Education in Yeovil
central School
and Special Subjects Centre
On 27 March 1914 the Yeovil Education Committee accepted a tender in the sum of £6,228 (just under £3 million at today's value) by J Dyer & Sons of Curry Rivel to build the new Central School and Special Subjects Centre on the corner of Eastland Road and Reckleford on the site of the old brickworks that had been demolished in 1912 in preparation for the building of the new school. However the contractor was, in October 1914, granted increases in respect of timber, iron and steel, sheet lead, glass, painting materials, nails and galvanised goods in consequence of increased prices owing to the war.
On 29 January 1915 the Committee decided to set up a dental clinic at the Special Subjects Centre premises in Eastland Road to be held on alternative Saturday mornings. Mr FG MacDonnell was employed to take the clinics at a salary of £40 per annum for both inspection and treatment.
In the Committee Minutes of 26 June 1915 "It is reported that instruction in Domestic Science at Eastland Road has commenced."
Kelly's
Directory of
1919 recorded
details of the
school in its
Public
Elementary
Schools section
- "CENTRAL,
Eastland Road,
juniors, built
in 1914 for 375
juniors; Miss
Winifred Kate
Linnett,
Mistress.
SPECIAL SUBJECTS
CENTRE, Eastland
Road, built in
1914 for
instruction in
domestic
subjects and
handicraft;
domestic
subjects,
cookery,
laundrywork, and
housewifery.
Miss Charlotte
Wallace Kipps,
instructress;
handicraft and
metalwork."
Today the former Central School is Reckleford Community School.
gallery
Staff and pupils of the Central School photographed around 1932. At left is headmistress Miss Matthews and at right is class teacher Miss Wakeling. Pupils are -
back row
- Kenneth
Windsor, Tony
Lewis, Keith
Lewis, George
North, Brian
Hobbs, Charlie
White, unknown,
unknown,
unknown.
third row
- all unknown.
second row
- ? Mitchell,
Grace Moore,
Rosemary
Williams,
unknown, Joan
Anscombe, Peggy
Wills, Myra Haim,
unkown, Pauline
Masters.
front row
- Joan Andrews,
Betty Wright,
Joan
Featherstone,
Gordon Soper,
Molly Sweet,
Kathleen
Mitchell and
Margaret Chant.
The school clock and bell, erected in 1914. Photographed in 2014.
