Chapter 12

Little Acorns

Chapter 12

EXTRACTS FROM THE MINUTES BOOK OF THE NATIONAL SCHOOL MANAGERS.

March 1952. A discussion on how to raise money to build a Schoolhouse for the Schoolmaster, as suitable accommodation was difficult to find at that time.
Interest free loans of £100 for 10 years and donations were made by School Managers and others enabling the deposit necessary to be paid to the Building Society. The Rector Mr. A. Steel issued the receipts for the loans to the various lenders. The Rev. G. E. Stephens repaid the loans 10 years later.
1952, July 16th. The Rector, Mr. Steel reported he had received £325 in loans and £10 in donations for which he gave receipts.
March 20th, 1953. The Rector, Rev. B. Lord, had received applications for the post of Headmaster. Mr. Harrison of Whitechapel being appointed to Succeed Mr. J. N. Jones. The number of applications proves the attraction of a house with the post.
August 9th, 1954. Applications were made for the post of Headmaster on the death of Mr. Harrison. Mr. J. N. Fairhurst was appointed. Croston Schocl 1960.

October 1961. POSSIBLE EDUCATIONAL REORGANISATION OF PRIMARY EUCATION IN MAWDESLEY.
A represtntative from the Education Authorities a Mr. Gohl, contacted the Rector, Mr. Stephens with a proposition for the amalgamation of the Wesleyan and Church Schools (The Wesleyan School had gone controlled in 1948, retaining a full number of Wesleyan managers and teachers).
At this time there was an assumption that the Wesleyan School would have to be closed.

The Rector emphatically rejected the proposal as we did not want the Wesleyan Scholars, for the two schools to be amalgamated as a controlled school and made it clear that the Church School would continue as such: aided status.

He saw no reason as to why the Church School could not absorb the scholars from the Wesleyan School if it had to close as the Church School was large enough for the numbers at the time. (It was estimated that only a quarter of the scholars at the controlled school were Wesleyans in 1869).

October 23rd, 1961. 40 Applications were received for the post of Headmaster. Mr.Woolford being appointed.
May 27th, 1963. He was appointed Lecturer in Primary Education at Liverpool University.
September 1969. The Managers were prepared to absorb the Methodist ControlLed School scholars in to our aided school, also one Methodist to be as Manager.
The Managers to consist of 5 Church Representatives, 3 from the local authority and one Wesleyan Chapel.
October 1970. Mr. Greenwood appointed temporary Head.
July 1971. That the two Primary Schools, Mawdeley C.E. Primary School and the County Gontrolled S`chool known locally as the Methodist School be amalgamated under Church of England Aided Status.
lhe Rector, Mr. Stephens issued this statement in the Parish agazine. January 16th 1974.
There seems to be some misinformed misapprehensions abroad in the Parish as to the proposed Primary Education reorganisation in Mawdesley.
The Church was approached by the County (not the other way round) to see if discussions could be initiated on the future of Primary School Education. It was as a result of these discussions that there came forth the proposal that the Church School should take in the scholars from the County Controlled School. This the County Officials pointed out would involve the Church in enlarging its Hurst Green Premises to take the extra children.
Let it be noted that it was the County which took the initiative in this matter. The Church Authorities and Diocesan Education Committee agreed to the above proposal.
Leading up to this agreement, joint meetings of the Managers of both Schools had been held. The Managers of the County Controlled School were fully conversant with the above proposals, to which they agreed. This meant the closure of the Controlled School when the Aided School had been enlarged.
The Church realised it would be involved in financial sacrifice. Under the arrangement for State Aided Schools the Church would raise 15% £6,C00 of the £40,000 costs of the extensions. The Wesleyans would not incur any expenditure and have not done so since 1948.
When building was planned on Brookfield, Willows and Ashtrees, 80 or 90 houses. Brookfield was planned to link up with the road in front of the school and School house. This was altered to avoid through traffic. No thought was giver to children wishing to attend the C.E. School. A path could have been left to give access to School. Today there is a vacant plot opposite the School.
The school children from these three roads were more or less compelled to attend the controlled school on the dangerous Four Lane Ends. The children from the controlled school had to use the Rectory Field for games. The Teachers were afraid to take the children to the bottom entrance of the field because of the traffic in the narrow stretch in High Street. They used the
entrance at the top of the field which is rented by a farmer growing vegetables. He turned a blind eye to this passage over his land as he was well aware of the dangers on the road.
When asked a few years ago the Headmaster said he had only 3 Scholars from the Estate. Since the amalgamation there are 13 Scholars in each of the four Classes at Hurst Green from the estate.
Many of the children from the estate are trespassing, making their way from the Willows along the side of the next field toget to Hurst Green.
The powers that be could have done much better and could still do something for the children to reach School.
We had a representative on the Planning Committee at Chorley being a School Manager and a member of the Church Council, at the time the plans were altered and Brookfield closed off.
There was a story going the rounds of the Village that the Church owed one man money which he had loaned. This came to my ears on two occasions about 1974. When this was checked through the School Managers minute book there was no mention of any loan from this person. The only loan asked for was in 1952 and the man was buried in 1949. There
was another story current that the C.E. School (aided) would not receive as good book and equipment as a controlled school The money allowance per scholar is the same for all schools.