Wateringbury Infants School Log (1872)

Post date: Jun 28, 2016 5:1:12 PM

Wateringbury Infants School has two volumes of detailed school logs, the first volume covering the period 1872 to 1924 and the second covering the period 1924 to 1927. They are very detailed with an entry for most days, sometimes even for Saturday and Sunday recording that fact. The following is an extract from the first year

1872 Jan 1^st : Commenced (Emily Foreman) my duties as mistress of the Wateringbury Infants School.

Jan 2^nd: Rev. H. Stevens visited. [his frequent visits are not recorded below].

Jan 3^rd: Gave a lesson on the cow. [ on other dates lessons on following recorded: the Hare, the Camel, the sheep, bread, a book, leather, iron, ducks and chicken, sugar, animal, the leopard, stone, chalk, leaden pencil, buffalo]

Jan 4^th: Wet day….Thin attendance.[comments about low attendance on wet days are very prevalent in log].

Jan 11^th: Wet day. School very thin.

Jan 16^th. Punished A. Russell for using bad language.

Jan 17^th Gave a lesson on sugar.

Jan 19th : Rev. H. Stevens visited in the afternoon.

Jan 23rd : Wet day. Thin attendance.

Jan 25^th: Punished ??? for using bad language.

Jan 26^th : Rev, H.Stevens & Mrs. Stevens visited in the afternoon.

Jan 31^st: Rev. Stevens gave the usual treat , delayed through the illness of Mrs. Stevens.

Feb 7^th: Mrs. & Miss Lucas visited the School in the afternoon.

Feb 12^th: School very thin, several children away with measles & bad colds.

Feb 19^th Better attendance 39 present.

Feb 20^th : Divided the 2^nd class into 2 divisions for reading.

Feb 23^rd: Wet morning only 13 present. Better attendance in the afternoon.

Feb 28^th: Several children absent on account of measles & bad colds.

March 1st: Damp day. Thin attendance. 25 children present a.m.; 29 p.m.

March 7^th: 38 children present a.m.;35 p.m.

March 25^th: sent children over 7 years of age into the other schools.

March 28^th: Very wet day. 19 children present a.m. 12 present p.m.

April 4^th: punished 3 boys for throwing stones.

May 3^rd: Closed school rather earlier to prepare the room for the Missionary Meeting.

May 13^th: Very wet day. 9 children present a.m. 6 present p.m.

May 19^th : school closed for a week Whitsundtide holiday.

June 13^th: Mrs Lucas gave a treat. School closed for the day.

June 21^st: Punished W. Long and W. Costin for truanting.

June 24^th: The Infants School duties undertaken by Miss Bainwell the assistant mistress. Rev. H. & Mrs. Stevens visited p.m.

June 28^th: School very thin. Several children absent through Whooping cough.

August 2^nd: William Long absent through whooping cough.

August 29^th: closed school for Hopping holiday.

October 7^th: Commenced school 41 children present.

November 11^th: began fires.

December 20^th: very fair attendance. No school in afternoon. School closed for 2 weeks.

1873: