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Teachers:
Mrs Cooke: A lovely teacher who rewarded good behaviour and enjoyed teaching.
Miss Meadows : Who married and became Mrs Hill – This was a stepping stone to a future career
Miss Storey: Also married and used Belton VCP as a stepping stone to a future career
Mrs Frost: A well meaning, well built opera singer, she had strict but old standards, always had a frown on her face, but still a good teacher.
The Caretaker
Mr Coleman:
Who lived next to the school, to the right hand side. He used to stoke the coke burning “pot – bellied” stoves which used to hear the classrooms in winter. Each stove was surrounded by a metal fire guard on which we could dry our rain soaked coat. It was also used to dry our wet shoes, socks, wellington boots, etc.
Mr Coleman would dress up as Father Christmas and give each child in the school a gift, usually a book and a handkerchief. He was generally thought to be quite stern & strict.
The Dinner-lady.
Mrs Doddington would dish up the food delivered from Bradwell, Mrs Doddington used to wash up all the cutlery & plates by hand.
Mrs Doddington was a lovely lady with a sweet heart.
Mr Ian Stone – Head master & upper class teacher.
An all round good – egg who would us go & play rounder’s on the Bell lane field almost every sunny day. He would read a story at the end of every day, we always enjoyed his class. The sports day & summer fetes were great fun.
The School
We had toilets outside, which had no plumbing, Mr Coleman used to empty the “chamber pots” inside every so often.
The coke for the stoves was kept on the upper school playground, tucked around the back and retained by a small wall.
We had “blackboard easels in every classroom, small sinks at the back. The cloakroom was small dark areas with small sinks, pegs & shoe racks between the upper & lower school rooms.
The main hall had a partition wall which could be opened through to the needlework room, for special occasions the parents could sit and watch the end of school plays, Christmas plays, such as “The Toy Shop”, umpteen Nativity plays, “The Tinder Box” Etc I remember.
Back row – from left – right
Mostly upper class – Mr Stone:
Stewart Leggett, Warick Dillon, Stephen Pendle, Tony Turner, Kim Saul, Kevin Martin, Gary Warner, Ronnie Spooner, Glenda Griffen, Avril Warner, Gillian Botwright.
Middle row From left – right:
Carol (unknown), Anita Baker, Jean Calver, Irene Manell, Angela (unknown), Valerie Spooner, Lillian Spooner, Barbara Thacker, Linda Cooper, Alexis Lawn,.
Third row from left – right:
Lower School mostly Mrs Frost:
Cheryl Barnes, Pamela chilvers, Stephen Thacker, Paul turner, Paul Pendle, Jackie Martin, Karen Pendle, Jill Thacker, Tina Cribb, Colin Barber, Frances Keyes, Elizebeth Botwright.
Front row from left – right:
Adrian Blyth, Gillian Kemp, Sharon Chilvers, susan Botwright, Kenny Spooner
This is from the memories of Karen Watkins (nee Pendle)
Formally of Belton
Does anybody else have memories of their time at the village school? If so please contact us
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