Do you remember Knapp Road School?
Bill Hawkins emailed us to ask, if anyone remembered Knapp Road School.
A walk to Knapp Road told me that it is now called The Clara Grant Primary School, and a quick bit of research produced an absolute deluge of fascinating local history.
School Board for London
Visually it looks like one of the many sturdy School Board for London buildings which have lasted so well. High on the wall a plaque reads Devon’s Road School, 1905. The SBL (colloquially LSB) was setup following the 1870 Elementary Education Act. The SBL built 400 schools like this one between 1870 and 1904 – quite an achievement. Then responsibility passed to the London County Council, but there was obvious continuity. The board was elected democratically and from the off in 1870 all ratepayers, including women, could vote in a secret ballot for the board. That 1870 board had three women on it, including Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. Many caring, influential and can-do people served on the School Board for London.
The aim of the SBL was to provide sufficient school places for London’s poorest children. By the late 1880s they were educating 350,000 pupils. The London board had passed a by-law in 1871 compelling all parents to have their children educated from the ages of 5 to13. That didn’t work too well as school attendance wasn’t free until 1891. Additionally poor children were working, either helping their mothers with outwork, such as making matchboxes on the kitchen table, or simply in employment.
Geezer Ted Lewis (1929 – 2017) told me how he came to leave school at 11 during WW2. He was evacuated to a village in Devon that had a church run school which only took infants and juniors. So Ted went to work on a farm, which he enjoyed. He’d previously spent all his boyhood summer holidays hop picking in Kent, and had gained some experience.
Clara Grant
Clara Grant was born in 1867 to a reasonably well-off family in Wiltshire. She trained to become a teacher at Salisbury Diocesan Training College, and her first post was at a small Wiltshire church school in 1888. Motivated by her Christian faith, she became the head of a school in Hoxton in 1890. She set out to help the most deprived children in London. Ten years later she became head of a tin school at Bow Common (All Hallows). When the splendid Devon’s Road School in my photos opened in 1905 she was headmistress of the infants.
Clara was up to speed with the latest ideas on child development. She was influenced by the work of Friedrich Froebel who invented the kindergarten. This considered the whole child – health, physical development, emotional well-being, the environment and other factors as important.
Fern Street Settlement
The Settlement Movement began with the 1884 founding of Toynbee Hall in Whitechapel. This socially reforming movement brought rich and poor together in one place. Wealthy volunteers brought donations, culture, education, and provide daycare, and healthcare to the struggling poor. Clara Grant worked at Toynbee Hall for a while, and this influenced what she did next. In 1907 she opened up her own terraced house in Fern Street, which backed onto Devon’s Road School, as a small settlement. By the 1939 PO Directory (below) you can see that it now occupied 3 houses.
Margaret MacMillan established the first school clinic in London in Devon’s Road School in 1908. Clara organised hot breakfasts for her young pupils, paying for porridge, milk, bread and butter. She also gave them proper clothes and boots. The Settlement provided healthcare, a dentist, a library, and organised a thrift club. Clara Grant is famous for the farthing bundles of toys which the children queued to get. From 1908 a worker and nurse would visit every baby born to families in the area once a month for a year who were connected to Devons Road School.
Clara Grant received an OBE in 1949, and died soon after aged 82.
Does anyone have any memories of going to school in Knapp Road to share with Bill?
And those little outside toilets with tracing paper 🙂
Hi Sean, I went to Devons Road primary from 1968 to 1974. Mr Fordon was the best Head Master. He took me under his wing as he saw I had an aptitude for maths so he helped me learn ways to remember certain things. He also used to take the choir classes and some of the music lessons. I too loved the giant hymn sheets. I loved the sound of the pages when we turned them over. It was quite hard to do but it made me feel important. My last and most favourite teacher was Miss Jackson. She left in ’74 as she was getting married and moving away. I was very sad to leave school but I went back in July 1979 to see Mr Gordon as he was retiring at the end of that term. Everything felt so small even though it had only been 5 years since I had left. I don’t know how Mr Bond coped as he was over 6ft tall as I remember and had to duck when walking down the stairs. These were the best days of my life. The teachers there helped me to be who I am today and I will be forever grateful to them all.
Hi Sean, I left Devon’s road school in 1965, and like you I went on to St Paul’s Way. Mr pope was the head when I left, before becoming head Mr Pope was our head teacher, he was also the choir teacher which all the pupils in the last year had to join. I remember a room on the top floor that was full of old sports equipment and left over bits of kit. If you forgot you PE kit you would have to something to wear out of that room. I remember having to wear a pair of football boots that felt like they had steel toe caps, that came up past my ankles, more like rugby boots.
We use to go and play on the red clay pitch in Glaucus street, we use to get covered in the stuff. Happy days.
Terrific recognising so many places mentioned in the comments. I lived in Bracken House with my 4 younger siblings and attended Devons Primary School, leaving on 77 to go to St Paul’s Way, before settling at Langdon Park. Mr Gordon was the Head at Devons and my favourite teacher was the aforementioned Mr Bond. A legend to us kids who loved playing sport. I also recognised his slinging of the board rubber – a different era. Was privileged to have a pint with him when I was in my early 20s – his comb-over was still in place. Other teachers were a Mr Greenwood, a Miss Barefoot and a Miss Freeman. Miss Golding took a sewing class in the library. Loved singing in assembly with the hymns printed on massive paper and hoisted so everyone could see. Lovely to have this trip down memory lane and to read about those who preceded me at Devons. Something special about a shared history.
Jim Drysdale here is my email leonarogers888@hotmail.co.uk I will put you in touch.
Hi, Chopper and l were born in the same St Andrews Hospital in Bow E3 Pals from infant school 1945 until 1964 when we lost contact. I would love to chat about old times if he wants to.
Hi James
Charlie is 84 now. I chuckled reading his exploits. I am his daughter. When I speak to him. I will mention his old school pals. He would really like that. I knew he lived on the bridge. Devons Road.