The Old School 1900-1965

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Old School on the left of image 1930s

Teachers on Helpston census records ¹

1901 Census – Robert Lake – Schoolmaster – living in The School House.
1911 Census – Lucy Lake – Trained Certified Infant Teacher – living in The School House (widow) and – William Henry Cutland – Trained Certificated Schoolmaster – tenant in Chocolate Cottage, Woodgate.
1921 Census – James Frederick Whitby – Elementary School Master living in The School House and Lucy Jane Lake  (Widow) – Elementary School Mistress trained and certified, living on Station Road (Glinton Road) near the school.

First female Headteacher

Stamford Mercury 31 July 1908
SOKE OF PETERBOROUGH EDUCATION COMMITTEE
……………………………………………………….. The
clerk said it was his painful duty to report the
death of Mr. Lake, the Headmaster of Help-
ston school. He asked that the school should be
carried on by Mrs Lake, who was a fully quali-
fied teacher, until a new Headmaster could be
appointed.

Headteachers until the closure of the school in 1965

James Whitby officially retired from the school on 30 June 1943.²  The new headmaster appointed was Mr Howard Wheelwright Gagg² who remained at the school until it closed in 1965. Mr Gagg then moved along with the pupils, to the new John Clare School on West St.

Take a day off – January 1925 ³

It was reported in the press
‘ The managers of the council schools gave
the scholars a day off in recogni-
tion of the very good report received from
the Board of Education’.

Electricity arrives at the school

A report in the Peterborough Standard on 1 Feb 1935 –
‘…… tenders received for the installation of
electric light in Helpston Council School
and the Headmaster’s house ……
Eight lighting points in the school £7 10s’.

Meals kitchen located to old Methodist Chapel ⁴

In 1946, the Soke Education Committee purchased the old school room and the Methodist Chapel (now the Scout and Guide Centre) for use as a ‘school meals centre’ at a cost of £500. An additional £360 was spent for the adaption of use.

1 1901 and 1911 Census records – Ancestry.co.uk and the 1921 Census – Find my past
2 Peterborough Standard 2 July 1943
3 Peterborough Standard 25 Jan 1925
4 Chapel records held at Northampton Records Office and Peterborough Standard 12 April 1946
With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive