Jan 3rd School reopened today. Weather very bad - temperature in both rooms freezing points. This room 31° + in the infants room 30°. The teachers ink in the infant room was frozen. Work almost impossible. Children allowed to wear their coats, but constant warming up exercises necessary.
Jan 11th S.A.O visited.
Jan 15th Received 1 ton of coal.
Jan 16th Nurse called and saw all children present.
Jan 19th Received 2 tons coke.
Feb 6th School closed. Shrove Tuesday holiday.
Feb 21st S.A.O called - received 5cwts of coal belonging to order sent out on Dec 8th.
Feb 22nd Mr A E Toombs (?) HMI visited - saw the last report and remained in school from about 10am to 12 (noon). Discussed nature scheme and some projects of English and arithmetic in the infant room.
Feb 23rd The Rector visited and signed + checked all registers.
Feb 28th S.A.O visited.
Mar 12th Received 1 ton of coal.
March 13th Head teacher absent in the morning
as she was invigilating at the Clopton Centre for
scholarship exam. At school as usual. Juniors worked with Mrs Brown during the
morning. The scholarship candidates from this school were examined at
Mar 14th S.A.O called.
Mar 18th Mr Parker HMI called about 11.30 and remained in for about 20 mins. He saw Mrs Brown in the infant room but did not examine.
Mar 21st School broke up at noon today for the easter holidays.
Apr 2nd School began again today. Admitted 5 new children (see admissions register).
Apr 8th Received 1 ton coke.
Apr 10th Nurse called and saw all children present.
Apr 11th Inspector of food called + took sample of milk.
Apr 18th S.A.O visited.
Apr 26th Received 1 ton coal.
Apr 29th By letter dated Apr 12th (from Education Office) Mrs Brown is appointed to be mistress in the infant room. She is an uncertified teacher but filling a supplementary vacancy appointment probationary for the duration of war. The appointment dates from Feb 1st 1940. Mrs Brown has been supplying in the infant room ever since Miss Knowles left.
May 1st May Day holiday: celebrations carried out as usual. Queen this year June Edwards.
May 2nd Ascension Day holiday: kept as usual.
May 3rd School open as usual.
May 7th SAO visited.
May 8th School library van called at 4pm. All
stock changed. Small parcel of old books and papers sent by the van to the office
according to new salvage
plan.
May 10th Broke up
at noon today for Whit holidays.
May 14th Owing to the state of National Emergency,
the result of the German invasion of Holland + Belgium, the BBC broadcast
announcement on Sat May 11th calling upon all schools to resume
work today May 14th. We opened at
9am. Mrs Brown not present. Message telephoned to
the rector informs us that she cannot return until tomorrow. Most children
returned to school (34 out of 48). All brought gas masks. Lessons carried
on in junior room with outdoor work whenever possible. Gas
masks all inspected by tchr.
May 15th School continued as usual. Mrs Brown
returned.
May 17/40 Examined both registers found all
correct. Arthur M Luckock (?)
May 20th Doctor at school
from 11.45 till 4. 20 children examined. Work carried on in
Junior room. Lessons fitted in as could be arranged.
May 24th Empire Day celebrated. National
hymns + National Anthem. Lesson on
May 30th School closed for Diocesan Examination.
June 6th SAO called.
June 20th SAO called.
Diocesan Examination Report 1940
June 24th Word received that Geoffrey Parker
and Josie Goodfellow have been awarded promotion marks in scholarship
examination.
July 4th SAO called.
July 18th SAO called.
July 22nd Geoffrey Parker has been awarded
a free place at
July 22nd Checked
the registers found both correct. Arthur M Luckock.
July 24th Received 2 tons 4 cwts
2 qrs of coal.
July 25th School dentist visited in the morning
and inspected teeth of all children.
July 26th School nurse visited and saw all
chdn (children). She tested G. Rowlett's eyes as
he has a habit of putting his head too near his work. She reported nothing
much wrong with eyes.
Aug 2nd School broke up at noon for midsummer
holiday.
Sep 2nd School commenced after summer holidays.
Sep 5th SAO called.
Sep 16th School dentist here
all day. All the school in the Junior Room. Lessons taken as well good
[sic] be managed, but work rather difficult. Day unfortunately both cold +
wet so no lessons outside possible.
Sep 17th Dentist here during the morning -
work continued in Junior Room.
Sep 20th 33 evacuees from Willesden arrived
in the village - to start school on Monday.
Sep 23rd Willesden chdn
start school. 4 go into Infant Room. The rest at present in Junior Room and
taught by Mr Clark of the Willesden (Teacher) who has brought them. Lessons
will have to be adjusted as best can be.
Sep 24th Nurse visited + inspected chdn.
46 Titchmarsh + 32 evacuees present.
Oct 7th A party of 13 chdn appeared in school today. They are from Gravesend they say. They have been officially evacuated without any teacher or responsible person. I cannot enter them officially in the admissions register as I have received no list of names + ages + no official information of their arrival. I am taking up the matter of who is responsible for their welfare with the authority. The teacher who brought them during the week end (it is said) gave the official lists to the billeting officer. I have sent twice for it and been refused.
Oct 10th List of Gravesend evacuees brought to school by Mr Gill. We appealed to him as the chief billeting officer had refused to give it to me. 3 chdn are for Thrapston Senior School. One is only 4 and a half and not strictly within school age.
Oct 14th I have entered the evacuees from Gravesend in admission register as well as possible. There are still some dates of birth unknown so that must be a matter for Geavesend + the B of E.
Oct 17th Received 15 cwt 2 qrs of coke from an order for 2 tons given on May 8th.
Oct 25 Note on evacuation of interest perhaps in later years. We have received up to now 46 evacuees in this school. 5 have already returned home for reasons which appear to me quite inadequate. Among the group we have 3 cases of mastoid operation (one appears to be recent) one case of psychological trouble requiring treatment, one case of scabies (detained for treatment at Oundle for a time) one boy who has already appeared before the Juvenile Court before he arrived, and who is to appear again shortly, and one case of infected head. None of these facts were officially disclosed to me except the detention at Oundle for treatment.
Oct 31st School dentist visited - worked in sitting room as school so full.
Nov 1st Broke up at 4pm for half term holiday.
Nov 6th School reopened as usual at 9am. 1 ton 5 cwts 1 qr coke delivered on Monday 4th.
Nov 12th HMI Mr Osborne called to see how evacuees were being educated + seated. No agreement yet reached re Club Room.
Nov 13th SAO Mr Vicars called for report on Philip Richards (evacuee boy from Gravesend).
Nov 14th Mrs Brown (Infant mistress) away today ill. Applying to Office for a supply teacher. Nurse called + saw 3 cases of "specials" evacuees.
Nov 18th Mrs Medlicott (?) started duty in the Inft Room in place of Mrs Brown absent through illness.
Nov 20th During the night incendiary bombs fell on Titchmarsh. Farm buildings were burnt out at The Church Farm. The house was cleared but later the people returned to it as it was not touched. A pair of houses in Church Street were utterly destroyed (Hayo's and Jeff's) the grocer's shop received a bomb and various other damage was done. The teachers together with wardens + AFS (?) men were fighting the fires from 4am onwards. Several children absent from school in the mornign as a result of the night alarm, which really began with the dropping of high explosive bombs in the district about 8pm on the 19th Nov.
Nov 22nd The Junior Children accompanied by the two teachers went for a nature walk from 1.45 to playtime. School house now occupied.
Dec 3rd SAO called.
Dec 5th All this week since Monday Dec 2nd have been opening school at 9.30am in acc to instructions from the committee. This is on account of the darkness of the mornings because of continuance of summer time.
Dec 9th Received 1 ton 6 cwts 1qr of coal.
Dec 12th Health visitor called to see some special cases. Reported clean.
Dec 16th Checked four registers, found all correct. Arthur M Luckock.
Dec 17th SAO called.
Dec 18th Special party in the evening for all the school children. Native revacuee arranged by Lctrs(?). Financial help given by Rector + Mrs Luckock, the managers + Miss Soames.
Dec 20th Broke up at noon for Christmas vacation.
The Rector's prizes were awarded as follows. General progress Titchmarsh
Rosemary Jellis, Evacuee Doreen Purkiss.
Needlework Titchmarsh Doreen Hales, Prim Jeffries, Evacuee
Bessie Nichols, Jean Harrison
Drawing Titchmarsh Neville Spendlove, Alec Ray, Evacuee
Raymond Woodhouse, Geoff Weston.
