Next Talk is on 26th January 2026 - Bathford Parish Hall at 8:00pm."Bathford School, then and now" by Becky Hayter, Headteacher Bathford Church School - There has been a primary school in Bathford for a very long time, the earliest record is
1788 and its history has been documented by David Howells and Steve Mackerness of
this Society. In this talk, we have asked the current Head, Becky Hayter, to review the history and compare what happened then with what happens today. For example, the
school log shows that around potato harvest time, children suddenly absented
themselves, leading to a "small attendance". There were regular problems with illness.
School attendance became compulsory in 1880 up to the age of 10 and in 1899 up to the
age of 12 so educational standards in much of the population will have been low. The
school seems to have been regularly inspected. Becky will contrast the history with current lived experience at the school and look ahead to the next steps. |
