Village School

The first village school in Woolverstone – a public elementary school – was built by Rev Henry Denny Berners in 1832, not long after he inherited the estate from his brother, Charles, in 1831. While the school was being built, the vestry at St Michael’s church doubled as a school.

The “Abstract of Education Returns: 1833” p. 931 for Woolverstone shows:

The position of the newly built school is shown on the Tithe Map 1838 – 94a, a quite different shape to that of today.

Rev Berners’ third son, Rev. Ralph Berners, who was Rector of Erwarton cum Woolverstone, was responsible for running the elementary schools in both villages. The school was organised along progressive lines. Boys and girls were taught by the same teacher but in separate divisions. Woolverstone’s young female teachers had been trained in Norwich. 

In the 1844 Inspector’s report by a Mr Cook, the schools were praised for the speed at which children learnt to read, far quicker than the average of the National Schools in large towns. The school mistress introduced modifications to the National Society guidelines. “Once or twice a-day, in parallel rows, the classes are arranged fronting the teacher and receive instruction…on a mixed method of suggestive questioning and simultaneous repetition.” Lessons at Erwarton and Woolverstone were considered to have “liveliness”. Between timetabled lessons, the class would, “a verse of a hymn or a school-song is sung by the children…while they march around the class.” Rev. Ralph showed a good understanding of the way to harness energy, movement and learning for an optimal outcome.

By 1845, the school was viewed as, “A very good village school, improved since last year, when it was in an efficient condition. The boys are under 10 years old, but not permitted by the landlord, Archdeacon Berners, to work in the fields at so early an age as is usual.”  – Minutes of Council on Education, 1845. Children were expected to help with jobs on the estate from a young age, although the Berners family were proud that their children stayed on at school a year longer than most – until the age of 10. 

In 1847, there was room for 100 students in the school, although not all attended all of the time. The Committee on Education report stated that, “The manners of the children are good, and the instruction shows both care and skill in the mistress. Some girls read with ease in books of general information.”

John Berners continued his father’s interest in education. He contributed £10 and upwards to the National Education Union in 1869. Two years later, in 1871, he rebuilt the school and was responsible for the fine arched doorway, boot scraper beside it, and JB’s initials proudly on a shield over the door. The clay roof tiles, both black and red, created stripes across the entire width. Some of this can still just be seen today. 

The number of tenants and their children on the estate was still growing. John’s brother, Captain Hugh, extended the school still further in 1889, adding another room to the eastern end and utilising the gap between school and cottage at the rear to create further room.

Some subsidence meant that buttresses were added after 1922 to support the east facing wall of the older part of the building. Woolverstone village school closed at Easter 1972 and the students moved to the newly built school in Chelmondiston. Subsequently, the premises were acquired by the Inner London Education Authority, for Woolverstone Hall School, serving a number of different purposes, ending up as the Home Economics Centre with a number of individual kitchen work stations. When Woolverstone Hall School closed in 1990, the building was sub-divided and sold into private ownership in 1992, the main school rooms being re-purposed for domestic accommodation.