In 1707 our school opened its doors for the first time to 20 poor pupils of the parish. The school had been built by Richard Piggott, cutler and citizen of London, son of William Piggott of this parish. The first schoolmaster was Mr Samuel Higgs and he taught the children until 1758.
The school was supervised by The Bishop of Sarum and the Vicar of Shinfield.
The children received a gift of clothing every May at the Founder’s Day service. For boys this was, 1 grey cloth coat, 1 blue cap, 2 bands, 1 pair of shoes and 1 pair of buckles. Girls received 1 gown, 1 petticoat of blue serge, 2 quoifs, 2 bands, 1 pair of stockings, 1 pair of shoes and 1 pair of buckles. They had to keep the clothes in school and take them home every Friday in a bag that was provided, to be cleaned. In the unfortunate event of a child being expelled, their last suit of clothes had to be left to their successors!
The school managers were quite forward looking and tried to secure apprenticeships for their pupils. The first apprenticed pupil was a girl named Susan Scott who was apprenticed to a “seamster”, Mrs Young of Westminster, for 7 years.
Other pupils were given apprenticeships as follows: apprentice pump maker, bodice maker, cordwainer, mantua maker and barber.
Many of the pupils were expected to work on local farms or smallholdings so the school year was organised around the farming calendar.
Holidays were as follows: 1 week at Christmas, 2 weeks at bean setting, 2 days at Easter, 2 days at Whitsun, 2 weeks at Hay Harvest and 2 weeks at Corn Harvest. Pupil absence was a severe problem but improved in the 1890’s when attendance became compulsory and parents became responsible for getting the children to school.
The school week was long, six days, to include attendance at two services of Divine Worship on Sundays.
There have been some very troublesome schoolmasters at Shinfield! James Critcher, an ex pupil, was appointed as schoolmaster but was later removed by the Trustees for failing to march the children to church on Sundays, despite his protestations of ill health. His replacement was a man named James Draper. Mr Draper felt that the school building had been neglected during Mr Critcher’s time and he took it upon himself to use £250 of his own money on improvements.
Were the Trustees impressed? No No No. They admonished him for not seeking their permission to make the improvements and he lost his temper with them. The Trustees then withheld his salary, so Mr Draper sent a representative of the High Sheriff to collect it. In the heated exchanges, somehow Mr Draper managed to attack one of the parents, a local mole catcher named John Hall, with a hammer. For this offence he received several months in Reading Gaol!!
I am pleased to say that more recent Headteachers have been far less belligerent!! However, we have a certain sympathy for Mr Draper who spent a considerable amount of his own money to improve the school and received no thanks.
Numbers of pupils fluctuated over the years, but in 1870, as a result of the Education Act, compulsory elementary education for all children from 5-13 became law. This meant that large numbers of pupils had to stay on at school until they were nearly 14 years of age. In 1889, one of the Trustees, Reverend G.B. Hulme died and his children offered to build another schoolroom as a memorial to him. This meant that the number of pupils increased to 60. Numbers of pupils and teachers continued to increase during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In 1903, a bright 5 year old named Beatrice Druett, skipped into school for the first time, little knowing that this was to be the start of a continuous association with the school for the next 50 years. Beatrice stayed at the school as a senior pupil helping younger pupils and then doing odd jobs. Eventually, she became a supplementary teacher and taught the reception class for many years. She was a much loved and
well- respected member of staff.
The school continued to function during the WW2 years and took in evacuees. From 1945-1979 Mr J E Jackson was a hugely popular Headteacher. The school role continued to rise and the original school became too small to accommodate all the pupils. Mr Jackson managed the transition from Primary School to separate Infant and Junior Schools on different sites in 1968/69.
Throughout the 1980’s, 1990’s and early 21st century, numbers increased to an all time high of approximately 500 in both schools and the nursery class.
This popular and successful school is a tribute to the many dedicated and forward thinking personalities that have graced its rooms, pupils, parents, teachers, headteachers, trustees, governors and most of all, its Founder, Richard Piggott. Long may the current (two schools) continue to provide a stimulating and high quality education under the leadership of their headteachers, Mrs Mandy Turner and Ms Jane Morgan.
The Infant School history room is open to the general public, please call the office on 0118 9883389 for opening times and to book an appointment.
300 years is a fantastic achievement for any school and we are going to celebrate in style. Within the two schools various special events are being planned and there will be a Royal visitor at some point.
On 19th May 2007 we held a day of celebrations for our Tercentenary.
10.00-12.00: Infant school tours
12.00-4.00: Traditional Fayre on the village green with craft demonstrations, pageant, tug of war, Morris dancing, maypole dancing, swing boats, gallopers, Victorian toffee apples, candyfloss, sweets, silver band, Hog Roast, refreshments etc.
19.00-22.00: reunion reception to include hot/cold buffet, drink, entertainment and exhibitions.
This was a community event as well as a school event and was well attended by many people from all over the world. It was a unique occasion in the life of the school. More details can be found in the History Room, where a display and phoographs chronicle these special events. the books also contain many photographs and recollections by past staff and pupils.