Rural Leicestershire

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School from the age of seven

2.24 minutes

[557 kb]

EMOHA:

And how old would you be when you moved into that, that middle room at the school?

Interviewee:

As far as I can remember we were about seven because we, then we had to move into the other class to take our Eleven Plus, scholarship as we called it in those days.

EMOHA:

What sort of subjects do you start being taught from this age onwards?

Interviewee:

Well we did written work then, I mean we did arithmetic and English and geography, which I loved. I loved geography. And we also did sewing. We had an afternoon for sewing and that was when I was taught to use an electric sewing machine, 'cause I had one come into the school then.

EMOHA:

Was the whole school, all the children taught sewing or just the girls?

Interviewee:

Well, when you got into the middle class the girls were taught. I think the boys went out and did football or something like that. I don't really remember what the boys did.

EMOHA:

You mentioned there was a woodwork room.

Interviewee:

Oh yes but that was in the Senior School.

EMOHA:

At Ibstock

Interviewee:

At Ibstock, yeah.

EMOHA:

Were there particular areas that girls were encouraged to go into at school?

Interviewee:

No, just went through the school and that was it. Nobody seemed to… I mean, I was always interested in cooking which, of course, now we call Domestic Science but I had no encouragement there, not at that school.

EMOHA:

Did they have…

Interviewee:

But there wasn't the facilities.

EMOHA:

I was going to ask did they have things there

Interviewee:

No there was nothing like that.

EMOHA:

Because they didn't even have a kitchen for the meals for you to eat did they?

Interviewee:

Oh no. Oh there was no meals at school then. Only, I mean children from out of the village from the farms that had to come in a couple of miles over the fields they brought their satchels with their food in and they sat in the classroom but apart from that, and of course they had milk to drink, you see. Apart from that there was no facilities whatever.

Last updated: 21/11/03
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