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A History of the School

To celebrate the centenary of the school in 2012 Peter Baxter wrote a book entitled 'The Avenue Infant School: The First Hundred Years' which collated lots of information, photographs from many sources and includes memories from ex pupils and staff.

For a flavour of this book see below.

The School Logbooks taken from 'The First Hundred Years!

The two-volume school log, which more than anything else communicates what occurred during the day to day running of The Avenue School since its earliest times, begins a few months after the opening in October 1912.  Each heavy book has over 500 pages, and the first runs from June 1913 up to July 1949.  It is bound stoutly in black leather and thick board, lettered in gold, and on the first page instructions are printed on what should and what should not be entered therein.  It will be seen that on occasion these strictures were not adhered to with all the rigour they might have been.

In the front section are various appointment details, followed by the organisation (classification) of the school for the year commencing June 1st 1913.  

School Admission Registers were completed from the 1940s where the details of every child who has attended the school are recorded (name, address, date of birth and their admission number). Despite having a computerised system installed in the 1990s the completion of these handwritten records still continues to this day!

A Century of Head Teachers and Beyond

  •  Janet Mclean (1862-1947) – Head from October 1912 to March 1922 (retired)
  • Beatrice Ross (1895 – 1979) – Head from 1922 to 1939 (retired through ill health) 
  • Cicely Ruth Essex (1905 – 1980 – Head from 1939 to 1946 (moved to Nottinghamshire and became Mrs John Williams)
  • Phyllis Howe (1909 – 1997) – Head from 1946 to 1964 (moved to Victoria Infants’ School)
  • Ethel Ernestine Payne (1912 – 2002) – Head from 1964 to December 1966 (retired upon marriage to Mr James Stevenson)
  • Georgina A Lindfield (1928 – 1996) – Head from January 1967 to March 1986 (retired) 
  • Moyra McFarlane (Acting) Head from April 1986 to July 1987 (previously appointed Assistant Head September 1983 then retired in 1987)
  • Helen Fairley – Head from September 1987 to March 1998
  • Gill Thomas-Hancock – Head from April 1998 to August 2015
  • Helen Morrall – Head from September 2015