Rogerstone Directory - Editorials - Rogerstone RFC

Rogerstone Primary School

From Old...

The Tin Works was responsible in 1859 for setting up a school in the village for the benefit of the children whose parents were employed there. The school was located at the top of Tregwilym Road, the site now under development. The school logbooks for 1863 states that when the school was inspected the staff consisted of two masters and a sewing mistress. On 15th December 1871 the logbook says that attendance was kept to 94, as that was all the room could accommodate…

“Gave a half-day holiday Monday afternoon – had to send several children home owing to the school being too full.”

22nd February 1877 log entry reads “the school overcrowded – closed the school in the present buildings.”

27th February 1877 “commenced school in new School Board buildings.”

An article in the Monmouthshire Merlin and Advertiser dated 2nd March 1877 details the opening of the school with much ceremony on Monday 26th February and contains this detailed description of the school.

“The buildings stand upon an eminence facing the Risca and Newport Road, and adjoining the Mon. Railway Station, and can be well seen from either of these places. They form a simple Gothic structure in the style prevailing about the 13th century and designed without any attempt at avoidable ornamentation, but the sky-line is broken by arrangement of roofs, chimneys & c., which assuming a purely ulitarian and scholastic character produce a picturesque and pleasing effect. The whole of the schools and classrooms are upon the ground floor and boys, girls and infants get separate playgrounds, which are kept entirely distinct. The arrangements of the schools and classrooms are carried out from a careful study of the rules laid down by the Education Council. The infant’s school is arranged with one portion fitted up with writing desks and benches for advanced infants, and a gallery for 90 smaller infants. All the desks and benches to each school are well lighted by windows high up behind. The schools are ventilated by the natural ventilation of open fireplaces and windows, with additional openings having moveable gratings to regulate the admission of fresh air, and exit of foul air through moveable trap openings in the roof.

Separate hat and cloak lobbies are provided to each department near the entrances, and the lavatories are placed so that the children can wash before coming into school. Care has been taken not only to get W.C.’s as far from the main building as possible, but to get them thoroughly ventilated. The buildings generally are of hard blue pennant from Risca quarries, with Bath stone dressings. The timberwork is of red and pitch pine, and all the internal woodwork is stained and varnished, while the roofs are covered with Bangor slates, with ornamental earthenware ridge tiles from Bridgwater”.
The cost of this fine building, built for 350 pupils, was £2,500.

In 1953 a revised Education Development Plan was submitted to the Minister of Education for consideration and approval. The report stated that Rogerstone Tydu Infants and Rogerstone Senior & Junior School buildings and site were ‘very defective’ and that ‘modern accommodation necessary.’ The plan said that Rogerstone Infants School, catering for 120 pupils age 5-8, and Rogerstone Tydu Junior Mixed, catering for 160 pupils age 8-12, was to be continued in a new building at Victoria Gardens. Provision was also to be made for a nursery school adjacent to the new schools. The necessary clearance had been obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture for the market garden area as the site for the new Infants, Junior and Nursery Schools. Despite these plans a new school was not forthcoming until 1976 when the new school opened on the Cefn Wood site.

After the devastating fire in April 2002, Rogerstone was once again awaiting the building of a new school.

To New ...

On 11th September 2006 the new Rogerstone Community Primary School opened its doors once more. The new building is Eco-friendly, has under floor heating, a sedum covered roof, all of which will reduce the long term running costs of the school and at the same time teach the children the importance of looking after our environment. The cost of this school was £6.9 million, has 39 members of staff and will accommodate 560 pupils – a far cry from 1877!

The new building will once again become a focal point in the village, not only for the children and parents, but also for members of the community with the new facilities for use by local organisations, clubs and societies.

Very best wishes are expressed for the continued success of the school, its staff and pupils.

Kim Fry

Web: www.rogerstoneprimaryschool.co.uk/

---

[back]