Stoke School, Nelson, New Zealand      Ph 03-5477582

155 Years of Education published 1995 and continuing in the Millennium

Stoke School Archives

The history of Stoke School since 1845 has been published by the Stoke School Committees and Board of Trustees for each Anniversary Celebration. The 150th Celebrations was an outstanding success.

The history outlines "What was happening in education" from the early days of Nelson and surrounding districts.

The pupils of Stoke School access  information from the Nelson Provincial Museum.

The National Register of Archives and Manuscripts :Te Ranangi Puranga, Tuhinga Ake o te Motu web site www.nram.org.nz lists the collection of records 1888-1968 with 6 admission registers 1905-1961 along with school centennial records. Today NZ National Library 'Papers Past' publish articles from Nelson Mail and these include Stoke School reports up to 1879.

THE BEGINNING

28th December 1845

When Stoke School celebrated its sesquicentennial at Labour Weekend, 1995, it wasn't quite 150 years old. The date on which it opened for pupils in 1845 was 28 December, a time of the year now unlikely to entice anyone to school, not even an old pupil to attend an anniversary celebration as important as 150 years.

That this public school began so long ago, and at Christmas time, says something of the uncommon value that ordinary people of the new  settlement of Nelson (1842) placed on education. To be sure, Christmas was less celebrated by holidays then and even as late as the 1880's schools closed on Christmas Eve and opened again just after New Year's Day. However, for Stoke School there was a longer holiday each March when everyone including children helped with the hop harvest.

Stoke is now, after Wakefield, the second oldest continuous public school both in Nelson and the whole country.

The very limited provision for education in early New Zealand was by fee-charging private schools, such as Mrs Burtons Dame School in Wellington, and by denominational Christian schools. Non-sectarian public education was not provided in Auckland (1840) or in Wakefield scheme settlements: Wellington (1840) and Wanganui and New Plymouth (1841). There was still no tradition of public education in England at that time, the so called public schools such as Eton, being for the wealthy and privileged only.

The Nelson Wakefield scheme settlement was to be different. Like the Otago settlement which followed in 1848, Nelson had a considerable number of non-conformist Christian settlers and it is conceivable that the Company Prospectus which promised public education facilities from the proceeds of land sales had included that provision to meet their wishes as potential settlers. Inadequate finance from the start thwarted the Company's intention although it did open a public school in September 1842. This closed however in the turmoil that was the aftermath of the 17 June 1843 Wairau affray and utu killings, when 22 of the new settlement lost their lives.

The task of public education was taken up instead by the Nelson School Society established "by a number of Christians" under the leadership of Matthew Campbell. The group had within a month of landing in 1842 set up a first school and the basic principle which the Society followed was that elementary education would be available "to the children of all without regard to the religious opinion of the parents" and that "no sectarian views whatever should be taught and the Bible when read should be read without note or comment" .

To understand the strong motivation for public education one must appreciate that the dissenters, from the state religion (Anglican), or Roman Catholicism, were seeking greater religious freedom in the new land and believed that people should be individually responsible for their own salvation. Thus it was imperative they should all be able to read, in order to study the Bible. There were other reasons too of course but that was the main one accepted widely in the community of the time which typically gave great importance to religion.

Following building of a "Campbell School" by the eel pond, (joined later by the Suter Art Gallery) the first branch of the Society opened at Wakefield on 8 October 1843 and its school there was formally opened on 1 January 1844. The Society's Spring Grove School opened on 18 May 1845 followed by Brook Green (the original name for Stoke) on 28 December that year. Here a school was erected on the main road not far from the Poorman's Valley brook. This expansion of public education was despite the dispiriting effects of insufficient land and employment, the threat of starvation which at one stage forced settlers to dig up seed potatoes again and replant the eyes, and the insecurity resulting from the horrendous tragedy at Wairau.

The first general assembly of children of the Campbell Schools, as they were known, took place at Brook Green on 2 December 1846 "in Mr Songer's Schoolroom". Other pertinent early records have reportedly been destroyed by fire but it appears that William Songer, first Stoke resident and the one who named it after his English birthplace, was the school building's owner. The first teacher is believed to have been Thomas Dyke Piper.

Children walked in procession to the assembly all the way from Nelson, Waimea Village, Spring Grove and Wakefield. Enough carts were available far the younger children. After a meal in which they were joined by "a considerable number of visitors", they were examined about 3 pm by Mr Fox (later Attorney-General) "principally in Scripture, History and Arithmetic. They also recited some short poems and sang a few hymns". According to the report in Nelson's early newspaper "The Examiner", "Mr Fox expressed himself as greatly delighted with the result of the examination"

There was no mention of their return home on the summer evening but it must have been late in an extraordinarily long tiring day before they were all safely back. Roads where they existed were still very primitive and some children had a river to cross. Bullock cart journeys in early days from Nelson through some marshy country to what is now Richmond often took most of a day.

The examinations became an annual event in Nelson town and reports on Stoke School itself began to be published as the following extracts relate.

1854: "The examination gave satisfactory proof of "Mr Bennett, the master's fitness for his work". Altogether the total of school fees averaged 28 pounds per annum "willingly and regularly paid. The teacher receives from the Society at present a grant of 30 pounds per annum. The committee should endeavour to raise the grant to 50 pounds. The respectability and comfort of an able teacher require it. A sum of 10 pounds is required to be expended on the school buildings"..

1855: "The school room is a weather-boarded building of moderate size with a fire-place. It is well provided with maps and has a tolerable supply of books. The building stands on a half acre of land facing the Main Road and there is a small dwelling place for the master attached. The average attendance of children is 27 mostly under 10 years of age of both sexes. There is also an evening school which is resorted to chiefly by boys of a more advanced age --- average attendance is 10. Considering the tender age of the majority of the children in the day school, the progress they had made in elementary instruction was very creditable to the master. The children are taught chiefly from books of the British and Foreign School Society. The absence of a school mistress to teach the girls sewing was regretted by many of the parents".

The original school on the Waimea (main) Road was rebuilt in 1851 on a new site where St Barnabas Church now stands. In 1858 Thomas Marsden, the landowner, who lived at Isel House, gifted the school site to the inhabitants of Stoke through the Nelson School Society. Eighteen months later at a public meeting attended by Messrs Marsden, Holland, Martin, Giblin, Salt, J Beatson, Waller, Small, Parker, Tilley, Allport Snr, Percival and Carvel, it was decided that the school's half acre should be the site of a church (St Barnabas) and that the meeting would defray expenses of shifting the school to a new site - the present one. This would be legally owned by the Nelson Education Board established in 1856 as a consequence of the introduction of Provincial Government in New Zealand. Reportedly stone from the school was incorporated in the new church and the first school on the new site was built of cob with windows facing the main road. Its clay walls were kept white with lime whitewash. The next building on the site was a high wooden three-roomed structure heated, but not well, by open fires. This was followed in 1930 by a building with ample windows on the sunny side and a hot-water central heating system. It was later enlarged on the north side to meet the improved code for space per pupil and is still standing. When in due course this old block became surplus it was converted to a teacher in-service training centre incorporating a Reading Recovery clinic. The block is available for some community purposes and is well used by the school as a hall.

Up till 1945, the school's Centennial year when World War Two ended, there were still only three classes. But Stoke was on the verge of a post-war building boom that transformed a rural village to the largest suburb of a vibrantly growing city.

In 1946 while St Barnabas Church hall was used for the overflow, two more rooms, the beginning of the infant block, were erected. Thereafter growth was phenomenal with relief obtained only through further use of the church hall and opening of new schools - Nelson Intermediate which first took Stoke School Form I and Form II pupils, Enner Glynn, Nayland, Waimea Intermediate, Broadgreen Intermediate and Birchwood Schools.

By the time of the 125th Anniversary (1970) there was still a roll of 460 pupils in 13 classrooms, with the intermediate school in Stoke about to open. Stoke secondary pupils had been provided for from 1966 by Nayland College.

The taking over and expansion of the Nelson School Society system by the Education Board in 1856 had put Nelson far ahead of other provinces and it was the inspiration and model for the New Zealand Education Act 1877, consequent on the abolition of provincial governments in 1876. This legislation made education free, compulsory and secular for all primary pupils in New Zealand. Stoke School, as New Zealand's second oldest continuous public school must stand as a proud example of Nelson's achievements in provision of education.

Nelson had wanted to retain its non-sectarian religious instruction and found a way, without contravening regulations on the minimum time a school must be open, and on the secular requirement, by allowing its schools to close for half an hour a week. Clergy and lay teachers provided religious instruction during this time. Known as "The Nelson System", the provision was adopted throughout New Zealand, another Nelson first. It had been possible for Nelson to pioneer this method because of long-standing "Christian fellowship and fraternisation" between denominations, a hallmark of Nelson since its beginning.

There was a time when the elementary school with pupils to Standard 6, (Form 2) was the only educational opportunity for a great many. Their schooling began and ended there. Now it is but a link in the chain that begins at a preschool centre for organised education and then through compulsory primary, intermediate, and secondary education. The chain continues for a large and ever-growing number to tertiary education and beyond. But although Stoke School is now only a small part of that chain, the importance of the primary years when children are growing and developing rapidly, and learning basic skills and vital attitudes, means that its value is not less but greater than ever in helping its pupils towards achieving their full potential in today's world.

CHAPTER TWO

THE LAST 25 YEARS.SOME MAJOR MILESTONES AND EVENTS.

Education of the Deaf: In 1970 The Nelson Education Board officially opened a classroom for the Deaf at Stoke School. Mr R Owen was appointed teacher in charge. Other teachers were Mrs R Smith, Mrs A Carnahan, Mrs C Dyer, Mrs M Harvey (teacher aide), Mr D Cook, Miss J Adam. From a small beginning the number of deaf pupils increased to the stage where a two class unit was established under the direction of a Senior Teacher (Mr D Cook) and an assistant teacher.

A loop coil was built into the walls to transmit the teacher's voice to the pupils who had receivers installed in the cushions on which they sat. From this receiver the voice was transferred to their ear hearing aids. At times freak radio conditions were received and on one occasion a visitor to the classroom was amazed to see the pupils wriggling in their chairs and throwing their arms around in a strange fashion. The reason: the local radio station was transmitting a hit of the time, "Puppet on a String" and freak conditions were relaying this to the pupils! By 1976 the number of primary school aged deaf pupils in the region had declined so the unit was moved to Waimea College where it continued to cater for these pupils with special needs.

Broadgreen Intermediate: On Oct 12 1971, the Rt Hon B Tallboys officially opened Broadgreen Intermediate although pupils had been attending the school since the beginning of that year. This was a major development in education for the Stoke region; prior to this the majority of pupils had travelled out to Richmond to attend Waimea Intermediate. The Stoke School Secretary Mrs Margaret Murphy 1956-1971 transferred to Broadgreen Intermediate at this time.

One would have expected a brand new school in the local vicinity would have appealed to all parents but that was not the case. The ruling by the Nelson Education Board that all pupils departing Stoke School at the end of their S4 year must be enrolled at Broadgreen was not popular with many. This ruling did not apply to those parents who chose to send their children to private schools not under the jurisdiction of the Education Board. Perhaps it was a case of "better the Devil you know" but some parents went to extraordinary lengths to by-pass the ruling. However, the Education Board was adamant and only in rare cases was dispensation granted. Over the years it soon became apparent that Broadgreen Intermediate offered a high standard of education and the opposition diminished.

Museum Education Officer:

In 1974, following representations from the Nelson Provincial Museum and Nelson Principals' Association, the Education Board appointed a teacher to the part-time position of Museum Education Officer. This was an entirely new position and enabled children to be taught at the museum with resources being made available to teachers throughout the Nelson region.

Mrs Jeanette Ford was the first teacher appointed to this position and for many years provided an excellent service to the many hundreds of pupils who visited the museum with their teachers. Mr D. Longley has continued with the high standard of work but unfortunately at the end of 1995 the current contract expires and there is some doubt as to whether or not the service will be continued. Having the museum officer attached to Stoke School had its advantages as it helped boost staffing and maintained financial grants as well as Teacher Aide hours.

Assessment Class:

With the transfer of the Deaf Unit to Richmond in 1976 vacant classrooms became available. The Education Board, following lengthy discussions with the Department of Education and Stoke School Committee members, decided to transfer the established Assessment Class (plus the teacher, Mrs E Thornley) from Central School to one of these rooms. Thus, Room 3 in the junior classroom block soon had a different type of clientele - children aged 5 to 7 years from various city schools requiring specialist teaching and regular assessment by Departmental Psychologists to determine their future needs and educational placement. Over the years this class has continued to function at the school as is evident by the daily taxi traffic as pupils arrive from their various homes in the city. The teachers associated with this class have all taken a full part in school activities and functions and, in general, contributed in no small way to the smooth running of the school.

Teacher In-Service Training Centre:

As the school roll continued to fall further classrooms became vacant. In early 1978 Department of Education officers visited the school to examine the feasibility of converting the former Rooms 12 & 13 in the old building to a centre suitable for teacher in-service training. Education Board carpenters commenced work on the two rooms in November by removing the wall between the two rooms, thus creating a large open space. Extensive renovations were carried out over the next few months to bring the old classrooms up to a suitable standard. All expenses involved in this work were the responsibility of the Education Board but Stoke School benefited in a large way from this facility. Not only did it provide additional space for school activities but also income for the School Committee through the administration and hire of the rooms to local groups. That there was a need for rooms of this type in the Stoke area soon became apparent from the large number of bookings. Mr Larsen, the school caretaker, soon assumed the roll of custodian of this building and for many years ensured that it was opened and heated in the evenings, returning later to lock up - all for no additional remuneration.

School Caretaking / Cleaning:

Could such a heading and topic be justified under a section dealing with "milestones" in the school's history? In the case of Arnold and Margaret Larsen there is little doubt as to their contribution towards the smooth running of the school during much of the last 25 years. For some years Mr Scott ("Scottie ) provided stalwart service until sudden sickness forced his resignation. For a period the School Committee, teachers and pupils undertook the cleaning until a new caretaker in Mr Nelson was found. Unfortunately history repeated itself and ill health curtailed his time at the school. Once again it was up to the School Committee and helpers to carry out the duties until a replacement caretaker could be found. After sickness forced his teachers and ----"- interviewing several applicants the decision was made to offer the position to Mr Arnold Larsen. Fortunately he decided to accept the job and commenced duties in 1974. Around that time the schoolhouse, which was available to the principal but not required, was being leased by the owners (Nelson Education Board) to whoever they felt so inclined.

Following submissions by the School Committee the Board agreed to make the house available to the caretaker. In June 1976 Mrs Margaret Larsen joined her husband as cleaner with the couple occupying the schoolhouse. The Larsen's took a real interest in the school over and above their normal duties and it was in no small way due to their presence that vandal damage was practically non-existent. This couple continued in the positions until the end of 1993 living in the old schoolhouse during that time. Arnold, in his own inimitable way, became involved in many developments (tree planting, building the slides for the playground, solar heating for the pool - and many others too numerous to mention) and, generally, proving a tower of strength. He was ably backed by Margaret and it was a sad day when they were finally farewelled after a combined total of 36 years service.

School House:

In 1991, following negotiations with the Ministry of Education and Landcorp, the Board of Trustees purchased the school residence at Hira. This house was moved on to the spot formerly occupied by the Head Teacher's residence on the Stoke School grounds. It is currently occupied by the school's husband and wife caretaker/cleaner who pay rental to the Board.

"Tomorrow's Schools":

In 1989 the Minister of Education, the Rt Hon D Lange, introduced major reforms to educational administration which were to have far reaching affects for all schools. School Committees were to be replaced by Boards of Trustees, each school was to develop its own charter outlining its goals and objectives, bulk funding of cash for administration was passed to Boards to budget rather than the former "drip-feed' and strictly controlled system run by the Education Board, both the Education Board and The Department of Education (Inspectors) were abolished, schools were given the right to appoint staff according to their own criteria...... to name but a few. One of the results of the additional power given to School Boards was the community's decision to remove the old schoolhouse in 1993 and replace it with the former teacher's residence from Hira which was purchased from the authorities. This house now belongs to the Board and is rented to the school caretaker.

The remainder of the changes are now history! Few would deny that fine tuning of the "old" system was required but perhaps it was a case of "throwing out the baby with the bath water". Time will tell.

The School Library:

On 5 November 1975 work commenced on the new school library. Prior to this, books were housed in a small room outside Room 7. It is interesting to note that small room is now the "stage" area of the present library. The library was officially opened on 8 April with all due pomp and ceremony by the BIG BRASS from the Education Board. One of the disadvantages of the greatly enlarged library was the accompanying metres of shelving- what had formerly looked a well stocked learning facility suddenly looked something like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard! In the spirit so typical of the community, the Parent Teacher Association, The Projects Committee, and the School Committee combined efforts and ran many fund-raising functions to enable this new asset to become fully equipped. Staff and pupils also entered into the exercise by running, on alternate years, firstly a "Spellathon" and then a sponsored walk through the Ngawhatu farm. These ventures regularly raised around the $1400 per year mark and reflected the strong community support received.

As a result the library soon became one of the best stocked in the area with additional funds available for developments such as the adventure playground, landscaping of the school frontage, solar heating for the pool, and the provision of a wide variety of teaching materials and aids not normally available from official sources. On several occasions school inspectors commented on the variety and scope of materials provided by parents.

It is interesting to note in the School Log Book that a week after the official opening of the library repairs had to be carried out due to a leak in the roof. Obviously the repair work was efficiently done as no more reports of that nature have been recorded.

Parent Involvement in the School: Space does not allow for lists of names of the many parents who served on the various committees associated with the school. Suffice it to say that they were numerous, enthusiastic and hard working. At the time of the 125th Jubilee the School Committee was comprised of :

Mr Owen Randell - Chairman    Mrs Betty Sutton - Secretary    Mr Bob Grabham - Treasurer

Committee: Messrs T K Clarke, B Eden, M Eden, G Harvey, CJ Marshall, R H McCracken

Twenty-Five years later the following members make up the Board of Trustees :

Mr David Stephens-Chairman,    Mr Terry Kemp-Vice Chairman,   Mrs Colleen Calder- Treasurer,  Mrs Pam Robinson-Secretary ,   Mr Gerald Baldwin-Staff Representative, Mr Adrian Mullan-Principal, Mrs Carol Rendle, Mr Roger Bruce, Mrs Bernadette TeKawa-Kohanga Reo Rep.

        .

......meeting the challenges of the new millennium......

1999-2010© Stoke Primary School, 601 Main Road, Stoke, Nelson, New Zealand.

Ph 03-5477582 Fax 03-5477482

Email Administration

updated: February 06, 2010