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Rural education in Shropshire
Headmistress Miss L. Woolley is on the far right of the picture and her deputy Miss G. Pinches is on the far left. (Image courtesy of Acton Scott Working Farm)
This information mainly relates to Acton Scott School, but life at the school would have been typical of many rural schools in Shropshire.
Until 1860s the village school was in the village schoolmistress’ two roomed cottage beside Acton Scott farm. Children attended when their parents chose and paid a small fee to learn the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. Even this cost was quite a lot for a family who might only earn a few shillings a week and so most children spend a lot of time working on the farms bird scaring, potato turning or fruit picking rather than at school.
In 1866 a new school house was built by Mrs Stackhouse Acton and shortly afterwards all children were required by law to attend school. Each year an inspector would check that the school was providing a good standard of education. Mr Williams, the teacher until 1901, had to teach up to 60 pupils in one class with the help of a “pupil teacher” a senior pupil aged between 13 and 18.
Learning was “by rote”, that is by sets of questions and answers learnt by heart. Science was taught using objects from the “object box”. Children learnt to write on slates before going on to use pen and ink. P.E. took the form of “drill”, or exercises, taken by the headmistress in the playground. There was strict discipline and the cane was regularly used for many reasons.
The highlights of the year for pupils were the “treat” days such as when children were allowed to visit the Church Stretton May Fair, or the large teas provided by the Acton family once a year.
School numbers rose during the war years when evacuees came from Chester, but with the village population going down, the school closed in 1951.
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