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Aireville School new article content ... THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

Aireville School dates from 26th April 1958 on its present site. On that day the official opening took place by the Rt. Hon. Ian Macleod MP. Prior to this, secondary aged pupils had been educated at the building on Brougham Street and huts on the Bailey.

The Brougham Street School had been opened in 1909 as the successor to the British School. The British School had originally operated from a site on Otley Street, in the building now used by Ellesmere Press. It had been established, by the British and Foreign School Society as an alternative to the National School that was on Rectory Lane (now the Three Links Club). The National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church had been formed in 1811. The Society supported the establishment of primary schools that instructed pupils in the Catechism of the Church of England and insisted that pupils worshiped at the parish church.

With the development of the textile industry Skipton had a strong non-conformist element of employers and education dominated by the Church of England, was unacceptable. In 1808, the Society for Promoting the Royal British, or Lancastrian System for Educating the Poor was formed. It was based on the ideas of Joseph Lancaster, a Quaker, who had become concerned that poor people were denied the opportunity of education. Lancaster had opened his first school in 1798, in Borough Road London. He realised that education was not cheap and devised a method of educating large numbers in one room. One teacher was responsible for as many as 300 pupils but they were divided into smaller groups supervised by older pupils called monitors. This became known as the Lancaster system or the monitorial system. In 1814 the Society changed its name to the British and Foreign School Society.

John Dewhurst owned Belle Vue Mills, a large textile complex on the banks of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. He was a staunch member of the Congregational Church on Newmarket Street. Along with many wealthy industrialists of his time he was also concerned about the welfare of his employees. No doubt he was also concerned about the possibility of social unrest and the problems of public health caused by the development of a tightly packed urban area. Better elementary education was one solution to some of the evils perceived in the society of the mid-nineteenth century. A temporary building was obtained on Newmarket Street in 1844 but by1845 John Dewhurst had built at his own expense a new school.

This was a time of great expansion of Skipton with lots of workers and their families moving into the area to find work in the new factories, on the canal and on the railway. The Wesleyans built a school on Water Street; Christ Church (Church of England) on Keighley Road built their own school and the Catholics at St. Stephen’s also established a school in 1854.

An Inspector’s report on John Dewhurst’s British School, as it became known, commented favourably, “This schoolroom has been erected by the liberality of one individual. An intelligent and very industrious master was procured from Borough Road and the school has flourished well under his care. The British system is here effectively carried out and, with the assistance of the pupil teachers, nothing stands in the way of the institution becoming highly efficient.”

The British School was a great success in providing elementary education and by 1853 it was considered that a larger building was necessary and a government grant required to achieve it. This would only be possible if the building was controlled by a group of Trustees and John Dewhurst agreed to transfer the building and grounds to the Trustees. Originally the building had cost £350 ten years previously. John Dewhurst accepted £200 and allowed the Trustees to pay off the amount over two years. The government granted £450 to the Trustees and a major rebuilding was possible. In August 1856 contracts were drawn up and the extensions began. In addition to the main schoolroom there was to be an infant school with two classrooms over it.

The Dewhurst family were prominent members of the town of Skipton and John’s two sons became involved with the management of the British School. John Bonny Dewhurst became chairman of the school’s managers and Thomas Henry was the treasurer. In 1856 a ladies’ committee was set up to look after the education of girls and Mrs Dewhurst and her sister in law were members. The Craven Herald in1854 reported: “The whole of the above institution is worked well, being carried on by a talented master, a mistress aided by an assistant teacher, and four apprenticed pupil teachers.”

Education was still not universal nor was it free and funding for all the elementary schools was difficult. There were some government grants but most schools only managed to survive with aid from local benefactors, from the church and from the pennies contributed by the pupils. This unsatisfactory state of affairs could not last as employers and the government realised that an educated workforce was essential if trade and industry were to prosper.

In 1870 W.E. Forster managed to get an Education Bill through parliament. Forster’s Education Act aimed to provide elementary education for all. This was a huge step forward and was the first act of parliament to be solely concerned with education. The existing voluntary bodies had six months to bring their schools in line with the Act and School Boards were to be elected by the ratepayers. School Boards were empowered to build schools to provide education that was not based on any particular denomination.

The Craven Pioneer had supported Forster’s Education Act and argued that the existing schools in Skipton did not provide appropriate buildings or curriculum. It was also argued that government grants were going to support schools that were teaching the doctrines of the Church of England. John Bonney Dewhurst was a leading Liberal and Congregationalist who disapproved of state funding going to Church based schools. He argued that elementary education of a non-sectarian nature should be supplied by the state to all children. This debate continues in the 21st century with denominational, and indeed Jewish and Islamic, schools receiving state funds.

In 1888 the Cross Commission reviewed elementary education and led to the abandonment of the School Boards in favour of Local Education Authorities that came into existence with Balfour’s Education Act of 1902. The Act enabled existing schools to relinquish their current status and become fully funded by the state. They were to be given ‘provided’ status. Those schools that chose to retain their ethos and Church of England connections were to be given ‘voluntary status’ and their costs were to be shared between the state and the Church with the latter responsible for the capital costs of the buildings. Most of the non-conformist schools chose to have ‘provided’ status. In Skipton the British School, supported by the Dewhursts, and the Wesleyan School on Water Street became state schools. It is the British School that in many ways is the forerunner of Aireville School.

TWENTIETH CENTURY

By 1909 a new building was provided by the West Riding County Council for the former British School. The site was on Brougham Street and the Brougham Street Provided School came into existence. The new school opened on 1st June 1906 with 169 scholars. By the 1930’s Brougham Street School had over 500 pupils on roll.

In 1942 it proved possible to reorganise elementary education in Skipton. The retiring Head of the Parish School, Mr Sharples, noted in his school’s log, “School closed for re-organisation. 70 children were transferred to Brougham Street School which is now the Modern School and 169 children from Brougham Street put in attendance (here) on Monday 19 October 1942.”

There was a growing call for the extension of secondary education. ‘Secondary education for all’ became the slogan. Skipton had Ermysted’s Grammar School for boys and Skipton Girls’ High School both provided secondary education. The national pattern was to be primary education up to the age of 11 and secondary education from 11 to 15. This pattern was enshrined in the Butler Education Act of 1944 and set the pattern for the next few decades. The school on Brougham Street became Brougham Street Secondary Modern School. It was considered that the site would be temporary as two new secondary schools were to be built by the West Riding County Council.

Over the next few years the school continued but the premises were very constricted. Pre-fabricated huts had been built on land at the Bailey and some classes were held there. Other classes were taught in the Skipton Science and Art School on the High Street. The growing birth rate and the new housing development at Greatwood and Horse Close meant that there would be an increased demand for secondary school places. From about 1952 some classes started to be held at the Aireville site. The school log book records:

“Aireville Hall Annexe now accommodates the following teachers and their classes:- Mr H.M Gill Science and Master in charge Miss V. Campbell Biology Mr Dan Binns Art Miss Aldersley Art and craft Mr G.C. Semmens Social Studies”

John Christie writing on a web site commented:

I along with others of my age were the first students to go to this school in the early 50s, at first we only went for one day per week (from Brougham Street School) until eventually by 1955 when I left we were going every day. The art class was the lower widow on the right(referring to a picture of the front of Aireville Hall) and was taken by Mr Binns a really nice person. Above was the English class, the window next to it, ground floor, was the assembly room and one of the two dining rooms the other being at the rear of the building and it was very small, consequently we had two sittings. Also at the rear were the Woodwork (above the stables) and Metalwork below taken by Tom Petit.

APPENDIX 1

HEADTEACHERS

1849 Mr S. Fearey 1866 Mr Bashford 1869 Mr A. Gunnell 1873 Mr T. Massey 1905 Mr A. Townsend 1932 Mr L. Gardner 1952 Mr G.E. Holroyd B.A. 1963 Mr W. Nichol B.Sc. (Acting Head) 1964 Mr B. Davies M.A. 1975 Mr W. Nichol B.Sc. (Acting Head) 1975 Mr D.M. Rogerson M.A. 1983 Mr J. Tomlinson B.A. M.Ed. (Acting Head) 1984 Mr D.E. Howard B.A. 1991 Mr D.J. Croll B.A. 2005 Mr S. Mason B.A. 2009 Mr M. O’Neil B.A.