Through the Years

Welling School - Through the years...

The following extracts are taken from the "Jubilee Souvenir" booklet which was created to celebrate Welling School's history...

In answer to the demands of local Landowners, Shopkeepers and Market Gardeners, the communities around Welling, East Wickham and Bexley Heath were linked with London in 1895 by a new Railway which terminated on the estate of the Barne family at a new Station named Barnehurst. Shortly after the opening of the Railway, intending residents of the area were further encouraged by the spelling of 'Bexleyheath' as one word, suggesting comparison with the fashionable district of Blackheath. The Railway was to transform these predominantly rural communities into London suburbs within the space of a few decades as both Bexleyheath and Welling were provided with Stations. The introduction of an electric Tram service in 1903 linking Dartford and Woolwich via Bexleyheath and Welling was to enhance the area's attractiveness as a potential dormitory suburb of the industrial riverside communities between Woolwich and Erith.

The first World War was the main cause of the first housing boom in the area. The production of munition at the Woolwich Arsenal was expanded massively and housing for the consequent influx of workers was constructed in the area of East Wickham. Although of the 'temporary' pre-fabricated type, the two estates concerned were given to the Local Authority after 1918 and remained in use until the 1950's. A popular rumour among children at the newly constructed Bexley-Welling Central School during the inter-war years was that similar hutted accommodation bordering Berwick Road had been used to house enemy prisoners during the 1914-18 war.

Up until the Great War, Berwick Road had simply been an open track, dividing the fields and linking Wickham Lane and Brampton Road. Local people knew it as 'The Landway'. However, the siting of the Bexley-Welling Central School close to the tracks junction with Wickham Lane ensured that the track would soon become a road. The new school had been placed alongside orchards and market gardens, but this was prime building land, earmarked for residential development.

The school was opened in a ceremony performed by Lord Sackville on the 30th October, 1923 :  

Approximately 250 children were on roll at the time. These were arranged in nine mixed classes and were taught by eight assistant teachers under the headship of Mr. Alfred Hallam, who taught one class full-time himself. The chief purpose of the Central Schools was to provide education for able children who, for any number of reasons, did not attend Grammar Schools. However, the new Welling Central was not selective simply taking en masse many of the older children from the East Wickham Endowed School.

In 1923 as the school opened, Mr. Hallam wrote:-

"The 'A' Forms, as a rule, contain really capable children, though the circumstances of the (PREVIOUS) school (BEXLEY-WELLING MIXED) have been such as to seriously effect (SIC) the standard of attainment. Many of the children are not of Central School type. Form 4C is composed of children with additional needs. These will need special care and consideration with a view to making the short remainder of their school life as happy as possible.

The numbers of children at the school increased steadily during the 1920s. Staffing, however, adds a constant problem as teachers were in short supply. Yet it is very much to the credit of Mr. Hallam and his staff that a large range of academic and vocational subjects were taught without interruption whilst a tradition of field trips to such places as East Anglia and the West Country was begun which continues to this day.

By 1926 the school buildings of 1923 were uncomfortably over subscribed and the resident population of Welling looked set for even greater expansion. The school was also being used regularly for adult evening classes- a service which involved both the headmaster and many of his staff. In the Spring of 1926, therefore, the construction of a new block of classrooms began. By this time Mr. Hallam had fallen ill. The school was under the direction of Mr. Weaver, the Senior Assistant, who records that the construction of the new classrooms was interrupted by the General Strike of May, 1926 and that when work resumed on the site the workmen were put temporarily under police protection. The year 1926 is also noteworthy for the fact that local schools were hit by an epidemic of scarlet fever which resulted in an extensive three day medical inspection at this school and the temporary closure of Welling Council School. Many of the unaffected Council School pupils were, therefore, temporarily accommodated on the already crowded Berwick Road site.

Mr Hallam returned to duty during the summer of 1926, but by October of that same year had fallen ill again. In May, 1927 he was succeeded as Headmaster by Mr.A.M. Freeman, who had previously taught in Erith.

Below is a photo taken from a class in 1926 : 

Under the direction of Mr Freeman the curriculum continued to achieve a balance between the academic and vocational. Whilst the boys were encouraged to develop the skills of woodwork and gardening the girls undertook courses in home economics and mother-craft which, apart from cookery, involved the maintenance of a bedroom and sitting room. During the late 1920s these courses were taught by Miss Allchin and as one lady recalls

"the fun bit was a large doll named Basil. We had to wash, dress and pretend to feed the poor thing, then put him in a pram and push him round the playground, much to the amusement of the boys in the woodwork class. I can to this day hear Miss Allchin say 'Girls, dont wash Basil too hard, his paint will come off"

Many pupils of this era will also remember the romance which blossomed between the French teacher, Miss Potter and her husband-to-be, Mr Sprason of the Maths department. 

Below is a photo taken in 1927 with the students embarking on a school trip to Bidiford, Devon : 

The 1920s drew to a close with the school suffering the score of an isolated smallpox case in July, 1929. 

The early 1930s saw a house building boom which was to lead to a dramatic increase in the numbers of children attending the school and ensured the virtual dissappearance of horticulture in the area. During 1931 four new classrooms were brought into use whilst five additional teaching staff were appointed. 

Below are two photos taken from Home Economic classes in 1928 and 1983 respectively :

By December of 1932, however, yet further expansion was planned. Pending re-organisation into separate Boy's and Girl's Departments the school was to house six hundred pupils of between ten and fourteen years of age, (the then school leaving age). Mr. Freeman's Log records at this point that, of the schools sixteen rooms, all but the two practical rooms would have to house forty children during each lesson. During 1933 some temporary classrooms were brought into use, pending completion of the Boy's Department building on the far side of the field, bordered by Elsa Road. By the end of 1933 the number of pupils on roll had risen to 957.

By todays standards this sort of over-crowding would have placed an intolerable burden upon staff and facilities. Completion of the new boys school could not come too quickly for Mr. Freeman in particular who was frequently required to act as consultant on the site of the new school.

The school was re-orgainised into two separate departments at the end of 1933. Mr. Freeman became head of the boys department in Elsa Road whilst Miss E Weighell was appointed as head of the Girls department which remained in Berwick Road. The new buildings in Elsa Road were part of a county-wide building programme and were constructed by Fridays of Erith at a cost of £24,785. The newly separated schools were jointly opened at a ceremony performed by Lord Northbourne in March, 1934. By this time each school had well over 600 students on roll.

The new boys school was considered very advanced in both design and facilities and was said during the opening ceremony to have benefitted from the mistakes made in the design of the Berwick Road buildings. Included on the site were specialist art, craft and science rooms, most of which were constructed in wood as a temporary phase of a long term plan to extend the buildings and provide a purpose built gymnasium too. The wooden block still exists today. Housing development in the area continued steadily throughout the early thirties. However, many pupils of this era may recall a journey to school which took them through or a round cultivated fields.

Indeed at least one old boy remembers the occasional clumps of rhubarb which sprouted from time to time on the schools new football pitches. Although they remained officially linked under a single management body, the two schools quickly developed separate indentities as 'Berwick Road School' and 'Elsa Road School', names which are familiarly used by many local residents, even today.

During the thirties both schools seem to have enjoyed a fairly stable staffing situation during which the cirriculum thrived. Mr Freeman's philosophy of learning for life is amply illustrated in the range of activities which were available to pupils from bee-keeping to field trips in Belgium. The important role played by his staff is evident too, as many of them have been fondly remembered, such as Mr Collett of the woodwork department. Practical disciplines such as woodwork, printing and book binding played an important part in the life of the school under Mr. Freeman and in all of these areas a firm hand over the boys was essential. Mr Collett is recalled as :

"five feet of no nonsense who kept a row of tennis balls on his desk with which to throw with force and accuracy at any boy who did not pay attention when he rang his bell"

Mr Collett and some of his pupils are responsible for the design and manufacture of the school badge and settle which remain in the foyer of Elsa building today. 

The earliest signal of the disruption to come during the years after 1939 was in September of 1938. Both schools were closed for three days from 26th September in reaction to growing crisis over German intentions in Czechoslovakia. The Boy's School was used as a Gas Mask Distribution Centre and at the same time an outline plan for the evacuation of pupil was explained. When war was declared in September 1939, both staffs had already been fully, briefed during their Summer Holidays. Within weeks all windows had been either taped, boarded or both, and entrances had been sand-bagged. Several rooms in the Girls' school were temporarily taken over by the ARP. 

The construction of large Air-Raid Shelters on both sites took place during late 1939 and early 1940 and during this time large trenches were dug as temporary Air-Raid Cover. The logs of both Head Teachers provide interesting reflections of the schools at war. Staffing was badly affected on both sides as many teachers went to join the Armed Forces were involved in the evacuation of children or took up new appointments. At the same time, however, the numbers of pupils in attendance fluctuated dramati-cally. A spectacular, if dangerous view of the war in the air was to be had, and both the Battle of Britain and the Blitz of London figure prominently in Log entries. Members of staff from both schools performed 'fire-watching' duties in their respective buildings and in both cases were successful in dealing with incendiary bombs on several occasions. Whilst the Girls School regularly raised money for various aspects of the war effort, both sites were involved in the "Dig For Victory" Campaign and the Boys School was Headquarters of the local A.T.C. of which Mr. Freeman was commanding Officer.

By the end of the war both schools had been badly affected. Family life at home and at school had been severely disrupted by evacuation, enemy action and war service. The Elsa Road dining hall had been destroyed during an air raid in April 1941 along with the caretakers house. By 1943 a temporary dining hall had been erected on the same site. Its walls are reputed to be made of sawdust and cement. It is still in use today. Only four of the twenty men on the staff of the boys school in 1939 remained in school. At least one, Mr Kenworthy, was killed in action when his aircraft was lost over the Atlantic.

The introduction of the 1944 Education Act saw the two schools renamed as County Modern Schools. Soon afterwards the school leaving age was raised to fifteen and more accommodation (of a temporary nature) was provided on both sites in the form of H,0.R.S.A. Huts (Home Office Raising Of School Leaving Age). By the time that the new buildings were ready for occupation in 1948 life in both schools was beginning to return to normal.

Emergency trained staff were providing stability within the curriculum, and whilst the boys school was frequently praised for its standards in Crafts such as printing, book binding and cabinet making, the girls school was commended for its achievements in both practical and academic disciplines. In June 1948 the two schools were officially separated. Controversy hit the Girls school in May 1949 when the Headmistress experimented, during the gradual introduction (by both schools) of school uniform, with classroom segregation of uniformed and non-uniformed girls. Miss Weighells intention was to encourage "the smartness effect". Letters and comments were exchanged in the columns of the local paper.

Miss Weighell retired in July, 1950 and was succeeded as Headmistress by Miss Butler. During the 1950s both schools were affected at first by the war-time drop in the birth rate and then by the post war "baby-boom". Both trends caused some staffing problems but the great popularity of the two schools does not seem to have been affected.

During the 1950's the sporting prowess of both schools figured frequently in the local press and there is evidence of a general enthusiasm for sport amongst the pupils too. One lady cites the most enjoyable memory of her time at Berwick Road was Sports Day. She then explains that this was because it was the nearest they could get to the boys school!

At this time both schools organised sports and other activities on a 'house' basis. For the boys, the houses were named after famous generals and admirals Gordon, Wolfe, Shovel and Sidney. For the girls, the houses were named after famous ships Endeavour, Golden Hind, Discovery and Victory.

Mr Freeman was awarded an M.B.E. in the Coronation Honours List of June, 1953 for his services to education. He retired in the summer of 1957 and was succeeded as headmaster by Mr F A Winskill. By the early 1960s pupils from both schools were enjoying success in public examinations. However, whilst the boys school was gaining a reputation for good results at G.C.E. 'O' level, the girls school continued to concentrate on examinations prepared by the College Of Preceptors which were less widely acceptable.

Below is an image of the boys cricket team from 1953. 

On 1st April, 1965, both schools came under the jurisdiction of the newly created London Borough Of Bexley. The new authority almost immediately began to involve the two schools in plans for their amalgamation. However, in April, 1966, before the implementation of the plan, the eastern side of the main Elsa building was badly damaged by fire. The Hall and an adjacent room were destroyed, but nevertheless in September, 1966, the two schools became one. The new school was known as Welling (Mixed) Secondary School and was under the Headship of Mr Winskill. The first year entry of that year was mixed and the Berwick site was to operate for the most part as the 'Lower School'. Once more, the school had entered a period of rapid change. Money was invested in new science facilities, Elsa Hall was re-built and a new house system was introduced. In October, 1969 Mr. Winskill's log records his proposal for the construction of a central block to house a staff room and Library. The Log of 1937 records the recommendation of His Majesty's Inspectorate that a proper Gymnasium should be built. In September, 1970, the school took over a newly constructed Sports Hall and adjacent Science room.

In September, 1973, the school was designated as an "All Ability" range school. The school leaving age had again been raised and the number of pupils was growing rapidly. At this time there were one thousand, one hundred and twenty-two pupils on roll. Many of these had to be housed in temporary mobile or prefabricated classrooms. By November, 1973, the newly constructed R.O.S.L.A. block was ready for use (Raising Of School Leaving Age) a two-floored prefabricated building, it was designed to house specialist courses for the increased number of fifth year pupils. The keeping of a school Log ceased in November, 1973, and Mr. Winskill retired in 1976. He was succeeded in September, 1976, by the new Headmaster Mr A Hislop.

Netball Team - 1972

The computer studies department was expanding rapidly...

Pottery was taught to all years...

Some form of craft work is studied by all pupils...