General Knowledge Life And Times Of A Village School A Brief History Of Ratby School

From 1873 To 1900

By Michael Ball (Michael was a former pupil of Ratby School and Chair of Governors for several years , during which the school encountered its first Ofsted Inspection)

Ratby School will be celebrating its 150th birthday this July. So this story begins in July 1873. It covers some of the experiences of both teaching staff, the children, and their parents, drawing on information contained in the daily log books of the first three head teachers, Abraham Forrayan , (previously a master at Groby school) Francis Pitman and finally Diggory Nicholas.

Prior to 1873 there was no formal education for the large majority of Ratby children. However it’s evident from the Groby Head Teacher’s logbook that some children from Ratby had been attending the church run school there.

Across

5. Spotted or calico horse (5)

8. Implements for practical use, tools (8)

9. Hair on the chin (5)

10. Building near to or up against a main building (8)

11. City in central Egypt on the east bank of the Nile (5)

14. Evergreen tree with small berries and glossy aromatic leaves (3)

16. White sheep originating in Spain (6)

17. Discrimination against a person in the latter part of life (6)

18. Diving bird of northern seas (3)

20. Brass instrument without valves (5)

24. Capital of Hawaii (8)

25. Genetic copy (5)

26. Type of very hot Indian curry (8)

27. Capital of Ghana (5)

Down

1. Second largest of the Great Lakes (5)

2. Mooring (5)

3. Berkshire town, famous for its racecourse (5)

4. Colourless watery fluid of blood (6)

6. Lumps of frozen water, usually with six sides (3,5)

7. Herbivorous land turtle (8)

12. Government whose head of state is not a monarch (8)

13. Merchant who designs and sells hats (8)

14. Fluffy scarf of feathers (3)

15. Ox from Tibet (3)

19. Imaginary place considered perfect (6)

21. ___ Allen, US filmmaker and comic actor (5)

22. Pen made from a bird’s feather (5)

23. Royal house of which Elizabeth I was a member (5)

See page 15 for answers

An article in the Leicester Chronicle of 1873 records that the architect for the school was a Mr Goodacre of Leicester, and the builder Mr Wigglesworth, (a Canadian) of Ratby. The cost of the school building and Head Teacher’s house was £1515. For the vast majority of Ratby children and indeed their parents, this was a new experience. The introduction of formal attendance at school was a shock to the normal day to day rhythms of village life. Ratby in those days was a mixed rural community consisting of several large farms. The village also had a substantial number of families working in the hosiery trade.

Child labour on the village farms was common place A typical example of this is recorded in the Head teacher’s daily log book;

June 27th 1874. Average attendance this week nearly 90, though the attendance was not regular, especially at the former part of the week many children being in the hayfield.

On some occasions large numbers of children would absent themselves

July 11th 1874 Attendance somewhat spoiled by a Circus at Leicester on Monday which drew great numbers. Several absent the whole week owing to this, and the hay harvest.

July 18th 1874 Obliged to give a holiday at 12 o’clock on Monday as the Children attending the Primitive Methodist Sunday School had an Annual treat in the afternoon.

Sometimes the log book entries read like episodes from Downton Abbey. Until 1925 Ratby was essentially a Manorial village The Earl of Stamford, the Lord of the Manor would take several of the older children out for several days each November to act as beaters for the annual pheasant shoots, much to the annoyance of the Head Teacher.

Other distractions from daily life of the school were caused by parents involved in the hosiery trade taking their daughters out of school on Fridays to assist their mother in seaming hosiery prior to the Saturday morning collection by the Hosier at the Plough Inn. One feature of the Foster Education Act of 1870 was that education of the children was essentially free, but parents were required to pay 2 pence per child per week. (equal to about 52p nowadays) Problems with payments were frequent entries in the Head’s Logbook

On the 26th September 1874 the Headteacher writes; Having had considerable difficulty several times with Mrs Harris regarding her Grandchildren’s School pence I sent the boy home on Tuesday when he came without the full amount. He came back again saying his grandmother would send it next Monday, but as I had been repeatedly deceived by that promise before, I decided to send him away till the full amount should come.

Problems with pupil attendance finally came to a head when the Leicestershire County Education Committee introduced School Attendance officers .We see for the first time reports in the newspapers of several Ratby Parents appearing at the Market Bosworth petty sessions charged with the offence that they had persistently failed to send their children to school.

The first ten years were a learning curve for teachers, pupils, and their parents. Following the arrival of Head Teacher Diggory Nicholas the daily logs are filled with records of scholastic achievements. However he did also encounter problems.

In the winter months keeping the school warm was often a problem The classrooms were in those days heated by means of cast iron pot-bellied stoves. In exceptionally cold weather the stoves failed to keep the children warm. Consequently Mr Nicholas was forced to ask permission from County Education officials to close the school for three days.

We have all experienced the recent problems with the Covid Pandemic The later years of the 19thcentury was also a period when the school encountered two major infections which were fatal to children. Both Measles and Scarlet fever were a problem for the school.

Scarlet fever closed the school for several weeks in 1893. On Nov 13 Mr Nicholas notes ‘The School Board on the advice of Dr Wright have decided to close for four weeks as the village is now full of Scarlet Fever.’

Mr Nicholas continued in post until 1911 when he became seriously ill. On the 3rd of July 1912 the School log records; ‘we regret to have to record the death of Mr Nicholas took place this morning.’

The penultimate page of this school log book reported that ‘on July 5thThe Funeral of Mr Nicholas has taken place today. The Children assembled in the yard to pay their last tribute of respect to much loved Headteacher.’

(Residents of Nicholas Drive in Ratby may like to know that this road was named after him.)

Michael Ball and Sue Boud. ( Ratby Local History research group ) sueboud@hotmail.com 0116 2394873