Our School

According to a directory, of 1895, the Board School at Renishaw was erected in 1873, “for 180 boys and girls and 80 infants”. The average attendance was 170 boys and girls and 64 infants.

The history of Renishaw School towards the end of the nineteenth century is recorded in the Infant Department Log book with the first entry dated Friday, 12th March 1875, when an examination was held in the afternoon, by Her Majesty’s Inspectors with the school managers being present. In the early years, the weather tended to determine the attendance figures.

Holidays were also different from those of today. In that year of 1875, the Harvest holidays lasted from 12th August to 13th September. On the 3rd August 1876, the headteacher, Miss A Brown left and Miss Harriet Stickley took over.

Over the next decade headteachers came and went. (One interesting point – Christmas 1878 – each child received an orange and a few nuts). By January, 1888, the heating had been rearranged and additional piping put in so that the school was heated by hot water.

The system not surprisingly, suffered badly during spells of severe cold weather. Another major factor which affected attendance was illness, as can be testified by the entry for May, 1895, when the school was closed for three weeks, owing to an outbreak of measles. By the 1890 By the 1890’s the numbers in school were rising.

It was also a period during which fees were paid. The school would close for national celebrations and occasions. This was the case on 22nd and 23rd June 1897, when Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee was celebrated.