Local Studies
and Archive Centre
Research Guide: Education in Bexley
Log Books 1866 - 1997
Log books were kept by head teachers
of schools and are a vital source of information on both education and social
conditions in Bexley since 1866. Under the Revised Code of Regulations, 1862
the head teacher of each school was required to keep a daily log book of occurrences
at the school. Factors affecting staff and in particular pupil attendance were
a major preoccupation of Head Teachers. They note causes for falls in pupil
attendance, with references to disease, severe weather and work. Other information
included depends on the circumstances of the school and the attention to detail
of the head teacher. They might also include attendance statistics, lists of
teaching staff, the curriculum, dates and results of visits by H M Inspectors,
activities and events associated with wartime e.g. evacuation preparations,
and prize giving.
Usually the only individuals named in log books are members of staff. Occasionally
pupils may be mentioned, for example as prize winners and persistent misbehaviour.
Admission Registers 1866-2003*
School admission registers
are an important source of information on individual pupils in Bexley schools
in the late nineteenth century and twentieth century. From 1866 onwards head
teachers in the Bexley area kept admission registers. These contained information
about the child's school career in a standard register. However, the information
value depends upon the thoroughness of individual head teacher.
Usually the columns in an admission register allowed entries to be written
about the following for each pupil: Date of Admission; Full name of child;
Date of Birth; Address: Name of Parent or Guardian; Name of Last School; Particulars
of leaving the School, which includes references to further education or employment.
There is also a space is provided for the Head to make remarks on individual
pupils.
* Contain personal information and are therefore subject to the Data Protection
Act 1988. Please refer to staff for access.
Attendance Registers 1900-1992*
Head teachers are required
to ensure that an attendance register for all pupils on the school roll is
taken twice a day; once at the start of the morning session and once during
the afternoon session.
The registers record: the name of the class and form teacher; names of pupil;
pupil number; date of birth; address and daily record of morning and afternoon
attendance.
*Contain personal information and are therefore subject to
the Data Protection Act 1988. Please refer to staff for access.
Punishment Books 1921-1986*
The Archives contain punishment
books for only three schools in Bexley: Belvedere Primary School; Northumberland
Heath Primary School and Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. The longest
run of recording punishments is 1921-1983 for Belvedere Primary School, formally
known as West Street County Primary School.
The punishment book recorded corporal punishment and not other types of punishment
such as detention. They include the following details: date of punishment;
name of pupil; offence; type of punishment metered out and signature the of
teacher who gave administered the punishment.
* Contain personal information and are therefore subject to the Data Protection
Act 1988. Please refer to staff for access.
Administrative Records
These include records that record how
a particular school was managed. For some schools such as Chislehurst and
Sidcup Grammar School they include times timetables; statistical returns; school
entrance exams and local authority Education Committee Papers and for other
schools they include estate and school manager’s correspondence.
Photographs
These show individual classes and/or the whole
school. Can also include photographs of school plays, sports day or other school
events such as official openings.
Ephemera
In some school archives ephemera also includes photographs.
Other types of records that have been listed under ‘Ephemera’ include:
press cuttings; scrap books; videos and school magazines.
Parish Records - Schools
Before the passage of the Education
Act 1902, the administration of church schools was the responsibility of the
Parish in which the school resided. After 1902 church schools came under Local
Authority control.
Listed below are the Parish archives that contain records relating to schools,
such as copies of various education committee minutes; administrative correspondence;
cashbooks; property records including deeds and plans of school buildings
and occasionally school log books.
PA137C/25/ All Saints Parish, Belvedere
All Saints Boys School
(1872-1949)
All Saints Girl’s School (1872-1949)
PA101/25/ All Saints Parish, Foots Cray
Foots Cray Church
of England Primary School (1812-1991)
Also includes school log books
PA23C/25/B Christ Church, Bexleyheath
Welling Mixed School
(1835-1992)
Bexleyheath National School (1835-1992)
Also includes school log books
PA23B/25/B Holy Trinity Parish, Lamorbey
Holy Trinity Lamorbey
CE Primary School (1881-1955)
PA101D/25/B St Andrew Parish, Sidcup
Play Group/Nursery School
(1970-2001)
PA137/25/B St John Parish, Erith
Erith National School (1850-1908)
West Street School (1850-1908)
PA101B/25/B/ St John Parish, Sidcup
Birkbeck Primary School
(1874-1941)
PA23/25/B St Mary Parish, Bexley
Bexley and Bridgen National
Schools (1826-1956)
PA290B/25/B St Michael, East Wickham
Fosters Primary School
(1914-1961)
PA105/25/B St Paulinus Parish, Crayford
St Paulinus Primary
School (1906-1974)
Local Authority Records - Education
These mainly contain minutes
and papers of various education committees that were responsible for the
administration of education in the schools that came under their jurisdiction.
School Boards were created under the Elementary Education Act 1870 to establish
and administer non -denomination public elementary schools in their local area,
in addition to the various Church and private schools already in existence.
As with other Local Authorities the members of the Board were elected by local
ratepayers. The Education Act 1902 transferred the Board’s powers to
Kent County Council. When Erith and Bexley gained Borough status in 1937 and
1938 respectively new joint committees superseded Kent as the local education
authority.
LABE Bexley School Board and Successor Authorities
Records
of the Board (1894-1945)
Records of Treasurer (1895-1900)
LAEE Records of the Erith School Board and Successor Authorities
- Board/Committee
(1871-1945)
- Canteen Sub-Committee (1908-1912)
- Child Welfare & School Attendance (1936-1942)
- Eardley Exhibition Fund Trustees
(1877-1946)
- Finance, Works & Staff Sub-Committee (1907-1937)
- General Purposes Sub-Committee
(1903-1913)
- Higher Education Sub-Committee (1891-1944)
- School Management Sub-Committee
(1884-1913)
- Children’s Safety Joint Committee (1936-1940)
- Joint Advisory Committee
(1919-1920)
- Departmental Records: Secretary (1818-1946)
- Departmental Records: Treasurer
(1871-1946)
LABX/CD/ Bexley Borough Council and Predecessor Authorities
- Minutes
and Papers of the Education Committee (1900 – 1965)
LASF/CC/ Sidcup Urban District Council and Predecessor Authorities
- Education
Committee Meeting Papers (1902-1909)
LABX/CD/ Bexley Borough Council and Predecessor Authorities
- Committee
Records Education (1900-1965)
LAKC/ Kent County Council
School Governors Minutes (1948-1966)
LALB/DE/ London Borough of Bexley
Departmental records of
the Director of Education etc including Governor’s
Minutes (1947-1988)
Other Archive Collections: Schools and Education
Some of the
small collections of personal papers contain material relating to the school
lives of the individuals who created them. Amongst the personal papers you
will find schools reports; examination certificates and school prizes.
There are also relevant records in the archives of Rev. John Wells Wilkinson
(PEJWW); James Wellbeloved MP (PEJWB); Hall Place Academy (INHOU) and the Bexley
and Erith branches of the National Union of Teachers (CSNUT).
Local Studies
Pamphlet Collection
This collection contains school prospectuses;
inspection reports; timetables and ephemera such as events programmes and
school magazines from many of the primary and secondary schools in the London
Borough of Bexley.
Local Studies Photographic Collection
Includes external and
internal views of school buildings; children at work and play and some class
photographs. The majority of the photographs are in Black and White and were
taken between c.1906-1995
The Bobby Bartram Collection of Photographs contain black and white photographs
that were taken between 2003 – 2005. This was during a time when many
schools in Bexley were under going a programme of new building. This collection
contains photographs of the following schools:
Northumberland Primary School, March 2003
Orchard Primary School, August 2004
Bexleyheath Secondary School, August 2005
Upland Primary School August, 2005
Local Studies Postcard Collection
The postcard collection
contains images relating to schools in Bexley from the 1890s to 1950s. They
include views of class groups; pupils working in classrooms; exterior views
of schools, with some also showing school children and street scenes, that
include a view of particular school.
Further Reading
General History
Levy, LA and LM,
Education in Bexley: A History in the Area of
the London Borough to 1970 (1971)
School Histories – Primary Schools
Chamberlain, Bonita, Three
Cheers for North’Heath: The story
of Northumberland Heath Primary School (1995)
Catten, Dawn, The History of Hook Lane School 1907-1997
Kirkland, P E F, Days Lane Junior School Golden Jubilee
1931-1981 (1982)
Bishop, Joyce, A History of St Paulinus School (2001)
Champ, D, East Wickham Junior School Diamond Jubilee 1928-1988 (1988)
Foster’s Primary School (1999)
Evans, Gareth, A Century in the Life of Merton Court School,
Sidcup 1899-1999 (1998)
School Histories – Secondary Schools
Ackerley, RD, Bexley
Grammar School: A History (2004)
Wells, Charles, Past Purple: A History of Chislehurst
and Sidcup Grammar School (2002)
Sidcup School for Girls Golden Jubilee 1933-1983 (1983)
Erith Grammar School 1905-1955 (1956)
You can view the full catalogue records of these parishes by searching the
archives catalogue.
If you require detailed research, please use our Research
Service or visit
the Archives Centre in person. |
