Heathfield Junior School

Dorel Ruxton writes:

Heatfield was a happy school. I'm interested in tracing any of my past school friends. e.g. Barbara Sinthorpe, Nina Piesley, Christine Curly.

We had Mrs Mitchell as a very good Headmistress. Mrs Grove Jones was my last form teacher. I was there from 1946 to 1949.

Email: dorel.ruxton@virgin.net

Pauline G Wadl writes:

The main building was near the gate from Powder Mill Lane. It included a clock, where badly behaved pupils were told to stand. The rest of the buildings were wooden huts. The toilets were outside. In 1935 the infants' teacher was Miss Piper. There was squishy clay in buckets. Each classroom had a coke stove and a lobby for coats.

Miss Chater lived near the Crystal Palace and saw it on fire in 1936. In 1935 we received Jubilee mugs, and in 1937 we had Coronation mugs. We sang songs on Empire Day, Bluebells of Scotland, Land of my Fathers, etc. We learned 'Overheard on a Saltmarsh' by H H Munro and performed at a festival. The girls made needlework aprons and embroidered them in silks, blue and gold, or red and green.

About 1939 we had to try on our gasmasks and have the straps adjusted to fit. We spent part of some lessons wearing them. We had to go to the air-raid shelters often. Nelson School had to share our building for a while. We went Monday, Wednesday and Friday one week, Tuesday Thursday and Saturday the next.

In winter we made a long slide across the concrete and had snowball fights with the teachers in the field. The girls made summer dresses by hand and wore them. When we were cold, we did exercises. We bought National Savings Stamps once a week. Once there was an explosion, and we all went under our desks (maybe a land-mine).

A pupil died of diptheria and a wreath was sent from the school.

When we left to go to Secondary School we received a book and a card from Miss Mitchell, our class teacher.
Patricia Whetton writes:

I went to Heathfield from 1955 until 1961. A wonderful school, I have many happy memories. The Headmistress of the Infants School was Miss Wills. There was a mural on the back wall of the hall of all the nursery rhymes you could think of - an enormous cow jumping over the moon. I loved playing Post Offices. Miss Mitchell was headmistress of the Junior School. A lady who appeared fierce, but was really very soft. She could not bring herself to give anyone the cane, so this was left to Mr Marrison, who was my teacher for 2 years. If it were not for him I would not have passed my 11+ and gone on to Twickenham County Grammar School for Girls.

Email: patwhetton@hotmail.com

Tony Sayers writes:

It was a hard time just post war with rationing still in existence and with many things hard to get.Going to school then provided a bit of an escape.

The school buildings were largely constructed of uninsulated metal and so it tended to be too hot in summer and darned cold in winter.The winter chill was off set to some extent by a huge cylindrical coke-burning stove which stood at one end of each classroom, ( classed as a fire hazard nowadays, no doubt).

At playtimes, in winter, with snow on the ground, lengthy slides were engineered,leading to grazed knees and badly worn shoe leather, much to the dismay of parents. In summer, trips to Crane Park were organized during nature lessons to observe the natural world and, curiously, to make tree bark rubbings.

Miss Mitchell became Headmistress whilst I was there.She was a formidable lady who took no nonsense from naughty pupils.There was a sort of scale of punishments administered to those who misbehaved. For minor indiscretions one stood in the corner of the classroom with hands on head for a period of time. For more serious offences one was sent to stand beneath the clock outside Miss Mitchell's office.Finally, there was the cane, (almost certainly considered as assault these days).

Pupils were given a school report twice a year, (see image). I imagine the subjects studied these days are consideraby different from those shown. Oh! If only "Spelling"was still taught today.

I enjoyed my time at Heathfield and it must have been a good school as I managed to pass the 11+ exam and go on to Hampton Grammar School.

In the picture, My class,( probably 1950). I am the rather sombre-looking
lad third from right of the picture, (standing).