<The following article appeared in the Woking News and Mail on 7th May 1937>

 

WEST BYFLEET CENTRAL SCHOOL

 

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Formal Opening Ceremony

 

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BUILDING, EQUIPMENT AND GROUNDS COST £21,205

 

The formal opening of the new central school at West Byfleet, which has cost £21,205, was carried out by Mr. Alfred Mizen, J.P., chairman of the Surrey Education Committee on Wednesday.

 

            Mr. Mizen, stated that the building cost £16,760, and the furniture £1,584, whilst the site and ten acres of playing fields cost £2,861.  The school will accommodate 300 children, and will be contributed to by West Byfleet junior and mixed infants, Pyrford and New Haw Council schools and Byfleet C. of E. School.

 

            Mr. A.W. Stollery, J.P. (chairman of the managers), presided and those present on the platform were Mr. Alfred Mizen, J.P. (chairman, Surrey Education Committee, Sir Philip Henriques, J.P. (chairman if the Surrey County Council), Sir Arthur Glyn, Bart., (chairman of Surrey Elementary Committee), Mr. R. Heath (chief education inspector for Surrey), Mr. F.W. Shipton, C.C., and Mr. H. Parnell (members of the Woking school managers), Mr. F. Anderson (divisional educational officer), Mr. R. Beloe (deputy education officer), Mrs. Stollery, Miss Mizen, Mrs. Cheverton, Mrs. C.V. Jenkins, Miss V.J. Alcock (headmistress, Girls’ County School, Woking), and the Rev. F.J. Cheverton, Mr. C.V. Jenkins, J.P. (headmaster) and Mr. C.S.O. Watson (architect).

 

            Amongst others present were Miss Hetty Cowen, J.P. (chairman, Woking school managers), Mr. A.F.W. Meen, C.C., and the Rev. C.A. Hamilton (members of the Woking school managers), Lady Barnes and the Rev. R. Morris (Vicar of St. John’s, West Byfleet).

 

            The proceedings opened with the singing of the National Anthem, which was followed by the singing of the hymn “Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven”, and prayer led by the Rev. F.J. Cheverton.

 

BYFLEET’S RED-LETTER DAY

 

            Mr. Stollery said that it was a “red letter” day for Byfleet scholars and that he hoped that the training to become good citizens and acquire a real knowledge.  The school was second to none in the county, and they had an excellent headmaster.  He thought the Woking school managers could be patted on the back for the vision they had shown in appointing Mr. Jenkins a year ago so that he might feel his feet and get used to the scholars.  Both the headmaster and staff of the school had been chosen with great care.

 

            Mr. Stollery went on to thank Mr. H.S. Cawsey for his work on behalf of the school in the early stages: the Woking school managers, and Mr. Shipton, who had visited the school time after time as chairman of the Building and Repairs Committee of the Woking school managers to see that it would be up to date.  He also acknowledged the work of the Surrey Education Committee and its officers, the architect who had made a first-class job, and Mr. Belcher, the clerks of the works.

 

SCHOOL TO BE PROUD OF

 

            Mr. Alfred Mizen he believed that his old friend, Mr. Shipton, found the site, and was very pleased that it had been used for the purpose he visualised.    The two acres for the school cost £1,236 and the ten acres for the playing fields £1,625.   The contract for building was £16,760, and the furniture cost £1,584, making a total of £18,344.  The school offered accommodation for 300 children.  He thanked Mr. Watson for the very good job he had made of the school.

 

            They had a school of which they could be proud.  He hoped that he would not be asked to state the amount of money which the Surrey Education Committee had spent since 1903 when they took over the job from the School Boards.  At that time there were 55 Council schools and 177 Church schools in Surrey, but he could not say how many schools there were now.  They had continued to build better and better schools and after 1921 they began to reorganise with non-selective central schools.  Some counties had selective central schools, and he ventured to say that those authorities were a good deal behind Surrey, who took all children of the age of eleven years and gave them the same chances.   These authorities which said the children should take an examination similar to that taken for a place in the county schools were not doing all they ought for the children.   Surrey Education Committee said it was not the fault of the children that they were backward, and it was generally found that they caught up.   He knew many cases where those backward children had passed beyond those who were supposed to be intelligent.

 

GREAT OPPORTUNITIES

 

            In this school, continued Mr. Mizen, the children had great opportunities.  He had known their headmaster since he was a lad, and he was pleased to see that Mr. Jenkins had been place in charge of the school, because he would do the job thoroughly.   Not long ago, Mr. Jenkins was thought so much of by the county that he was created a Justice of the Peace.    The children would be instructed how to live a full, true and useful life.  The simplicity of the building was its beauty, as was also its usefulness.  The school would belong to the youth of the place.

 

            Soon an extra year would be added to school life.   Some children would be very pleased to have the extra opportunity to assimilate extra education.   Others would be sorry, for some of the boys and girls looked upon the day they left school as the happiest of their lives.

 

Referring to the reorganisation of schools, Mr. Mizen said most of the urban districts had been reorganised, but in the rural areas it was anticipated there would be more difficultly.  A conference of the managers of rural schools had been helpful.  Mr. Chuter Ede, the late chairman of the County Council, had said that if the children were to remain at school for an additional year something worth staying for had to be provided – something which would help them build their lives and offer them opportunities for the use of the leisure given them on leaving school.   That was being done.   He, Mr. Mizen, felt that sometimes the teachers must feel disheartened, and he asked the children to respond to their efforts and make their task a little easier.  Work was honourable.  The man who swept the road, if he was doing it honestly, was just as honourable as the man who taught at a school.

 

HELPFUL, CLEAN AND PURE

 

            Mr. Mizen then declared the school formally opened, and handed over to the managers who should not forget that the school belonged to the children, and that they were there to manage it.   He hoped the children would make the most use of it, so that their life, when they left, would be helpful, clean and pure (applause).

 

            Sir Arthur Glyn, Bart., said he was sure that school would be a success.  He knew Mr. Jenkins very well, and thought the children were fortunate in having him as headmaster.

 

            Mr. Jenkins said they were told that education was the art of preparing a child for life, and he thought that was a wonderful definition.   He thanked Mr. Mizen for the help he had given him when he was a member of his Bible class.   That school was a determined effort on the part of the Surrey Education Committee to provide opportunities for the children, and it was the aim of the teachers to make the children worthy citizens.    It was not the purpose of the school, to teach the children a trade, but to develop in them the desire to create the best, to know what was best and most beautiful, so that when they were workmen they would be able to carry out in their lives all that was best and most beautiful.  He thanked the staff for the wonderful co-operation they had given him: it was not an easy task to open a school like that.  The co-operation from the parents had been remarkable.  When the children left school they would be ready to take part, even at a young age, in their real life of this country.  

 

            Mr. Jenkins went on to point out that too great a change must not be expected in the children in a month, but he assured the parents that whatever could be done for the benefit of the scholars would be done.   In the past they had top deal with classes ranging up to a hundred, but in that school they would never deal with more than 40 in one class.  With the co-operation of the staff and careful organisation they would in no less than seven subjects be able to have classes of not more than 20.  The opportunities which would be given to the children were great.

 

MONEY SPENT IN A SPLENDID WAY

 

            Sir Philip Henriques said it had been his lot for ten years to control the finances of Surrey, and this was the first opportunity he had had of seeing how those vast sums of money were spent in education.  He could not say how pleased he was to find that these vast sums had been spent in such a splendid and inspiring way.  He had rarely heard such an inspiring speed as that given by Mr. Jenkins, who depicted the idea of the county in establishing county schools.   The County Council wished to give every child the opportunity of obtaining the best education to equip them for life.  They wanted to give the children knowledge which would benefit them in their leisure moments.   

 

            He thanked the school choir for the way in which they had rendered various songs, and said he rarely heard such charming songs so well sang.  If every branch of the school was conducted the same way they were assured of success.   It was much more difficult to reorganise in the rural districts than in the urban districts, but if this was an example of what could be done, the county would succeed.

 

            Mr. Stollery asked those present to help starting a school sports fund by making a contribution before leaving the building.  The programme was interspersed with songs from the school choir, and conducted with a display of physical exercise by a class of boys and a class of girls.

 

            The building was open for inspection and in the various classrooms specimens of work were on show.   They involved woodwork, bookbinding, stamp collecting and designing.