Wednesday 15 June 2016

Interviewing my Granny and Aunty about Scalford Primary School

by Claudia Clemons

Granny Penny (Mrs Clemons) started teaching at Scalford School in 1985 and stayed for 25 years. She started as the football teacher (she replaced a dad who went in his wellies and long Mac).She stopped for the rest of the afternoon and listened to readers. Then she started doing school trips and this led her to be asked to look after the class when the Head went off to meetings, or was having her hair done! Eventually she took over the Head's non-contact time, and things progressed from there

What was Scalford School like when you taught there?


There were three classes, but no divide between 2 and 3 like today. Sheds took over back playground as storage space was needed and the front playground is now bigger because the toilets are inside. Later the resources room constructed and so there was no longer a back playground.

While I was there a screen was put between the classes and we stopped using the front door as the office was put in the porch area. This had been the entrance and where the washing up was done after dinners.

Do you have any funny or entertaining memories?

I have lots of good memories of school trips and extended visits. We often went to sports events, including trips to Twickenham, Wimbledon, Leicester Tigers and Leicester City Football Club. We also had super teams representing the school and doing really well.

My aunty Ra Ra was a pupil at Scalford School from 1982 to 1988. I also asked her some questions:

What was Scalford School like when you were there?

It had outside toilets with tracing paper toilet roll and it was very cold in the winter. Mrs Robinson was very strict. They once had a head teacher called Mrs Pratt. There used to be a playground where the resources room is now and it had hopscotch in it. There was a nit nurse who came every month to check the children's hair. There were no iPads or computers and not even calculators. They did plays in Base 3 and the stage had to be put up under the big window. Sports Day was in the Vicarage garden. At one point the school was in danger of being closed as there were only 26 children.

We had milk in bottles every day. We had Houses (I was in ‘Apples’). We went swimming and to the library every Friday. There was a pottery kiln in the cupboard. Granny Penny used to bring the ponies down so we could ride home.

Can you tell me about any funny or entertaining times? 

I was once told to 'pull my socks up' and when I bent down to do it got told off. Edward Kitson squeezed his banana in a plastic bag until it turned to pulp and then he tipped it down Mrs Gatehouse’s neck. Granny Penny (Mrs Clemons) cut three big chunks out of my hair because she was not allowed by her father to have it cut and when got to school was made to stand in the corridor by the pegs all day.

What type of things did you do?

We did spelling, times tables and I remember learning about the planets. I wrote a story about a horse and won a prize. We did PE in the classroom where Base 3 is now – there were wall bars for climbing.

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