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Kirkby Thore School was located in Kirkby Thore, a small village and hill in Cumbria (northern England). It is close to the Lake District and the Cumbrian Pennines. The Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a scenic range of mountains and hills in England separating Northwest England from Yorkshire and Northeast England. They are commonly described as the 'backbone of England'. The market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland is about 5 miles from Kirby Thorne. The larger town of Penrith is about 8 miles away. We have no information on the school other than a single 1921 portrait. We can see a substantial, well-lit (notice the large windows) stone building. It was a small coed school. There are 35 children. So the whole scjool was about 70 children. Schools at the time were mostly single gender schools, but small villages often single gender as there were not enough students for two chools or separate gender classes. It looks to us like an 8-year state primary. The children look to be the older children at the school, we think about 10-13 years of age. The girls wear a range of dresses and sweaters. Several of the girls wear pinfores. The boys mostly wear suits. One boy wears a sailor suit. Most wear knickers, but some wear short pants and knee socks which would become standard by the end of the decade.
Kirkby Thore School was located in Kirkby Thore, a small village and hill in Cumbria (northern England). It is close to the Lake District and the Cumbrian Pennines. The Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a scenic range of mountains and hills in England separating Northwest England from Yorkshire and Northeast England. They are commonly described as the 'backbone of England'. The market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland is about 5 miles from Kirby Thorne. The larger town of Penrith is about 8 miles away. A British reader living close to Kirrkby Thore writes, "Depends on the area. Lake District. Folk with higher incomes might send their children to other schools. Good rail service commuters working in Lancaster or Penrith. Tourist industry. Arthur Ransome went to a boarding school in the Lake District. A lot of people had holiday homes which were empty during the week. It does call it Kirby Thor a trade school. My great aunt lived in Kendal 1890 - 1914. She got expelled for fighting with the teacher. I would imagine she gave the teacher a good walloping. Not a person to mess with was my great aunt. She had a heart of gold though. Trouble was she did not often show it."
The English connvention was not to name schools like the convention in America. Village schools simply took on the name of the village, as was the case here. City schools often took on the name of the street where they were located. A factor here is that English cities are not laid out oin a grid system like American cities. Thus you have fsar fewer long straight streets. Thus an English street is often a much mor ficused locatiin than an American street.
We have no information on the school other than a single 1921 portrait. We can see a substantial, well-lit (notice the large windows) stone building. It was a small coed school. Schools at the time were mostly single gender schools, but small villages often single gender as there were not enough students for two schools or separate gender classes. It looks to us like an 8-year state primary.
Are english school archives often pictures clkass groups. Unlike America, there were very few one-room schools set out in the country. This clearly is not a class group as there are children of varying ages. We initially thought that these were the older children There are 35 children opictured with their teacher. So the whole school might be about about 70 children. The children looked to be the older children at the school, we think about 10-13 years of age. A Brirish readers tell us, "This is interesting but I think it is a village school with all the different ages. The children most likely left to be agricultural workers or girls to work in servant industry." We tend to think our reader is correct. On closer examination, there are some younger children in the photograoph. What is a little confusing is that usually at these schools, there are more younger children at the school than older childre. Here for what ever reason, there seem ro be more older children.
The children here would be a mix of village and farm kids. Unlike Amrrica where fsrm kids often wore iveralls, we do nnot see any way of identifying who is who. A British reader tells us, " Rural children would often be helping around the farm. They would have wotk clothes. School clothes and maybe a best suit for church on Sunday. The children of a farm labourer would not be cnother lothed the same way. Schol clothes would be for Sunday best as well." Another Brritish reader writes, "I found that siblings Helen Skelton and Gavin Skelton grew up in a farm near the village and attended Kirkby Thore Primary School before transferring to Appleby Grammar School. Helen is now a television presenter, best known for working on Blue Peter and Countryfile, whilst Gavin is a professional footballer who has played in the Scottish Premier League with Gretna, Kilmarnock and Hamilton Academicals. In 2016 he was made player-manager of Queen of the South in Dumfries. A good example of farm kids attendiung the school.
The girls wear a range of dresses and sweaters. Several of the girls wear pinfores. The boys mostly wear suits. One boy wears a sailor suit. Most wear knickers, but some wear short pants and knee socks which would become standard by the end of the decade.
A British reader writes, "The same sort of school is discussed in Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie. The school teacher is a grumpy old woman and one of the older boys of about 14 who was the butt of her anger eventually retaliated and lifted her up and put her on top of the cupboards. The youth was not the brightest of students."
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