School History

Punishment Book School Logbook (1920s) Photographs


First school in Corton 1895 (opposite The Close)	Building the new school	1903	1919	Teachers Miss Martha Bloomfield and Miss Bertha Hood 1947	No date	1922	1926	Working in the school garden 1927

History of the School

Corton School was officially opened by the Bishop of Norwich on 3rd February 1896 after the old school building became overcrowded. Mr Matthias Burgess was the first headmaster. In the same year Laleham Cottages were built next to the school. One of these (now 21 The Street) was let to the school managers for the headteacher's accommodation and he used a gate from his garden to go through to the playground.

The total cost of building the school was £1,383 14s 11d

On the east wall of the school were the words ' All Wisdom Cometh from the Lord 1896'

In 1903 the Board of Managers were the Reverend Joseph Cooper, Ernest Fowler of Gunton Hall, Henry Rackham of Woodlands Farm and Robert Hood Churchwarden. Foundation (Church) Managers - Reverend T.B. Davenport (Methodist Minister) appointed by the Parish Council and George Soanes, Russell Colman's agent, appointed by the County Council.

In 1929, 84 children attended the school.

In 1933 the managers agreed that a mains water supply (instead of a pump), water closets, and electric light should be installed

In the 1950s, dinners were supplied from a Beccles depot!

Headteachers of the School

Matthias Burgess

Herbert Cole

Mrs Walter

Miss Lilian Felce

Miss A. Hanson

Majorie Bloomfield

Mrs Ward

Mr Best

Mr Russell

Mrs S. Kearley

Mrs Cunnane

Miss Bertha Hood has been the longest serving teacher. She is seen in a photograph in 1903 when she was a student teacher and she retired from teaching in 1950.

Teachers

Miss Cramp-Wisky

Miss Hylton

Mrs Nathan

Mrs Olive Barker

Miss Lewis

Mrs Braybrooke

Mrs Hill

Mrs Stone

Mrs Gaylard

Punishment Book

Years ago, if children were naughty they were punished in various ways - very different to punishments today. Here are some examples of the punishments children received:

The first entry in Corton School's Punishment Book was

15th October 1900	Willie Bowler	Telling a barefaced lie	Strokes with the cane	M.H. Burgess
Other entries include
23rd February 1903	Stanley Riches (aged 7½)	Swearing in Playground during Rec time	Cuts on the hand with the cane and across the trouser seat	M.H. Burgess
12th October 1904	Barbara Buttifant (age 7)	Carelessly tearing the leaf of her school reading book	One stroke of the cane on the hand	M.H. Burgess
8 December 1905	Frank Buttifant	Sulkiness	Strokes on seat	MHB
14th May 1907	Stanley Lake	Continual loitering on way to school	About 4 strokes on buttock	MHB
19th September 1916	Fred Durrant	Pulling faces	2 strokes. Also 7 or 8 across buttocks for refusing to put out hand
Last entry in the Punishment Book:
1st October 1924	William Amiss	Throwing stones at school bell after warning	4 strokes

School Logbook

Every headteacher keeps a log book of what happens in school during the term.

Here are a few entries from a logbook in the 1920s

Mr E. W. Smith, Butcher, 116 Raglan Street, supplies farmyard manure 6/- a load
8.4.29	School reopened after Easter Holidays. 5 children admitted, 1 left. No on roll: 85 Infant Class 20 Miss Hylton Std I, II, III, 31 Miss Hood IV, V & over 11 33 Miss Felce NB: Only seems to be 84 - I wonder who the other one was!
6.5.29	Nurse Hayward visited and examined all children. 4 not quite clean 69 present
11.6.29	Fire drill carried out. School out in 20 seconds ( Can you beat that today Corton Children?)