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Quorn Primary School – The state of the premises, 1969
Quorn National School started in 1818 in a room, probably in either the home of the first schoolmaster or the vicar. The original old primary school building on School Lane was built in 1834. By the 1960s Quorn Primary School was known as one of the worst school buildings in terms of facilities in Leicestershire. The press cutting below shows the strength of feeling in the village. It was not until 1973 that the school finally moved to new premises on Willowcroft, off Warwick Avenue.
Leicester Mercury, Friday April 11th 1969
Built 1818 and it’s Still Deteriorating
An action committee was formed at a public meeting at Quorn last night to press for an improvement to infant and primary school facilities in the village.
The meeting, called by the school managers, was attended by 100 people. Chairman of the school managers, the Rev. R. N Everett, said that although a new school had been planned for some years, there seemed little prospect of this being built unless some action was taken. Meanwhile the old school, parts of which were built in 1818, continued to deteriorate. He said the managers faced a dilemma that although urgent repairs and improvements were needed to the old school they feared that these might ultimately delay the building of a new school. However, they could not allow the present state of deterioration to continue.
Constantly Deferred
It was stated that the managers had pressed at both county and ministerial level for a new school but the project was constantly being deferred for lack of money. The managers were pressing because they believed that in the end the people who got the most done were the people who made the most noise. Parents were given a sheet laying out the standards for School Premises Regulations, 1959 showing that the school did not conform to these regulations on many points. The meeting was told that an independent surveyor's report showed that £10,000 of essential repairs were needed and some of the more urgent work was now under way. However, it was agreed that no amount of repairs could ever bring the school up to standard.
Mr. J. Briers, headmaster, said that visiting teachers had made such comments as 'Why on earth do you stay in such a dump". One parent stated that he was horrified at the state of the school when his first child had attended 20 years ago. He thought that the school was insanitary and that his children's health suffered when they started to attend it. A number of other parents agreed. The meeting passed the following resolution: "That this meeting instructs the school managers to press the Leicestershire Education Authority to provide immediately adequate primary facilities to conform to the standard for School Premises Regulations 1959 and further ask them to seek a full inspection by inspectors with particular reference to facilities at the school". It was also agreed that a village petition should be organised immediately.
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Submitted on: |
2019-01-28 |
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Submitted by: |
Parish Archives |
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Artefact ID: |
2061 |
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Artefact URL: |
www.quornmuseum.com/display.php?id=2061 |
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