A Step Back In Time

A school anniversary is a celebratory occasion, but also a chance to reflect back on where it all began, says Natalie Keeler.

- Natalie Keeler

Birthday celebrations at Sibford School in Oxfordshire kicked off in style earlier this year, as pupils and staff came together to commemorate the school’s 175th anniversary. Nine-year-old student, Sofia Mattinson even stepped into the role of Sibford’s first ever pupil, Lucy Endall, to mark the big occasion.

Sofia dressed up in traditional clothes, much like the ones Lucy would have worn at school, and also joined her classmates in tucking into a special anniversary cake. Families and staff were also invited to a Burns Ceilidh in February, and celebrations will continue throughout 2017.

On Sibford’s first day on 16th January 1842, the pupils were all girls, and boys didn’t actually start attending the school until a month later. It is believed that first pupil, Lucy Endall arrived by carrier cart, bringing with her a bonnet, gowns, stockings and pinafores.

To begin with, fees ranged from £6 to £16 per year, depending on the means of the family involved, and the school day ran from 6am (6.30am in the winter) until 8pm. Pupils bathed in the mill pond nearby, but in 1853 the school built its first swimming pool. This survived until 2002, when the current pool was built.

The first Headmaster, Richard Routh, was paid £50 per annum and was expected to manage: “the direction and superintendence of the children...and teach all the ordinary subjects of a good English education.”

In its first year, the school had 22 girls and 26 boys – a significant contrast to today, with 169 girls and 244 boys now in attendance. A total of 9,342 pupils have since registered at Sibford School.