Schools

Christmas Eve at the Front

An interesting letter has just been received by Mrs Packer, of Broadclyst, from her husband, Corpl Packer of A Company, 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment, who is serving with the Expeditionary Force in Northern France. In the course of a letter he describes a remarkable incident which occurred on Christmas Eve between the British and German trenches.

Fashioned by Headmaster

Clocks and watches at Barley Grove Primary School, Torrington, are neglected, at least as far as telling the time is concerned. For the schoolchildren have a much more interesting way of finding out what time it is - they just go out into the playground and look up at the front porch of the school building.

Attached to the top of the porch-way is a sundial, made and inscribed by the school's headmaster, Mr J W Hicks.

This is the wording on the sundial "I am a clock that never ticks Fashioned by J W Hicks For the Blue Coat School at Torrington, Devon, in 1957

The full Gazette article is dated 14 February 1958

Not jam but honey on it at Langtree School

'A hive of activity'

might well describe the Nature Corner at Langtree CP School during the Summer term for an observation hive there has provided an unending source of interest.

The headmaster, Mr R A Yeo Jenn, who is a keen bee keeper and vice-chairman of the North Devon Bee Keepers' Association, told the Bideford Gazette that although the past season has been a very poor one for honey, the scholars at Langtree have been able to follow the full cycle of life in a colony of bees.

Interested in beekeeping? - visit THIS SITE

The full Gazette article is dated 8 August 1958

Painting parents make classrooms brighter

A group of parents of third-year pupils at Bideford School have been giving up their spare time

to improve the appearance of classrooms used by their sons and daughters on the upper storey of the old “Geneva” building.

They were there on Wednesday evening finishing the re-painting of the doors. Metal radiators and water pipes have also been painted and attention given to windows including the replacing of one or two cracked panes. Pupils have also helped by polishing brass and in other ways.

Within the next two years the building is due to be completely re-modelled and re-decorated, the headmaster, Mr John Dare, told the Gazette. For that reason, in these times of financial stringency, the county authority was naturally reluctant to spend very much money on temporary measures.

Mr Dare emphasised: “The county authority are not being awkward and I would not like it suggested that they are dragging their feet. They quite reasonably point out that at a very considerable cost the building is to be re-modelled in the 1977-78 programme.

The action of parents of the third year was, he added, typical of the interest being shown in a variety of ways by those of other form years. These were, in effect, sub-groups of the larger Friends of Bideford School organisation.

Mr R J Chappell, head of the third year, endorsing this, said the volunteer had made the rooms much more pleasant to work in. In addition to practical work, a community spirit was being built up through the desire to help.

The full Gazette article is dated 14 November 1975