Lessons in the new School
It was not a good start. A browse through the minutes of governors’ meetings will tell you as much. But schooldays are schooldays and children make the most of them. They aren’t interested in educational philosophy but fun and characters. St Austell County School’s formative years provide an interesting antithesis: on one side an impeding inspection and the evitable demise of the Head and on the other the views of pupils as summed up by Anne Treneer, “I enjoyed it all! How much I enjoyed all the free pathways to knowledge opened up for me at St Austell”. Relying on some school records and Anne’s account a picture of the first few years can be sketched.
The new school’s Head was William Downing Raynor. Born in 1875 he graduated with a Science degree from Oxford in 1896 to embark on a teaching career. After a two year stint at the Pembroke Dock County School he moved to Yorkshire where he briefly taught in four Grammar schools: Bradford, Doncaster, Audlem and Northallerton. Then in July 1905 he took up the appointment of Head of St Austell’s Pupil-Teacher Centre based on West Hill.
Anne liked Raynor, tall in his black scholar’s gown with a scholar’s stoop which she tried to imitate. It was indeed a memorable day for her when he ventured to Gorran to play cricket for St Austell. Her “Achilles in shining armour” was not much of a cricketer though and her brother Stan bowled him for two. Anne’s sister Susan was disappointed that he hadn’t pressed his flannels but Stan thought him a nice enough fellow.
Apart from Raynor there were three other teachers in the converted chapel buildings Miss Passmore, Miss Flamank and Miss Goff.
Londoner Mary Passmore was born in 1878 and was awarded a BA from London University before coming to Cornwall to take up a teaching post at Launceston High in 1902. She arrived at the PT centre in 1905. Anne describes her English teacher as a little ball of energy with an idiosyncratic voice. She wore pince-nez and could instill law and order by simply peering over the top of them! We can only imagine.
Dora Flamank was a Cornish girl. She qualified to teach from the Truro Diocesan Training Centre before becoming Head of Ruan Lanihorne National School in 1904. She joined the St Austell staff in December 1905 and taught Anne History. Her enthusiasm was contagious and Anne caught it. At the end of the summer term in 1908 Miss Flamank moved to a school at Saxmundham.
At thirty three the eldest member of staff was Constance Goff who took up her post in 1906. In the eighteen months she was at the school she taught drawing which she was well qualified. In January 1908 she became an Assistant Mistress at Folkestone County School.
When Anne moved into the “fine granite building on the hill” there were new teachers to be encountered. Winifred Keniston arrived to teach Drawing and Painting; Edith Thomas was employed to be in charge of the Junior Department and taught French; Leslie Morris took up his first appointment as a Geography teacher; Francis Trim taught Woodwork throughout the school; Harry Lodge came to take charge of Mathematics and Physics.
“Science under Mr Lodge was not my forte” wrote Anne. However, ever since the Foundation Stone ceremony of February 1907 Anne found team games to be a strong suit. With her friends Vicky Stauffer and Milly Turner she formed a girls’ cricket team and later started tennis and hockey clubs.
Apart from games it is quite clear that Anne enjoyed the study of literature most of all. It was Miss Goff who encouraged Anne to read Scott and she was eternally grateful to Miss Passmore for having shown her Shakespeare. Lesson after lesson seemed to be reading around the classroom one week Cymbeline, the next “Winter’s Tale”, moving on to “Timon of Athens” and then “As you like it”. Taking key parts thrilled her. Bitterly disappointed when her friends were chosen to read dramatic passages she was thrilled to land the role of Macbeth.
Behind the scenes, however, another tragedy was unfolding. The School did not enjoy the wholehearted support of the townsfolk, even the governors. A mixed school was frowned upon by some and rumours of poor discipline were spreading.
A local clergyman in particular was unhappy about the education his daughter was or was not receiving and he drew the governors’ attention to her Art lessons. Ultimately he withdrew his daughter from School.
Worse was to come though. In 1910 there was “scandalous” disciplinary case. A parent claimed that twelve year old Monty Coon had behaved in a lewd manner to his nine year old daughter. It was a protracted case with Monty initially isolated before being suspended only to be re-instated after the Local Education Authority intervened.
Although Raynor weathered these storms the governors were only biding their time because they knew an Inspection was imminent. Funnily enough Anne recounts her part in the inspection but seemingly oblivious to the wider machinations.
“Mr Cherill, an inspector, came in and asked to hear our poems. Most of us muffed them. The mere presence of the irascible Cherril drove our lines from our heads. He was complaining that we mumbled when Lizzie (George) arose as a mother of Israel. “Farewell to thee, France” she shouted…”when thy diadem crowned me, I made thee the gem and the wonder of the earth.” We looked, we listened. Lizzie went on, growing every moment intense and more falsetto. Mr Cherril was stunned. Then suddenly it began to seem funny. Vic and I gave a preliminary heave and in a moment we were struggling with great gusts of suppressed laughter. They rose in the abdomen, convulsed our side walls, and issued forth in water at the eyes. The agony of keeping some sort of still surface above the quakes was rending us when Mr Cherill fixed us with his gold-rimmed glasses. The poem ended, he said to Vic, “What have you been reading lately, Victoria?”
“King Solomon’s Mines “said Vic in a kind of volcanic burst.
“And what do you remember of it?”
“He had …he had … a glass eye,” said she.
“And what have you been reading?” snapped the inspector at me.
“King Solomon’s Mines,” I said.
“And what do you remember?”
“He … he …had false teeth.”
Mine was the shot which sent the stopper out of the bottle. We were helpless to the growing blasts of laughter in us. We gave ourselves up for lost. Mr Cherril with a glare which included us all, even undefeated Lizzie George, went out of the room.”
The following poor Inspection Report made life difficult for Raynor. He had to take responsibility for the allegations of lack of discipline and poor organization of the staff and resigned with effect from 13th April 1910. Anne of course does not discuss such matters but in Raynor’s defence she describes “an open minded education which made us see both sides of every question …That in adolescence and maturity the mind and spirit must be free to explore and express is, with me, a matter more profound faith than what is known as Faith.”
The new school’s Head was William Downing Raynor. Born in 1875 he graduated with a Science degree from Oxford in 1896 to embark on a teaching career. After a two year stint at the Pembroke Dock County School he moved to Yorkshire where he briefly taught in four Grammar schools: Bradford, Doncaster, Audlem and Northallerton. Then in July 1905 he took up the appointment of Head of St Austell’s Pupil-Teacher Centre based on West Hill.
Anne liked Raynor, tall in his black scholar’s gown with a scholar’s stoop which she tried to imitate. It was indeed a memorable day for her when he ventured to Gorran to play cricket for St Austell. Her “Achilles in shining armour” was not much of a cricketer though and her brother Stan bowled him for two. Anne’s sister Susan was disappointed that he hadn’t pressed his flannels but Stan thought him a nice enough fellow.
Apart from Raynor there were three other teachers in the converted chapel buildings Miss Passmore, Miss Flamank and Miss Goff.
Londoner Mary Passmore was born in 1878 and was awarded a BA from London University before coming to Cornwall to take up a teaching post at Launceston High in 1902. She arrived at the PT centre in 1905. Anne describes her English teacher as a little ball of energy with an idiosyncratic voice. She wore pince-nez and could instill law and order by simply peering over the top of them! We can only imagine.
Dora Flamank was a Cornish girl. She qualified to teach from the Truro Diocesan Training Centre before becoming Head of Ruan Lanihorne National School in 1904. She joined the St Austell staff in December 1905 and taught Anne History. Her enthusiasm was contagious and Anne caught it. At the end of the summer term in 1908 Miss Flamank moved to a school at Saxmundham.
At thirty three the eldest member of staff was Constance Goff who took up her post in 1906. In the eighteen months she was at the school she taught drawing which she was well qualified. In January 1908 she became an Assistant Mistress at Folkestone County School.
When Anne moved into the “fine granite building on the hill” there were new teachers to be encountered. Winifred Keniston arrived to teach Drawing and Painting; Edith Thomas was employed to be in charge of the Junior Department and taught French; Leslie Morris took up his first appointment as a Geography teacher; Francis Trim taught Woodwork throughout the school; Harry Lodge came to take charge of Mathematics and Physics.
“Science under Mr Lodge was not my forte” wrote Anne. However, ever since the Foundation Stone ceremony of February 1907 Anne found team games to be a strong suit. With her friends Vicky Stauffer and Milly Turner she formed a girls’ cricket team and later started tennis and hockey clubs.
Apart from games it is quite clear that Anne enjoyed the study of literature most of all. It was Miss Goff who encouraged Anne to read Scott and she was eternally grateful to Miss Passmore for having shown her Shakespeare. Lesson after lesson seemed to be reading around the classroom one week Cymbeline, the next “Winter’s Tale”, moving on to “Timon of Athens” and then “As you like it”. Taking key parts thrilled her. Bitterly disappointed when her friends were chosen to read dramatic passages she was thrilled to land the role of Macbeth.
Behind the scenes, however, another tragedy was unfolding. The School did not enjoy the wholehearted support of the townsfolk, even the governors. A mixed school was frowned upon by some and rumours of poor discipline were spreading.
A local clergyman in particular was unhappy about the education his daughter was or was not receiving and he drew the governors’ attention to her Art lessons. Ultimately he withdrew his daughter from School.
Worse was to come though. In 1910 there was “scandalous” disciplinary case. A parent claimed that twelve year old Monty Coon had behaved in a lewd manner to his nine year old daughter. It was a protracted case with Monty initially isolated before being suspended only to be re-instated after the Local Education Authority intervened.
Although Raynor weathered these storms the governors were only biding their time because they knew an Inspection was imminent. Funnily enough Anne recounts her part in the inspection but seemingly oblivious to the wider machinations.
“Mr Cherill, an inspector, came in and asked to hear our poems. Most of us muffed them. The mere presence of the irascible Cherril drove our lines from our heads. He was complaining that we mumbled when Lizzie (George) arose as a mother of Israel. “Farewell to thee, France” she shouted…”when thy diadem crowned me, I made thee the gem and the wonder of the earth.” We looked, we listened. Lizzie went on, growing every moment intense and more falsetto. Mr Cherril was stunned. Then suddenly it began to seem funny. Vic and I gave a preliminary heave and in a moment we were struggling with great gusts of suppressed laughter. They rose in the abdomen, convulsed our side walls, and issued forth in water at the eyes. The agony of keeping some sort of still surface above the quakes was rending us when Mr Cherill fixed us with his gold-rimmed glasses. The poem ended, he said to Vic, “What have you been reading lately, Victoria?”
“King Solomon’s Mines “said Vic in a kind of volcanic burst.
“And what do you remember of it?”
“He had …he had … a glass eye,” said she.
“And what have you been reading?” snapped the inspector at me.
“King Solomon’s Mines,” I said.
“And what do you remember?”
“He … he …had false teeth.”
Mine was the shot which sent the stopper out of the bottle. We were helpless to the growing blasts of laughter in us. We gave ourselves up for lost. Mr Cherril with a glare which included us all, even undefeated Lizzie George, went out of the room.”
The following poor Inspection Report made life difficult for Raynor. He had to take responsibility for the allegations of lack of discipline and poor organization of the staff and resigned with effect from 13th April 1910. Anne of course does not discuss such matters but in Raynor’s defence she describes “an open minded education which made us see both sides of every question …That in adolescence and maturity the mind and spirit must be free to explore and express is, with me, a matter more profound faith than what is known as Faith.”
Who was Anne Treneer?
Anne was born in Gorran in 1891, the daughter of Joe Treneer the Headmaster of the village school. From her father's school she went to St Austell County School, then to a teacher training college in Truro and then taught in various schools in Cornwall including Treverbyn. Ambitious to read deeper and wider she took an external course at London University during the First World War, later spent a year at Liverpool University, later still took a postgraduate degree at Oxford as a mature student. She taught for a seventeen years at King Edward's in Birmingham up to 1946. She had by then already written School House in the Wind two years earlier, and her future was to be as a writer. She was never married and died in 1966.
The second part of her trilogy “School house in the wind” brings to life our school’s formative years.
Anne was born in Gorran in 1891, the daughter of Joe Treneer the Headmaster of the village school. From her father's school she went to St Austell County School, then to a teacher training college in Truro and then taught in various schools in Cornwall including Treverbyn. Ambitious to read deeper and wider she took an external course at London University during the First World War, later spent a year at Liverpool University, later still took a postgraduate degree at Oxford as a mature student. She taught for a seventeen years at King Edward's in Birmingham up to 1946. She had by then already written School House in the Wind two years earlier, and her future was to be as a writer. She was never married and died in 1966.
The second part of her trilogy “School house in the wind” brings to life our school’s formative years.