Deeds.

The oldest of the School Log Books, which the Headmaster, Mr. Green, graciously allowed me to search, commences on Monday 17th April 1874 with 37 children in attendance. The following Friday records a visit by Rev. and Mrs. Burgess, accompanied by Mrs Grace. The visitors found the children ‘fair at reading and spelling but quite deficient in writing, arithmetic, tables, scripture and Catechism'.

The Log Books necessarily record a great many rather mundane facts which must be waded through if the occasional gem of history is not to be missed. A careful browse. through the Logs however, and I spent two long mornings in this pursuit, I gradually builds up a mental picture of school conditions in those early days.

Attendance at school was most irregular, the children, who ranged in age from 3 to 14 years, were frequently kept away by their parents for more remunerative employment such as lace making, stone picking, blackberrying, wood gathering and haymaking, whilst the end of July regularly saw a majority of pupils in the harvest fields, The commencement and duration of this holiday seems to have been at the discretion or whim of the Vicar, who as School Governor, would walk in one late July or early August day and 'close the School for four weeks! or more according to the harvest. When School reopened in September attendance remained thin until all was safely gathered in and it would usually be early October before numbers returned to normal,

In the dry summer of 1900 many children were kept away to fetch water from the brook at Saunderton or a well at Hollybush. Incidentally, there was at that time a trade exam which enabled boys who had a job available, to leave at 12 years. There are former pupils still alive in the village who took this exam.

Conditions at the School were primitive; earth closets or course and washing facilities pretty sparse. H.M. Inspector in 1907. complained of a 'basin set on a chair for boys to wash', Most winters saw many children prevented from attendance because of deep snow. In January 1907 the Log says ‘impossible to have fire in the big room as there is no coal! and again in January 1917 - 'no coal, temperature 38 deg. School closed', But January 31st records 'School reopened, coal arrived’.

On February 5th the same year we find 'still very cold, ink frozen, temperature at 9 am 32 deg. Thermometer at 38 deg. at close of afternoon school’.

Ink seems to have been a commodity delivered by the gallon by the Vicar or by the pint by his Curate! Though, of course, slates and slate pencils sufficed for the youngsters' sums.

Both the Vicar and his wife seem to have worked hard at the School, the Vicar regularly taking Scripture and Catechism whilst Mrs. Burgess would take the sewing lesson on Wednesday afternoons, That is unless there were too few pupils when she refused to stay. Squire Forest and his lady often visited the School, and Mrs. Forest ‘examining the first standard and finding them improved'.

It would be pointless in a brief article to try and list all those teachers who have served the School over the years but those likely to be remembered by older readers must include - from 1911, Mr. Avery who served in the armed forces during 1914/18 war but returned to teach again when the war was over and of course Miss Fanny Palmer who held the fort whilst he was away. Miss Mabel Janes-is a teacher who will also be recollected by some of our older readers. There must be many who recall with great affection, a temporary ‘Supply! teacher who stayed for 35 years, Miss Jarvis.

Perhaps the most significant changes revealed by the Log Books seem to have been heralded by the arrival in September 1958 of Mr, D.E, Anthony as Headmaster, In April the following year the Log notes the appointment of Mr. Cox as Architect for the proposed extensions and in June ‘planning approval was given to a revised plan for two new classrooms and extensions to the existing buildings'.

When Mr, Anthony took over there were 62 pupils in three classes; classrooms were heated by a coke-fired boiler and the toilets were still outside. ‘The first extension was completed in 1962 and comprised two additional classrooms behind the old school building; with indoor toilets and the whole school now had oil-fired central heating. The Church's 15% share of the cost of the new work was met entirely by the generosity of Mrs, Bateman, then of Grymsdyke. There were now a hundred pupils in four classes.

In 1971 the New Hall was added together with one more classroom and the kitchen. The Church's share of this was again defrayed by Mrs. Bateman. The third extension in 1974, paid for this time by the Diocesan Education Committee, provided three more classrooms, a practical room, the audio-visual studio and the library. There were now 250 pupils in eight classrooms.

But Mr, Anthony's regime 1958 to 1983 was to mean greater changes than mere bricks and mortar. There were additions to the staff, a general updating of the curriculum and a greater involvement of parents in the work of the School. Almost at once, he started a Parent/Teacher Association, later called the St. John's School Association, With his wife acting as school secretary, he started off as a full-time teacher himself, in addition to all his administrative responsibilities, with only two assistant teachers, Besides the academic changes, Mr, Anthony was keen to nurture the latent musieal potential of all of his charges and a considerable school Orchestra began to emerge which has since taken part in musical festivals. Four visiting teachers were engaged for instrumental instruction.

To a considerable extent the unprecedented growth of St. John's School can be attributed to the families of succeeding RAF men who have passed through Strike Command but also to the transfer of 8 to 12 year-olds from Speen School, At one time, shortly after Bledlow Village School (now demolished) was closed, the ‘old school buildings were used as an annexe to St. John's until the new classrooms were ready.

A greater interest in games and athletics meant that more playing fields were needed, This space was happily come by through the compulsory purchase Stocken Farm, three chunks of whose home pastures were successively annexed including part of the old wartime airfield and the site of the old hangar.

A shallow swimming pool, to allow young beginners to take safely to the water, was installed with money raised by parents, whilst older pupils were taken regularly to the public baths in Aylesbury for advanced swimming instruction.

Despite his interest in such non-academic activities as the ‘After School Club’, Chess etc., Mr. Anthony was always a strict disciplinarian. Something for which we in the village perhaps may be grateful! They are not a bad bunch of kids are they?

The children have always been encouraged to give and to collect money for charity at Church Festival times and this money, to retain their interest has always been donated locally. As a part of the Queen's Jubilee Celebrations in 1977 money was raised by parents for the handsome wrought-iron gates (made by Gomme Forge’) which adorn the entrance.

So, after a pretty good innings, during which he certainly left his mark on the School, Mr, Anthony retired at the end of the Summer Term 1983. After an interregnum term during which the fort was ably held by Miss Muriel Agnew, the present Headmaster, Mr. David Green, was appointed in January 1984.

Mr, Green told me that, immediately on his arrival, he felt that he could not have made a happier choice a Church School in a beautiful Buckinghamshire village and that within what seemed no more than a few days he felt at home. This he attributed in no small measure to the attitude of the Staff and the children whom he would like to thank for coping so well during what could have been a traumatic period.

His first term was spent in looking and listening - talking with the staff, children and parents for he was keen to avoid 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater' Mr, Anthony, he said, had built up a good school and he wanted only to move forward

Since then, there have been some changes in the School with a different emphasis in some areas. The mobile classroom has gone and the class rehoused in the first school, Mr. Caudery, Mr. Brown and Mrs. Bell have left and Mrs. Stansfield and Mrs, Shaw have joined the staff.

With parents assistance, he told me, the School has been able to start and complete projects such as decorating the School, computers, a School Minibus and class assemblies, With the continued help of all concerned, Mr. Green looks forward confidently to meeting the challenges and new responsibilities of the years to come.