Circa 1911 - Spratton Church of England School
Note the Schoolmaster house on the left and the 'Eton' collars being worn by the children. Also there are two people outside the headmaster's house and, since the head no longer lived there, these may be the Whattons, he was a chauffeur.
The Church of England Primary School was founded in 1819 when the local squire, Robert Ramsden of Spratton Hall, endowed a Free School for Girls and Boys and also an Infants' School. Robert Ramsden took a great interest in education and, together with the vicar, the Rev. Robert Crowther, and the schoolmaster, Mr. John R Pridmore, helped to make Spratton more educationally advance than its neighbours. For many years there were only two teachers, a mistress for the infants and a schoolmaster for the rest of the school.
We do not know what sort of building was used as the school in those early days, but in 1847 the main classroom was a thatched barn. There was no heating and no lighting in the buildings until the first few years of the 20th century when lamps and open fires were provided.
When Mr. Harry smith became the schoolmaster in 1889 he set about improving the buildings, the discipline of the children and the standard of teaching. In 1894 he was awarded the Langham prize given to the school most satisfactory to the examiners in all respects.
Mr. Smith retired in 1924 after 35 years teaching in Spratton. Mr. George L Shaw was appointed to follow Mr. Smith and to keep up his high standards. He retired in 1950.
He married Kate Cooper, sister of George Cooper.
Image Reference: 1027
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