Randwick: Education

EDUCATION.

Thomas Vobes by will dated 1706 gave property in Randwick in reversion for teaching poor children of the parish, and £50 given by Richard Cambridge and £20 given by Ann Hawker for erecting a schoolroom and supporting a master was laid out on land in 1730. The property acquired by the three donations was settled on trustees in 1734 (fn. 1) and the school had evidently been started by 1747. (fn. 2) In 1749 various inhabitants of Randwick subscribed £40 for buying a house for the master of the school, and other donations followed: Thomas Genner by will dated 1756 left a house, the rent to provide shoes and clothing for the poor scholars, Robert Ellis left money, which was laid out on land and ³/5 of the profits assigned to the schoolmaster and ²/50 to the minister in 1763, and £120 given by Joseph Ellis, Samuel Watts, and Thomas White was also laid out in land for the support of the school master in 1771. In 1827 the property belonging to the charity school brought in an annual income £40 19s. (fn. 3)

In the later 18th century children were admitted and discharged from the charity school at quarterly meetings, c. 13 being admitted each year. (fn. 4) The school was said to be well inspected and conducted c. 1775. (fn. 5) George Harmer who died in 1791 had taught it for 44 years. (fn. 6) In 1826 the master was expected to teach 40 children, although the actual attendance was then 38. Three of the children were then taught to read and write, the remainder only to read, (fn. 7) but in 1836 rules for the school laid down that 6 of the pupils should be taught writing and arithmetic and that all the girls should learn needlework; the school was to take children between the ages of 5 and 12. (fn. 8) It was affiliated to the National Society before 1833. (fn. 9) In 1847 it comprised an infants' school, with a separate schoolroom and a salaried mistress, and a school for the older children taught by the salaried master and unpaid helpers; a Sunday school, started in 1824, and an evening school were also being held. (fn. 10) A new school was built in 1857. Half of its income then came from the endowment and half from pence and voluntary contributions. (fn. 11) The school had an average attendance of in in 1911 and 107 in 1936; (fn. 12) by 1960 the attendance had fallen to c. 65 but new building in the parish increased it to c. 125 by 1967. (fn. 13)

A Wesleyan Sunday school was started in 1804, as mentioned above, and a Wesleyan day school was started in 1827; in 1833 the day school had an attendance of 36 and was supported by voluntary contributions and payments by the children. (fn. 14) No later record of it has been found.