here - James Oglethorpe Primary School

CHAPTER 2
OUR SCHOOL’S HISTORY
OUR SCHOOL’S HISTORY
O
ABOVE: Old Gate, Cranham Hall.
RIGHT: The original Cranham Hall
dated from earlier than 1600
and was built of brick.
14
ur school opened in January 1950.
It was brand spanking new and was
called, at the time, Oglethorpe County Primary.
The school was built in response to a growing local
population the children of which were rapidly outgrowing
their previous ‘home’ at Boyd Hall.
In fact, education in Cranham can trace its history back
as far as 1818 when the first ‘Dames’ school began in a
cottage in Cranham churchyard. The school was funded
by Thomas Boyd and his wife Sarah. The Boyd family
firm, J.C. Boyd Ltd, dealt in cotton cloth and this provided
sufficient income for the Boyds to pay the salary of the
school mistress, Sarah Hunwicks, as well as the school’s
expenses. It cost 4d a week to send a child to the school
and for this the child received a basic education which
consisted of Bible reading, writing and needlework.
In 1854 the cottage was pulled down and the school
moved into a wooden school room which had been built
in the grounds of Cranham Hall (the Boyd family home).
Interestingly, the school room was specially built as a
moveable structure on wheels in the
style of a ‘shepherd’s hut’.
Eventually, Cranham Hall was sold at
auction to Mr Richard Benyon. In 1869 a fête was
held to commemorate the Jubilee of the first school in
Cranham and at that fête Mr Benyon donated a site for
a new school to be built.
The new school was built of good, yellow, Essex stock
bricks. It had two spacious classrooms with a playground,
shelters and separate toilets for the boys and girls. The
tiled roof carried a bell cote and the bell was chimed by
pulling a rope. The school was named after Sarah Boyd
and opened its doors in 1870.
The Boyd school provided a sound education for the
local children up to 1950, at which point it became the
church hall for Cranham Church.
The children and their teachers had seen the occupancy
of the building grow to such an extent that they were
‘bursting at the seams’. The local population was continuing
to grow, due to the influx of families being housed in
‘pre-fabs’ on estates around
this area following the Second
World War. The decision was
taken by Essex County Council to build a new school.
When Oglethorpe County Primary (later to be re-named
The James Oglethorpe Primary School to coincide with
the tercentenary of the General’s birth) opened in January
1950 it was not only children from Cranham who were
welcomed through its doors but also children from nearby
Upminster and South Ockendon.
One of those first pupils remembers the occasion when
she saw the school for the first time,
“Just before the end of term we were told to form a line in
pairs and walk behind our teacher to view our lovely new
school that was opening after the holidays. We all thought it
was wonderful with light airy classrooms, large playground
and sports field.”
MRS KATHLEEN NEWINS (pupil 1950-1955)
Likewise, a newly appointed teacher remembers his
first sight of the ‘new school’,
“I was appointed as an assistant teacher to Cranham
Primary School in July 1948, straight from college. On my
first day I was taken by the Head, Mr Frank Dance, to a
nearby field and shown two holes in the ground and told,
‘That is our new school.’ ” MR J.H. ROW (teacher 1948-1960)
Our school has seen
many changes over the last
60 years. One such change
was beautifully captured by a child who made that
move in 1950,
“
Uniform was worn in
the 1960s. For boys a
navy blue blazer and cap
with a maroon and white
striped tie. It was poor
“Another innovation was that of schools’ radio
programmes – every classroom had a built-in radio
with speakers and it opened up a new world for us.”
MRS FREDA M. WATSON (past pupil)
I wonder what Mrs Watson would make of interactive
whiteboards, computers, digital cameras, DVDs,
camcorders and iPods which are the innovations of
today and similarly have opened up a ‘whole new
world’ for teachers and pupils.
Indeed, who better to recount the changing story of
our school than those who shaped and created it. On
the following pages are some wonderful images of the
school’s first few years along with snapshot memories of
those whose eagerness, excitement, enthusiasm and
laughter still resonate within these walls.
We think you’ll discover some surprising similarities
between then and now as well as some interesting
differences – perhaps you will be pleasantly reminded
of your own school days.
show if the teacher had to
tie your tie after games so
we used to loosen them
carefully, keeping the knot
intact, and noose them
over our heads taking
them on and off.
”
ABOVE: Need information here
1950s school photograph?
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60 YEARS OF THE JAMES OGLETHORPE PRIMARY SCHOOL
“
OUR SCHOOL’S HISTORY
1950s flashbacks ...
At the peak of our
CLASSROOMS AND MUSIC
numbers there were
classes of 50 with about
a 1000 children in the
Infant and Junior
School together. My
wife, who was teaching
in the Infant School
had a class of 50 in
the entrance hall.
”
“
I failed first year recorder
(a non-compulsory lunchtime activity) in three
consecutive years!
”
THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM
TOP LEFT: Violin ensemble,
RIGHT: A 1950s class in the
middle of a writing lesson.
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recorder practise and
painting outside.
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60 YEARS OF THE JAMES OGLETHORPE PRIMARY SCHOOL
1950s flashbacks ...
CRAFTS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
“
The school day ran
from 8.55 am to 3.30 pm
for infants and 3.45 pm
“
The hall was used
for gymnastics and
for jumiors. The lunch
there were spiky
break was at 11.55 am
coconut mats to land
to 1.40 pm giving plenty
on after jumping over
of time for many children
a sectional horse or
”
to go home to eat.
INSET: 1950s Basket weaving.
RIGHT: 1950s Needlework class.
18
off a heavy bench.
”
LEFT AND INSET: Gymnastics
lesson and ‘Music and
Movement’.
19
OUR SCHOOL’S HISTORY
Then and now...
READING AND WRITING
Deborah: Have pulled this pic from your website
for now as we thought a computer pic here
would make a good contrast. Do you have one
with children in it, please?
“
We learned our
letters on little black-
“
We did some elementary French and I remember
learning how a green book and a blue pen were
called in that language and how to use the present
tense of the verbs avoir, dire and être.
”
“
As soon as we went
into the Juniors we
boards with chalk and
started learning an
miniature dusters in
adapted form of italics,
Infants. Reading was
to be written in both
taught from the Janet
pencil and fountain
and John series of
books.
”
pen and occasionally
one might get a gold
or silver star in one’s
book.
RIGHT AND FAR RIGHT: 1950s
”
reading and writing lessons.
INSET PHOTOS (BOTH PAGES):
2010 writing lessons and
using computers
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21
60 YEARS OF THE JAMES OGLETHORPE PRIMARY SCHOOL
OUR SCHOOL’S HISTORY
Then and now...
“
SCIENCE AND MATHS
In my view numbers,
“
For biology in our
arithmetic and elementary
last year we once tried
mathematics were extremely
to make cheese.
well taught. We began in
It tasted foul!
”
Infants with Cuisenaire
rods which, when stacked
properly, made excellent
imitations of ocean
liners!
”
RIGHT, MAIN PHOTO:
LEFT, MAIN PHOTO:
1950s science class.
2010 science class.
ABOVE AND INSET PHOTOS:
INSET PHOTOS:
1950s maths lessons.
2010 maths lesson.
22
23
60 YEARS OF THE JAMES OGLETHORPE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Then and now
...
SWIMMING AND SPORT
ABOVE: 1950s football team.
LEFT: 2010 rugby team.
TOP RIGHT: 2010 girls’
RIGHT: 2010 swimming lesson.
INSET: 1950s swimming team.
“
The cricket pitch
was of concrete, and a
cricket team.
mat was laid along it.
RGHT: 1950s cricket team.
The wickets had springloaded stumps on a metal
base. In the summer of
“
Country dancing and
1967 the third-year
medical examinations
juniors beat the fourth-
were the most dreaded
year juniors by some
of all events.
24
”
”
70 runs.
25