Schools & Childhood in Bournemouth

Bournemouth's first schools were at Kinson and Holdenhurst in the early 19th century, when both communities were farming villages on the edge of Bourne Heath. These schools had little in common with today's schools, being either Sunday schools organised by the church or some children were given lessons by a woman in her own home. These were called 'Dame schools' and the teacher often had no training or education of her own. Many children had no schooling at all and were sent out to work at an early age.

In 1833 the Government took the first steps towards developing a system of state education and paid £20,000 towards opening new schools around the country. Within a few years there were daily schools at Kinson (opened in 1836), Holdenhurst and Pokesdown. In central Bournemouth a converted cottage was in use by 1834 as a schoolroom for nine boys and nine girls. When the Reverend Morden Bennett became the first Vicar of Bournemouth in 1845 he made it a priority to establish a church school. It was built in St Peter's Road in 1850 and survived until 1937. Georgina Talbot, the founder of Talbot Village, opened a school there in 1862. The 68 pupils were taught the three 'Rs' (reading, writing and arithmetic) and scripture.

By the end of the 19th century Bournemouth had many schools, some of them fee-paying to cater for the children of the town's wealthy residents and long-stay visitors.

School logbooks and inspectors' reports help to bring to life the daily activities of schoolteachers and pupils in 19th century Bournemouth. In 1868 the inspector visiting Holdenhurst School complained that there was only one teacher and she was 'totally untrained' the teaching was 'very elementary', the arithmetic 'very defective' and no logbook was kept. But he did compliment the school on having children who were 'neat and clean'.

In 1895 a schools' inspector reported that Kinson School was

'in good order and the work is going on steadily' with 'special attention is being paid to reading, spelling and problems in arithmetic, which were weak points last year. More time and care have also been given to geography'.

But another report in 1897 stated 'the staff is insufficient for the infants' room and should be strengthened'.

The Kinson School logbook for 1885 lists four of the main subjects taught as objects, common employment, phenomena of nature and scenes in common life'. The book divides 'Objects' into four sub-headings - animals (dog, tiger, mouse, horse, camel), plants (flowers, corn, sugar, cotton, pea), mineral (coal, chalk, iron, salt) and various (leather, money, umbrella, matches, form, colour). Under 'common empoyment' the children were to learn about carpenters, shoemakers and fishermen. Nature studies included stars, snow, sun, clouds and night and day, while lessons in common life comprised ships, rivers and gardens.

Illness, discipline and holidays

Problems with illness, holidays and discipline were among the matters referred to in the logbooks for Throop village school, which date back to 1878. Some entries are very sad, such as the one describing the death from diptheria in 1900 of a 'fine, bright little girl' called Alice Durnford. The other children attended her funeral instead of having their usual playtime. Epidemics of measles, whooping cough and scarlet fever sometimes forced the schools to close.

In 1883 six boys at Throop were punished for"climbing on the wall";and Fred Langdon for copying. A boy called Fred Barnes 'came to school with dirty hands and on being requested to show them, refused to do so'.

The headteacher wrote 'His mother encourages him to be disobedient and further says that I have no right to ask him to show his hands'.

In 1893 a pupil at Kinson School was punished for throwing stones at a teacher after school. A few months later he was in trouble again for spitting in his teacher's face, pulling the girls' hair and other bad behaviour'. The cane was a common form of punishment and the same boy refused to hold out his hand and instead 'received three strokes on another part of his person'. But it wasn't only the boys who got into trouble.

In 1885 Martha Phillips was punished for 'tampering with certain arithmetic books ... forging the teacher's mark against upwards of 40 sums and thereby falsely representing such sums as having been marked'.

Bessie Harvey and Emily Nippard were accused of 'continually playing fast and loose, now taking situations [jobs] and then being brought back to school'.

Helping them to catch up each time they returned was 'interfering with the progress of the rest of the class', according to their teacher.

The weather could also be a problem, heavy snow or flooded roads occasionally kept away children from outlying areas. 'Extremely wet in morning. No children present and very few in afternoon' says a logbook entry for 1 July 1879.

The long summer holidays in British schools started because children were needed to work in the fields at harvest time, and some of them even missed the start of the new term. 'Many of the children have not yet returned to school, the harvest not yet being quite over.''reported the Throop head teacher in 1883.

In 1888 Cornelia Marshall had 'resigned her post as monitor, her parents requiring her help at home'. In September 1884 at Kinson many children were away 'potato picking and blackberry gathering'.

In October 1887 it was reported that 29 children were away 'several of them running about the lanes picking up acorns for the pig, and this so near the examination'.

School treats and holidays are often mentioned in the logbook. 'Annual treat in Mr T Whitcher's field,' states one entry for 26 June 1878. Two days later the children were given a day's holiday for Coronation Day.

A week after that the log book reads 'One week's holiday given, the teacher not being able to be present. Three weeks to be given at harvest instead of usual month'.

One day's holiday was given 'that the room may be cleansed', others for the opening of Bournemouth Pier in 1880 and the Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887.

Among the causes of non-attendance at Kinson was the arrival of a circus in Bournemouth.