BATTERSEA CENTRAL SCHOOL
Notes on Running the School 1930-1939
Preface
These notes have been prepared from material contained in the Minute books of the Committee of Managers of Battersea Central School held at London Metropolitan Archives. (LMA/LCC/EO/PS/5/5).
Introduction
Battersea Central School was a London County Council secondary, with separate sections for boys and girls, each with its own Headmaster and Headmistress. A local Committee of Managers comprised people appointed by the LCC (London County Council), including some nominated by the Borough Council. Managers were appointed for three years.
The Managers
The Managers’ job was to oversee the work of the school in relation to such matters as buildings and maintenance, staffing, pupil welfare. The pupil welfare role included reporting ‘on the home circumstances’ of pupils being provisionally considered for vacancies as 3 major grade exhibitioners.
Ultimately real power lay with the LCC Education Committee and its Sub-committees and with officials at the Divisional Office (No.9).
The membership of the Managers was particularly filled with political activists nominated by their parties. Many served for many years, providing long service, continuity of knowledge and advice to the Head teachers, and the confidence to challenge where they felt it necessary the LCC and its officials. Further details about the Managers are given in a separate note ‘Battersea Central School. School Managers in the 1930s’.
Finding Work for Boys 1929-1930
The problem of unemployment following the Wall St crash obviously created a problem for the employment of pupils leaving the school and looking for work. The Headmaster Mr Ling wrote to nearly 400 firms about setting up an employment bureau for the joys. As a result he was able to report to the Managers in January 1930 that he had placed 9 boys. The Gas Light Company proposed to set up a special apprentice scheme for boys from the School, 29 firms would send the School details when they had vacancies.
Prize giving
Prominent people gave out the prizes at the annual prize giving ceremony. On 5 July 1934 and 20 July 1936 Mrs. Caroline Ganley and MR. F C R DOUGLAS, the BATTERSEA LCC Councillors did this.
School Journey
These took place in the summer term. In 1936 150 boys and 9 masters went on a camping holiday between Dawlish and Teignmouth. In 1937 the boys went to Swanage (2-16 July) and the girls to Ross, near Colwyn Bay 28 May to 11 June. In 1938 the girls went to the Grand Hotel at Clevedon, Somerset for a fortnight from 10 to 24 June, and the boys to Landguard Manor Farm at Shanklin on the Isle of Wight between 1 and 15 July. For Easter 1939 it was planned to take 60 girls to Paris. For 1939 it was planned to take 25 boys to Paris, and their school journey to be the Lower Barbone Farm, Little Common, near Bexhill between 26 June and 10 July. While 53 girls would go to Paris, and for the summer to Mill House, Bognor Regis between 2 and 16 June and Norwich Training College between 3 and 17 July.
Sports
Taking part in sporting competitions was an important activity for the School.
On 18 June 1936 boys teams took part in the Crystal Palace Sports Festival, and on 2 July 1936 girls took part in Central School Sports day. In September a boy Whitehead won the swimming Avondale Club Gala Junior trophy. This competition was ‘open to any Battersea Boy under 16 years of age.’ The South London Central Schools competed against each other. Battersea beat Archbishop Temple and Clapham Centrals in the autumn of 1936.
The same term the School was represented two boys represented the School in the Battersea District swimming team at the London Schools Swimming Association Gala. The Team came second. The boys took part in an exhibition of physical training at Norland Hall. The boys junior team won the South London Central Schools Special Challenge. The senior cricket team won the South London schools competition, and one pupil represented the South London school team against a public school team. A swimming gala was held on 8 September. The boys won the South London School athletic Championship in the summer of 1939.
Other Special Activities
Pupils also entered for non-sports competitions. Frederick Goldsmith gained a second prize in the London Safety First Essay Group in 1936. There were also school concerts. The Managers’ meeting on 28 January 1937 was informed that the latest concert had been a success. A historical pageant was held between 24 and 26 November 1937. Some colonial visitors visited the school in 1939, without any detailing of where they were from.
Accidents
Accidents to pupils had to be reported to Managers. Sometimes these raised concerns so the Managers asked for additional reports to the next meeting.
Between November 1936 and July 1939 the following pupils were reported as having accidents:
Kenneth Farley, Cyril Adams, Royston Holloway, Josephine Turner (November 1936)
Josephine Turner (January 1937)
Arthur Barker, Ida Weatherly, Joan Palmer, Joan Gwilliam. (February 1937)
Frank Robinson, Cyril Adams (April 1937)
Raymond Urden, Ernest Leppard, Christopher G Prater (May 1937)
William Greaney, Stanley King, Charles Woodman, Doris Wells (September 1937)
L. Goodyear, J. King, V Taylor (October 1937)
Reginald Page, Robert Warren, Frank Robinson, Robert Smith (November 1937)
Leslie Smith, James Mills, Frederick Vandell, William Manners (February 1938)
Sidney Jones (March 1938)
E.Williams, D. Dawson, F. Robinson. A. Southwick, R. Smith, G.N. Alond, DF. Pyle, I. Glendenning (May 1938)
Beryl Dean, Molly Mulholland (July 1938)
Harold Mandry, May Smith (September 1938)
Roy Cooper, George Tillbury, Henry Withers, Violet Davies (January 1939)
Elsie Leck, B Russell, F.Penfold, G. Conduri, P. Chisnall (April 1939)
Alan Dicker (July 1939)
Munich Crisis 1938
The October 1938 Minutes record the Crisis created by Munich Crisis in September 1938. The ‘evacuation of school during recent crisis’ raised an issue about access to the school building in the event of fire. The Headteacher reported to the Managers that he had written a letter on 8 November ‘pointing out that during the recent crisis Borough Council lorries loaded with gas masks could not enter the school playground trough the fire gates owing to the fact that the kerb was not chamfered in order to make a gradual ramp up to the footpath, and drawing attention to the serious difficulty in consequence in the event of a fire.’ The Managers agreed to ask the LCC to take the matter up with the Borough Council. The Council agreed to do the work to the kerb.
School Care Committee
One of the functions of the Managers was to ensure that there was a School Care Committee, which was responsible for overseeing health and welfare. They could either undertake the work themselves, or support the creation of a separate Committee. In 1936 Emary had been Secretary of the Committee but had been taken ill, so in January 1937 the Managers asked whether Mrs. Ling, the Headmaster’s wife, would act as Hon. Secretary. She agreed. Due to her continuing ill health Mrs. Emary resigned and in April Mrs. Varran agreed to take on responsibility for the Care Committee work. In October the Managers agreed to undertake the Care Committee work as a subcommittee which included Lane and Rintoul.
Building Maintenance and Improvements
The Managers took up issues of problems relating to the maintenance of the school buildings. On 24 September 1936 they recorded that the Housewifery Centre in the girls’ part of the School was ‘unsatisfactory’, with ‘out of date equipment’, ‘dangerous nature of the stairs and the inadequate height of the stair rails.’ They requested action by the LCC. The LCC agreed to improve the Centre. There must have been a problem with balls being kicked over the school fence, because wire netting was to be provided on the wall of the garden of 95 Castle St in mid-1937. In February 1938 the Managers decided to ask the LCC to redecorate and clean the School as the current condition ‘creates a bad impression on the parents of new entrants’. (In the autumn term of 1938 a teacher Miss May had her handbag stolen on 2 September. This raised the question of insurance on staff’s personal property on school premises.
New Building
The Governors had identified the need for a new school building in 1934. In April they agreed ‘That, having noted the restoration of the pre-1931 position and having had regard to the fact that a large number of pupils was recently refused admission to Battersea Central School owing to the lack of accommodation, the managers are of option that the time has arrived for the Council to consider, at the earliest possible opportunity, the provision of a more suitable and adequate building for the use of the school.’
Later the LCC informed the Managers that a new school might be provided for in the 1935-38 programme, and that they would begin ‘to plan satisfactory new premises for two central schools for 400 boys and 400 girls respectively on the Culvert Rd site.’ In March 1935 the Managers did not regard the site as ‘entirely satisfactory’ ‘from the point of view of area or locality, and that they would be willing to co-operate in suggesting an alternative site.’
The Architect then informed them ‘that a suitable four storey building could be erected’ on the site, and that alternative sites could cause delay. The Managers decided to have a deputation to the Education Office, which went ahead in the summer term. The LCC decided to proceed to buy the Culvert Rd site of 11/2 acres, and design the school ‘on entirely modern lines’. The plans were provided to the Head teachers and the Managers decided to look at them. A special meeting was held on 18 July 1935 and a discussion held on suggestions by the Head teachers with a representative of the Architect’s Department taking part.
The Managers modified the suggestions for submission to the LCC. Most of the suggestions were incorporated and by November the plans had been submitted to the Government Board of Education for approval. In May it 1836 it was noted that when the Central School relocated the existing building would be used for 700 elementary school pupils.
Due to the unsatisfactory nature of the School building and site, the Governors became particularly involved in the details of the proposed new building on the site in Culvert Rd from their 24 September 1936 meeting. They were not keen on the LCC Architect’s Plans. At the November meeting they made it clear that they wanted a gym and changing room each for the boys and girls, not the proposed combined ones.
They wanted two dining room areas, an internal telephone system, and electric power points in all classrooms. The LCC Education Officer informed the Managers by letter that the provision of a second gymnasium and dining room would be prohibitively expensive. It was not policy to provide an internal telephone system. Electric points would be provided in each classroom.
In February 1937 the Managers re-iterated their call for a second changing room, a telephone system, and requested whether any air raid precaution measures would be included. The LCC agreed the provision of a second changing room but not to the telephone system, and indicated in September 1937 that no consideration had been given to the question of air raid provision. Given the 4 stories proposed for the new School the Managers pointed out that an internal telephone system would ‘prevent much waste of time and energy’.
In rejecting the request again, the LCC proposed the installation of an electric bell on each floor.’ The Managers thought this was ridiculous and wanted the matter reconsidered. From November 1938 to November 1939 there was a period of quiet over the new School. Then on 24 November 1939 the Managers objected again to the provision of only one kitchen. In the summer of 1939 the Managers had considered the applicants for the post of school keeper at the new school. Their existing one, Buck was appointed. The LCC agreed to the idea of a telephone system, subject to an experiment.
Staff
Staff during the period 1936-39 included:
R.J.Wood
G. McPherson
S.G.Raine
R.W.Brown
W.S.Mason
S Hodgkinson
L.C.Williams
D.G.Lewis
E.C.King
S.A.Owen
Miss J Holmes.
Miss W.M.Page
Miss K. Cockesedge
Miss L.May
Miss A Carter
Miss O M Royston
Miss M B Siebold
The school keeper was A E Buck.
Williams was the PT master. He was given the school year 1938-9 off to go to Carnegie Institute in Leeds.
The Coming War
By the summer of 1939 the LCC had issued guidance on air raid precautions. At their July 1939 meeting the Managers agreed to meet less often, to ‘free staff for work on civil defence measures’.
Sean Creighton
18 Ridge Rd
Mitcham, CR4 2ET
