PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
|
|
St Paul's Parochial School was located in Cornwall Street, Devonport, a thickly populated district of the parish of Stoke Damerel. The premises were also used as a Mission Chapel, having been erected in 1860 during the incumbency of the Reverend John Adams. The building was designed by Mr Piers St Aubyn, of London, and consisted of two large well lit and ventilated rooms to accommodate 140 children daily. A small playground was attached and the total area of the premises covered some 2,000 feet. 'In consequence of the paucity of funds, that portion of the original plan which provided for the erection of class-rooms and a better entrance for the upper room was not carried out'. Boys, girls and infants attended the School, although boys over seven years of age were not as a rule admitted, especially if they were troublesome, which in that area of Devonport was apparently not unusual! There were about 150 children on the registers of which about 100 attended daily. Some of the parents of the district were accused of 'looking upon the necessity of regular attendance with great laxity'. There was no particular qualification required for entry into the St Paul's and although it was a church school, all sects were admitted. The education provided by the certified mistress and her assistant was of an elementary nature, due to the tender age of the pupils, although scripture and the Church catechism was included. In addition, the older girls were taught needlework and knitting. Children under the age of 5 paid a penny a week while those over that age paid 2d, although this rule was overlooked in the cases of large families and great poverty. As a result, the larger number of pupils paid only a penny. The School cost about £80 a year to run and this was all paid for by the Government Grant, school pence and voluntary contributions. In 1867 the latter amounted to around £15, with a further £7 to £8 coming from the church offertory on behalf of the School. School pence receipts amounted to £23 10s. The School was not inspected by the Government until 1866 and the first grant amounted to £16 19s 7d, which was viewed as rather indifferent. A larger grant was hoped for in future as the mistress in charge had made great progress with the School since that inspection. St Paul's was a poor parish and although the education of the girls and infants was regarded as adequate, it was felt that there was a need for a good boys school with facilities for a night school. The only such school in the area was the Royal Naval and Military Schools where the children of soldiers, sailors, fishermen and watermen were taught for a penny a week. Those of other occupations were not admitted. [This summary is taken from an article in the Western Daily Mercury for Wednesday May 20th 1868, courtesy of the Plymouth Central Reference Library].
|
