The Little Village School by Gervase Phinn

Author:Gervase Phinn [PHINN, GERVASE]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781848949409
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 2011-07-06T16:00:00+00:00

12

On the Monday morning Elisabeth looked at her pupils as they filed quietly into the school hall. She felt a certain satisfaction at what she had achieved. Things had certainly changed since she had taken over as head teacher two weeks ago, and not just in the appearance of the building and with the morale of the staff. Her insistence during the first week on silence as the children entered and left the hall at assembly time (with a few practice runs until they got it right), that they should make less noise at dinnertime and move around the school in a more orderly fashion, had been accepted by the children, who had responded surprisingly well. The only pupil who had taken exception to the firmer approach had been Malcolm Stubbins, but he was no longer with them and would be starting at his new school at Urebank that morning.

Miss Brakespeare attributed the improvement of the children’s behaviour to the fact that the head teacher, when she was not teaching, spent most of her time around the school, unlike her predecessor, who had tended to keep herself closeted in her room. At morning and afternoon breaks and at lunchtime Elisabeth could usually be found in the hall supervising the lunches or in the playground getting to know the children. Her commitment and enthusiasm began rubbing off on her staff, who, like her, started arriving at school early, leaving later and spending little time in the staff-room.

‘If you had a magic wand,’ Elisabeth would ask a child, as she walked around the playground or sat with him or her at dinnertime, ‘what changes would you make in the school?’

The answers were predictable. Many of the children bemoaned the fact that there was little happening out of lessons, no sports teams or after-school clubs, lunchtime activities and trips out of school, needs that Elisabeth had identified herself and which she was determined to meet.

The better behaviour of the children had been greatly welcomed by the teachers, not least Miss Brakespeare, who now, with a much reduced class, younger children and minus the troublemakers, found herself happier than she ever remembered being since she had started at the school.

When the children had assembled that morning, sung the hymn and said a prayer, Elisabeth addressed them.

‘Now I have some quite exciting news,’ she said. ‘I have been having a word with different people in and around the village and I have asked some of them to come into school and offer a number of activities during the lunch-hour and after school, for those who are interested. Mrs Atticus, who is a very fine artist and who lives at the vicarage, will be coming in on Tuesday lunchtimes to take an art class. Mr Tomlinson, who plays the organ in the chapel, has agreed to help Mrs Robertshaw start a choir, and they will see those who are interested on Wednesdays. I have also persuaded Mr Parkinson, who is a scout leader, to take those

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