<< Return to page 7	Custom Search

Chapter 2

Basically the outstanding changes to be seen in the school's history relate to changes in population of the area it has served since it was founded. Indeed it owes its existence to the needs of the population in 1862. Since that date, the area served by the school has changed little as regards geographical size, but its population has increased from 870 to about 3000. It would seem that the setting up of the Britannia Fruit Preserving Company, (makers of the famous Tiptree Jam) in 1885, has been the chief cause for this increase. The following details of the population are significant:-

The Essex County Chronicle, 1906, states, “The policy of the founder of this firm, Mr A.C. Wilkin, was aimed at bringing his employees into the closest possible relationship with the company by inducements and arrangements that encouraged thrift and self reliance. By 1906 the firm employed 120 persons in the factory and a further five to six hundred on fruit picking in the fields during the season. Small holdings were encouraged and men who started life as agricultural labourers were now substantial persons.” A pension scheme, a profit sharing scheme, bonus schemes and the provision of suitable houses for the workers all helped to establish stability and security for them. Thus the population grew.

Another factor contributory to this growth was the introduction of the printing trade to the village. Although printing is not a traditional trade for Essex, there have been printers in Colchester since the middle of the 17th Century. There was a private printing press at Great Totham Hall, where Charles Clark printed many broadsheets, poems, songs, from 1833 to 1862, when he moved to Heybridge. Newspapers were printed in Colchester as early as 1733 and presses were started in Chelmsford and Maldon in 1884. In 1900, W.M. Wilson, partner in a firm of publishers of nautical standard works and periodicals, commenced printing in Tiptree under the name of “The Anchor Press”. In 1918, Mr Wilson sold the business to the late Sir George Thompson Hutchinson, head of a well known London publishing firm. A few years later a new factory building replaced the old and new machinery was installed. Further extensions to both building and plant developed over the succeeding years and literally millions of books bearing the Anchor Press imprint find their way all over the world. The business is a subsidiary of the firm of Messrs Hutchinson, Ltd., Publishers and Printers. The Anchor Press at Tiptree finds employment for several hundred people, many of them are female workers who have been trained in the various skilled operations for the production of books. Many of the male employees have been with the firm for between 20 and 40 years. The Company provides a Sickness Benefit scheme and a Super-annuation Scheme for its employees. Provision is made for social and sport facilities which are extended to other residents of the village, thus ensuring close relationship with the community. The Company's employees live in or near the village, some in their own houses, many in houses owned by the firm. Specialists in the printing trade are brought into the village to satisfy certain needs, while an apprentice-ship training scheme ensures a continuum of skilled labour. In the last year there have been major changes in the policy of the parent company which are likely to greatly benefit the village of Tiptree. The printing works have been extended enormously and a large number of printers and their families have moved into the village. Thus printing provides a useful alternative to the purely agricultural nature of the people's employment and has been the means of bringing in new workers, who have undoubtedly helped to consolidate the village and enrich its social and economic life.

The coming of the Kelvedon – Tiptree – Tollesbury Light Railway in 1904 and the slowly developing mechanical road transport in the following twenty years, also played important parts in the growth of the village. These improved transport facilities helped the small-holder to get his produce to London for market, gave him greater security and so provided his sons and daughters with good reason to remain at work on the land or in the local industries of fruit growing, jam making or printing.

A strong movement to provide mechanical road transport for the conveyance of passengers was evident from as early as 1902, when the firm of Thomas Clarkson commenced building steam cars for passenger for passenger conveyance at Chelmsford. From these early beginnings was to spring the the Eastern National Omnibus Company, Ltd. In the late 1920's, this Company, then called the National Omnibus Company, provided public transport from Colchester/Maldon, thus bringing Tiptree into contact with these two centres and providing means of travelling to and from the village from some of the more remote dwellings. From 1930 this company provided improved services throughout the area and changed its name to the Eastern National Omnibus Company, Ltd.

The small private firm of Moores Brothers, Kelvedon, had been the providers of road transport from 1815 and had a fleet of brakes, landaus, horse drawn omnibuses, waggons etc., for private hire, which were in frequent use by the various organisations in Tiptree for journeys to neighbouring towns. This firm, although small was progressive and first introduced steam omnibuses, and later, motor 'buses into their business and provided Tiptree with regular 'bus services daily to and from Colchester. In 1963 this family enterprise was taken over by the larger Company and is now part of the Eastern National Omnibus Company.

The change of population numbers is reflected in the school's history, as it created one of the pressures which brought changes in the school itself and resulted eventually in the opening of a second school in the village. For example:- the first notable change was in 1872 when the school numbers increased so that it was necessary to build another classroom. This increase was probably due to the prosperity of the farms operated by Mr J.J. Mechi (1842-1880) and the resultant growth of his labour force. There were additions to the school buildings in 1886, but these were necessary largely because of the closure of the British School. The small classroom built in 1896 indicated the beginning of the increase of population due to the prosperity of the fruit growing and preserving industry, which had been in operation about 10 years by this time. In the following ten years the population was to be more than doubled from this particular cause, and so made necessary the provision of the Council school at Tiptree Heath, opened in 1910.

The need to add to the Church School building to meet the demands of the growing population added considerably to the burden on the Church of England, a burden which they were proud to bear while there was no State school provision, and anxious to bear when State provision suggested that the religious precepts the Managers held so dearly might be jeopardised. Hence, when the school was first built (1863) a grant in aid could have been obtained from the Government if the Church were willing to appoint a certificated teacher in charge, have its secular work inspected and comply with the various articles of the Revised Code of 1862. For reasons known only to the Church people of that day, no grant was sought from the Government and the school was completely under the control of its Managers, all elected from the Church by Church members; with the Rector as Chairman, upon whose shoulders the conduct of the school's affairs rested and to whom the school teacher looked for guidance. Thus for the first seven years of its existence, this school, built by the Church of England, was solely under the control of the Church, who was thus free to guide, instruct and mould the young of that day into the proper ways of the Church. As stated above the first increase in size was in 1872 just after the Education Act of 1870 was passed. This Act was designed to fill the gaps remaining in the country's educational provision. A year was to be given for the voluntary bodies to satisfy the need in any area in which they were interested; after this time deficiencies would be met by the provision of Board Schools. As may be expected the Church of England rose to this challenge promptly, particularly as there was promised greater grant-in-aid payments on the “Payments by Results” scheme then in operation. Tiptree Parish Church was not to be left behind in this endeavour, hence is seen the first application to the Government for grant aid to extend the school to meet increased population and to bring the premises into line with existing standards. The Church was determined to show that Tiptree was not in need of a Board School to provide elementary education for the children of its manual workers.

With Government aid the school remained largely in the hands of the Rector and the Managers whose constitution remained unchanged. The school was examined annually by the Diocesan Inspector on its religious instruction and annually by Her Majesty's Inspectors. On the results of the H.M.I.'s inspection grant aid was assessed. Standards of work, of teaching and of conditions in the school were reported upon and action to improve amend and alter was demanded as a condition of continued aid. This was the position from 1872 until 1902.

From 1st October, 1903, as far as responsibility for voluntary school's was concerned, the Church and the Central Government were joined by Local Government, i.e. Local Education Authority, as a result of the 1902 Education Act. County Councils had been introduced in 1888 and Parish Councils in 1894 under the Local Government Acts of those years.

From this period, the terms Urban and Rural District Councils were applied to areas corresponding to the Parish Unions; thus Maldon Union became Maldon Urban District Council and Lexden and Winstree Union became Lexden and Winstree Rural District Council.

Under the terms of the very important 1902 Education Act, which was to do so much for Secondary Education, the School Boards, established in 1870, were abolished and their schools became the direct responsibility of the new Local Education Authority. These schools were called “provided” schools to distinguish them from the schools of the voluntary bodies, which were called “non-provided” schools.

The “non-provided” schools were to come under the control of the Local Education Authority with regard to secular instruction, teachers' salaries being paid from the local rates supported by Central funds. The Voluntary body was to maintain the fabric of the school from its own funds and be prepared to make such extensions and improvements as may be necessary. Assistant teachers were to be appointed to these schools irrespective of religious belief. The agreement of the L.E.A. on the person appointed was necessary when there were more than one application for the post. For the first time the Church surrendered a considerable amount of its autonomy, although their religious teaching could continue in accordance with the Trust Deed. Changes in the Managing Committee's constitution were necessary to ensure that the L.E.A and the local minor authority, i.e. the Parish, could be represented. Thus from 1903 there were four foundation managers and two others, one appointed by the County Council and one appointed by the Parish Council. Thus the Managers of the Tiptree Church School, 1903, comprised four Church members elected as per Trust Deed and two who were in fact members of the Congregational Chapel – the Dissenters; one of these being Mrs Wilkin, wife of Mr A.C. Wilkin. This fact was yet another of the changes included in the 1902 Education Act, married women could be members of a school management committee.

Not until 1955 was there any further change in the body responsible for the control of the school. The 1944 Education Act had introduced a new classification for the Voluntary schools. This was designed to bring them up to the standard of efficiency and equipment that the new Act adumbrated and at the same time enable the Church to maintain as much control as was consistent with these standards. Many of these voluntary schools were in poor condition, largely because the Church was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their buildings over the past forty years. The new classification listed these voluntary schools as “Aided”, “Controlled” and “Special Agreement” schools.

An “Aided” school was one where the Church would continue to be responsible for the fabric of the building, would control the religious instruction given and be responsible for the appointment of its Headteacher – in fact the conditions of the 1902 Education Act would very largely apply. But, such schools had to be brought up to the standards dictated by the 1944 Education Act which were itemised in Statutory Rules and Orders made by the Ministry of Education, No. 345 of March 1945. (Regulations prescribing standards for School premises).

Where the Church, or other voluntary body, was unable to bring their schools up to these standards, they could hand over the control of the school to the Local Education Authority, who would arrange for this to be done and be responsible for the future operating of the school. The Church would lose two of its members on the Management Committee, would confine their religious instruction to not more than two periods a week and religious tests for Head-teachers would not be permissible. Religious instruction for the greater part of the week would be in accordance with an “Agreed” syllabus, non-sectarian in character. But one teacher in five on the school's staff would be a “Reserved” teacher appointed by the Church who would be able to teach denominational religion as required. This was the “Controlled” Voluntary school of the new classification.

The “Special Agreement” Schools were those provided by the Voluntary bodies to cater for children of secondary school age. The L.E.A. were able to exercise certain controls on granting up to 50% of the cost of providing these. More recently this grant has been considerably increased thus enabling many more such schools to be built by the Voluntary bodies – for example – the new Roman Catholic Secondary school opening in Colchester 1963. The Board of Governors of these schools comprises two thirds foundation members, one third L.E.A. representatives. The Education Act of 1936 first introduced these measures to help the various voluntary bodies to re-organise their schools in accordance with the Hadow Report, 1931.

The Church was not anxious to surrender its schools to local education authorities and made every effort to retain control. This meant a severe drain on funds, but prudence demanded that those schools which were likely to need most spent upon them be handed over to the Local Education Authority. The Church Authorities in Tiptree tried to maintain their school against over-whelming odds. The fabric had become very poor. The roof leaked, the floors were unsafe, sanitary arrangements were unsatisfactory and toilet facilities inadequate. The playground was a mud-bath in wet weather and a dust-bowl in dry. Classrooms were over-crowded, there was no staff room, no Headteacher's room, no store room and very little prospect of improving these in the after-the-war conditions of rising costs.

Thus with considerable regret, the Managers resigned themselves to the surrender of the school to the L.E.A. and in 1955 the school was reclassified from “Aided” to “Controlled”. The constitution of the Management Committee was changed once more; one third of its members from the church, one third from the L.E.A., one third from the Parish Council. Thus in theory at least, the Church's influence was reduced to the minimum and the main responsibility for the school was taken over by the Local Education Authority and much has already been done to improve the conditions at the school.

Another outstanding change can be seen in the matter of school attendance. Although the Education Act of 1870 laid down the compulsory attendance of children at school from the ages five years to twelve, the law was rarely enforced. The School Attendance Committees when formed were composed of people who appeared to have no wish to bring pressure upon offending parents. Thus the parents seemed to develop a lively contempt for the law, knowing that they might cheerfully keep their children away from school for many weeks and if brought before a court, would be either cautioned or let off with a paltry fine. Frequently the amount of earnings made by the children's illegal employment would be more than sufficient to pay this, leaving a fair profit.

The Act of 1902 provides grants based on average attendance, which in fact meant that every unit of average attendance would be subsidised by the Government by about 35/- each. This was a very important financial consideration, which was to make the L.E.A.s very conscious of average attendance figures. This together with the growing awareness of the grave injustice occasioned to the children kept from attending school by selfish parents, brought about sterner measures against offenders.