Naburn CE School in York Victorian day as school turns 150

Pupils and staff at Naburn CE School turned up for class on Thursday dressed in Victorian costume to celebrate the fact that their school is 150 years old.

There will also be a special tea party in the afternoon for past pupils, parents and villagers, and a timeline showing the school’s history through old photos and entries from the log books.

Chair of Governors Anne Clark, who has pieced the history together, said there was actually mention of a school in Naburn as long ago as 1743 – ie 279 years ago.

The true history of Naburn School as we have it today, however, began in 1872 when a National School was set up. The school log states: “30th September 1872. The new Elementary School was opened on this date. Commenced with fourteen in the Mixed school and nineteen Infants. Find them in a very backward state particularly in Spelling and Arithmetic.”

Pupils and staff at Naburn CE School in York turned up for class dressed in Victorian costume to celebrate the fact that their school is 150 years old (Image: UGC)

There was rapid improvement, however. A Government Inspector reported in 1874: “The teachers seem to have worked with great pains and conscientious care ...and the children are making satisfactory progress.”

Non-attendance was a concern. Many children came from farming families and had to work on the farms or help with chores. The school log of July 20 1891 reported: “30 children absent pea pulling”. Other reasons for absence included hay harvesting, potato picking, tending cows and bush beating.

Sickness was also rife. The log for the end of December 1873 reported: “Wednesday: 2 girls and 8 boys present all of whom are falling ill with the measles... There are about 65 in Naburn now suffering from the disease.”

Corporal punishment was used in the early years, and the school punishment book records anything from 1 to 6 strikes on the hand with a cane for reasons such as ‘stupidity, lying, bullying, throwing stones, truancy, writing rude words, stealing eggs from Mrs Levsey’s hen house’.

Pupils and staff at Naburn CE School in York turned up for class dressed in Victorian costume to celebrate the fact that their school is 150 years old (Image: UGC)

Remarkably, the school remained as it had been originally built - with only two rooms off a hall, one classroom, and no indoor toilets - until the late 1980s.

A portable toilet was installed in 1988 but modern sanitation wasn’t fitted until 1997 when an extension was built.