Staverton's first School was opened in 1850 in an old warehouse building on the side of the Kennet & Avon canal. The building, now gone, was adjacent to Wharf Cottage and was leased from the canal company by Walter Newth who became one of the first school managers. Initially, the school had no qualified teachers and was run by the village Vicar and his helpers, the Bible being the basis for most of the teaching in the early years. Parents had to pay a small fee, 1d per week, to send their children to the new school and, as education was not yet compulsory, pupil numbers varied wildly in the first few years. The conditions were very primitive with children being taught in a tiny room, with poor lighting and ventilation, and very few desks. Slates and sand trays were used for writing and pupils were only allowed one week's holiday during the year, usually at Christmas time.
The school's first permanent teacher, Emily Hooper, was appointed in 1857, when a system of pupil monitors was being used to teach the children. By 1878 school attendance had become compulsory, this dramatically increasing pupil numbers and causing serious overcrowding problems in the tiny one roomed canal building. The conditions were intolerable and the school managers decided a new school building was needed. By 1880 plans had been approved for a brand new village schoolhouse which would be built further down the village, near the railway, and this was completed and officially opened in October 1880. The new custom built Victorian school had two classrooms allowing, at long last, for the infants to be segregated from the older pupils.in much improved conditions.
Laura Barnes became the new 'mistress' in 1883 when pupil numbers still fluctuated, not helped by the regular outbreaks of smallpox, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria and mumps epidemics which caused serious long term illnesses, and sometimes fatalities, amongst Staverton's children.
By 1886 slates had been phased out, pupils being encouraged to write in exercise books, and by the turn of the century the leaving age had been increased to 14 this pushing up pupil numbers to over 60. School medicals were introduced in 1904 and the school aquired it's first piano in 1914, considerably enhancing the musical education of pupils. The Great War years were a traumatic time for village families and the school played it's part in the war effort by creating and cultivating a vegetable garden in what had previously been the school's playground.
Pupils numbers declined dramatically in the inter war years with numbers falling as low as 30 by the mid 1930's. Chicken pox and measles epidemics were still regular visitors devastating even more the low attendances throughout the 1930's. During the early years of the second world war pupils numbers shot up with the arrival of 38 evacuees, some being taught in the village Reading rooms, and with the threat of air attacks a bomb shelter was constructed for staff and pupils in the field behind the school.
Electric lighting was installed in 1945 and a school kitchen provided in 1950 allowing pupils to be offered a lunchtime meal for the first time. Pupil numbers declined again after the war and by the early 1960's there were only 24 on the registers. The first school sports field was provided in 1965 and throughout the late 1960's and 1970's pupil numbers gradually increased causing another overcrowding crisis and prompting the LEA to provide two temporary classrooms on the school grounds. Pupil numbers continued to increase through the 1980's compounding the overcrowding problems and creating serious concerns that the old school could no longer cope with the requirements of modermn education provision. The old Victorian schoolhouse was deteriorating rapidly and a campaign was started to persuade the LEA to provide a replacement school. The LEA proposed closing the village school and building a new one outside the Parish but staff, parents and governors fought a strong campaign to retain an infant's school within the village. The campaign was successful, the school was saved, but continued to struggle with ever increasing pupil numbers which had reached almost 100 by the early 1990's.
After a hard fought campaign the LEA finally agreed to provide Staverton with a new Infant's School which was commenced in early 1995 and officially opened in April 1996. The brand new £1.2M village Primary School was constructed on the old school's sports field, and was an ultra modern, state of the art, facility with 8 classrooms and equipped with all the latest amenities and facilities, and designed to cater for the Parish's educational needs well into the 21st century.
After over 150 years of struggling in crowded, damp, and inadequate school buildings Staverton's children could at last further their education in a modern,well equipped, spacious and comfortable environment.
Written by Pete Lavis using extracts from his publication:
'The Book of Staverton'.
Published by Halsgrove and available from the author. (ISBN 1 84114 145 3)