1900
Feb 2nd. Mrs Morley, the school cleaner is unable to attend to her duties in the school owing to an attack of influenza. J. Williamson, a 5th standard boy acts as a substitute in lighting the fires (fires lit by 7.30. a.m. every morning).
March 10th. Scholarship lists and Attendance lists fastened on wall of schoolroom. Object to promote a spirit of emulation.
March 31st. Several of Barnardo’s children admitted recently.
July 13th. We teach a system of writing, the semi-upright or Civil Service style, [below] which at first proves difficult, but once attained becomes the permanent style of the writer and is well worth acquiring for is practical utility.
October 21st. Annual Return List of all who have left during the past year:
| Name of child | Age last birthday | Date of leaving | Occupation and Address |
| Fred Rolfe | 12 | 06/04/1900 | Carpenter, Stoke Ferry |
| Arthur English | 13 | 09/03/1900 | News Paperboy, Mr. Hinde |
| J. Williamson | 12 | 23/02/1900 | Page Boy, Dr Steele’s 1 |
| Arthur Darking | 12 | 22/12/1899 | Telegram Boy, Post Office |
| Alfred Lock | 13 | 20/07/1900 | In Service, London |
| Sidney Francotti | 12 | 09/03/1900 | Farm Servant, Canada |
| Alfred Neale | 12 | 29/06/1900 | Farm Servant, Canada |
| Lillian Riches | 15 | 06/04/1900 | Domestic Work at Home |
| Ethel Jones | 13 | 22/12/1899 | Domestic Duties at Home |
| Maud Marshall | 12 | 02/03/1900 | Mrs. Margerson, In Service 2 |
| Ethel Morton | 12 | 04/10/1900 | Mr Smith (RC), Station Rd, In Service |
| Bertha English | 12 | 04/10/1900 | Home Duties |
| Thos Brooks | 12 | 12/10/1900 | Egg Trade, Railway Station 3 |
| Geo Bell | 13 | 12/10/1900 | Servant Boy, Vicarage, SF |
| Robt Starke | 13 | 12/10/1900 | Tailor, Mr. English, SF |
| Edwd Stebbing | 12 | 09/03/1900 | Nat. Poultry Assn., R. Station |
| Edwd Neale | 12 | 09/03/1900 | Dr Bernardo Boy, Canada |
Nov 23rd. Good fires kept up – lit by 8 every morning. Temperature kept up in the room. 56 degrees.
Nov 30th. George & Wm English & 4 children from the Stebbing’s family are absent on account of ‘Mumps’.
Dec 21st. The following children were awarded prizes for proficiency: Reading, George Morton & Marion English. Writing, May Harrod. Sewing, May Morton. Drawing, Edwd Stebbing. Arithmetic, Fred English & Chas Bateman. Spelling, Walter Leggett
In the afternoon the Rev Wilford & Mrs Wilford visited and distributed oranges to all the children.
1903
Jan. 23rd. Owing to the prevalence of colds, parents will not send the little ones until the weather is more gentile.
March 27th. Punctuality insisted upon in the mornings and afternoon. Good fires kept up day by day which are an important factor in keeping the attendance up.
May 8th. Mrs Johnson, Infants Mistress left.
May 29th. Mr. R. P. Hilliar resigned the Headmastership.
June 22nd. H. W. Clarke and E. J. Clarke commenced their duties as Headmaster and Mistress of the Infants Dept. respectively. Discipline is lax and the children are sleepy and most inattentive.
June 26th. Discipline shows marked improvement and the children are much brighter in manner and are more attentive to their work…The celebrations of Anniversaries in the village on Monday, Tuesday and Friday interfered with attendance considerably.
July 10th. Standards III-VI were set to write a letter on “What I should like to be when I leave school”. The results were funny but discouraging.
Sept 4th. A fair number of boys engaged in the Harvest field.
Oct 9th. Rev Wilford on behalf of the Scholars and Staff presented Miss Toates (who is leaving after 7 years’ service) with a traveling trunk.
Nov 13th. Miss Riches (Monitress) leaves today.
Nov 15th. Miss Robinson and L. Office took up their duties in the school today as Art 68 4 and Monitress respectively.
1904
Jan 4th. A Robinson (Art 68) resigned through ill health.
Jan 22. Diocesan Inspectors report received today:-
“Excellent work is being done in this school. The Infants did really well indeed and in a short time. I expect to see this school first in the Deanery. Great credit is due to Mr & Mrs Clarke for the very good work which they have done since they came to Stoke. It is only fair to say that a great deal of this good work in the Day School is due to the careful teaching in the Sunday School.” Signed, J. Percy de Putron, Diocesan Inspector.
References:
- Dr Steele was the doctor for our district and lived in The Lodge, off the High Street. ↩︎
- In 1887, William and Henry Margerson were described as veterinary surgeons in Stoke Ferry. ↩︎
- The National Poultry Organization Society had a depot at Stoke Ferry Railway Station. This Society was founded in 1905, but obviously egg distribution from Stoke Ferry must have been in operation prior to this date. ↩︎
- ‘Art 69’. Miss Robinson would have been an “additional female teacher” under code 68 of the 1890 Educational Code Act. She will have been an untrained female teacher whose only qualifications were to be over 18 years of age and vaccinated. ↩︎
Researched by Anne Ellis and Jim McNeill, Stoke Ferry & District History Group
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