Hi all Thought you might enjoy reading the following report I made on Tolpuddle School from records held at Kew. This is the school our ancestors would have attended up to 1933. Tolpuddle Village School This school ceased to be registered as a public elementary school from 03/09/1933 (G G Williams letter to Rev H R Long, The Pasonage, Tolpuddle). It closed 28/07/1933 and the children concerned, to attend Puddletown C E school on 04/09/1933. Rev Harold Long tried to stop the closure in his letter of 15/05/1933 to The Secretary, Board of Education, Whitehall, London, where he asked them to consider:- 1) There were new people at the large house, so more employment and families to consider. 2) There had been an excellent report by the Religious Inspector on the school. 3) There was a growing concern of sending small children away to school by bus. One child had already been knocked down by a car on the main road. In a letter dated 11/03/1933 by Clement G Bone, Director of Education, Dorchester to the Board of Education, Whitehall, London, it stated, subject to approval, to discontinue maintenance of Tolpuddle Junior School, only 15 children were attending. The maintenance cost was £260 per annum. A protest was received (not in file, what a shame, as it would list their names) signed by five managers and twelve parents:- Tolpuddle School “We the undersigned being the managers of Tolpuddle School and the parents of the children attending Tolpuddle School wish to protest very strongly against the proposed closure of this school. We wish to point out that this school could easily be carried on under one mistress and that the absence of such young children from home for such a long time is home for such a long time is very unsuitable and bad for them.” The head mistress who left 31/03/1924 was Alice Russell. She was replaced by Eileen Coyle who was appointed 23/06/1924, and left September 1928. She was born 04/10/1889, passed teaching exam 1908 South Shields, last employed East Jarrow Council School, South Shields August 1913 – 22/06/1924 as an assistant teacher. She had previously been a pupil teacher 1908 - 1019. She was replaced by Margaret Evans nee Edwards. She was born 18/10/1884, qualified at Pontypool, last position Hillside Blaenavon, Monmouth 01/07/1913 – 31/01/1919. Was a pupil teacher 1900 – 1904 at Blaenavon Infants. Children in school: 1916 28 who were 5 and over 4 who were under 5 1917 21 ditto 4 ditto 1918 26 ditto 2 ditto 1919 empty - 1920 total 42 1921 total 43 1922 total 41 1923 total 37 1924 total 32 1925 total 26 1926 total 22 1927 total 30 1928 total 23 1929 total 25 1930 total 28 1931 total 27 Typed and compiled by: Mrs Sally McMahon, March 2004