The former School

A government report of 1818 recorded that the village had a population of 291 with 55 children attending a Sunday school (location?) funded by public subscription. A fee paying school with 8 children was also noted and that 4 boys attended the National Church of England school in Dorchester. Later in 1833, a similar report recorded the Sunday School being attended by 46 children.

A private girl's School (built in about 1848) for "young ladies" had Miss Maria Johnson employed as headmistress. In 1865, this school closed and the building was converted into the village public house. 

In 1841, the (fomer) school building (shown on map above) was built funded by the church and by public subscription. It seems to have started as a Sunday school only, run by the Church of England National Society. By 1846, there were 31 girls and 30 boys taught by a Master, Mistress and some five assistants. The annual cost was £8 15s (£5 15s in staff salaries and £3 running costs) and there was just a single room.

By 1859, it was functioning as a full time school with the headmistress Mrs Hannah Hicks also acting as the postmistress. An extension with external toilets and a coal shed was added in 1872 at a cost of £160 18s. A maximum of 80 children attended but an average number was 50 to 60. Girls left school at 12 to 13 whilst the boys left earlier at 9 to 10 years of age. Children had to pay a daily fee of 1 penny for small children and 2 pence for older children. This became free in 1890 with attendance having become compulsory in 1881.

A new headmistress Miss Pritchard was appointed in 1904 and there were some changes with staff and children needing to help with the harvest. She retired in 1908. Her successor Miss Beatrice Smeton lasted only one year having been threatened by a boy with a knife. Medical & dental inspections started in 1909 and 1911 respectively.

By 1930, the school had Miss Stickland as headmistress with two assistants. After 1947, the school became a primary school with children older than 11 years old attending the Grammar or Secondary Modern schools in Dorchester.

By 1976, the school had become very outdated with only two rooms shared between 35 children in two classes. Toilets were still outside in the small playground. After a lot of local village opposition the school finally closed in the summer of 1976. The children were transferred to the school in Winterbourne Abbas which had been enlarged and refurbished in 1966.

The building was used as a pottery after the closure but was later converted into the private dwelling that exists today.

(See School logbook below)