A cut benchmark on the south angle of Borden CofE Primary School, east side. The cut mark is clearly visible from the roadside.
Please be mindfull that this is a primary school, it is strongly advised to search for this WM outside of school hours.
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A History of the school -
"The school was opened in 1848 by the Reverend Musgrave and his father. They gave the land for the Village School and paid hundreds of pounds towards its erection and fittings. At first, The Reverend received no funding so, philanthropically, he funded the school himself. The Parish would have been without a school for many years, had the Reverend not been so passionate about everyone being able to receive an education.
Originally the two storeys in the middle of the building were the headmaster's house, the single story rooms either side, being the school rooms. By the mid 1850's, attendance was approximately 45 pupils rising to 121 by 1871, in just two school rooms, which we now know as Cherry and Maple classes and the school hall. The folding wall between Cherry and Maple is still in place but has not been opened for many years. The headmaster's house consisted of two rooms downstairs, now the office and the older part of Willow Class, and three bedrooms upstairs, now the headteacher's office, staff room and a very small room used as a 1:1 teaching area.
When the school was first opened, there was a system of pupil teachers and monitors who delivered the lessons, as there were not enough qualified teachers to satisfy the rapidly expanding education system. Pupil teachers were the children of craftsmen like blacksmiths and shoemakers who could afford to leave their children in the education system after the age of eleven. Teachers may have been as young as sixteen while the monitors were aged eleven. Around 1863, Mr Kenelm Edwards became Headmaster and the Edwards name was to have a long association with the school. His son Kenelm succeeded him as headmaster and his daughter Patience was headmistress of the infants school until 1922. Later, two of his granddaughters were to teach in the school for many years.
When Borden became a 'National School' in the late 1800's, school attendance was vital in order to obtain a government grant. To maximise attendance, the school year in Kent reflected the farming year. Summer holidays began in mid-August and lasted till the end of September so the children did not miss their schooling whilst helping with hopping and the harvest. Into the 1900's, children were still allowed, by law, to miss part of their schooling to work on the farm.
In 1905, there were 37 infants and 121 juniors in the school in just two rooms, compared to the 128 average number of pupils today! At the time, the headmaster would have been on a salary of £125 per year, the headmistress of the infants would be in receipt of £100 per year and the monitors would receive just £15 per year, equivalent to 29p a week!
In 1906, a new classroom was added, which we now know as Beech Class, and at the insistence of the HMI, the diamond patterned windows were replaced with plain glass to let more light into the two front classrooms.
In 1922, Miss Patience Edwards retired and the infant school once again was brought under the headship of the main school. At this time, the school roll had dropped to just over 100. Patience was replaced by Alice Edwards, Kenelm's daughter and in 1927 Kenelm Edwards retired.
Prior to his retirement, the school had received an unfavourable report from the HMI. The new headmaster, John Taylor arrived with many new ideas. Within months, a new piano was installed in the school as well as a new wireless set on which the children listened to the Armistice Day service. He was keen for the school to have its own canteen, but this scheme did not go ahead. He also wanted to make provision for a playing field. He was a keen gardener and he took no time introducing gardening into the curriculum. In 1928 a group on boys were instructed in trenching on the land opposite the school where the new pre-school now stands. The boys showed their vegetables in the Borden Flower Show and the Headmaster took them to the County Show in the summer. By this time, the majority of children at the school were not destined to become farm workers, but many of them appreciated the usefulness of these life skills after leaving school.
An open day was held which attracted about 300 visitors and the children preformed their May dancing. This was a tradition at the school and the same dresses and smocks were worn that had been made in the early 1900's. The dresses still exist today and are in the safe keeping of Borden Heritage Group, who store them on behalf of the school.
The HMI report in 1930 showed a great improvement and the school went from strength to strength. As war broke out in 1939, the school , now under the leadership of Mr Smith, underwent a rapid change. Many evacuees arrived from London and this resulted in the younger children only being able to attend on alternate half days due to overcrowding. By 1940 the Battle of Britain was taking place overhead and Borden was no longer considered a safe haven. All but five evacuees were sent to safer areas. As Borden was considered a rural community, local children were not eligible for evacuation and had to stay put. At this time the only defence against the bombs was some wire mesh on the windows. Many parents were unhappy with this arrangement so refused to send their children to school. In October 1940, the County Architect returned to the school to examine possible sites for a shelter as lessons were being disrupted twice a day on most days. The shelters were not completed until May 1941 by which time the worst of the raids were over. The Kent Education Committee gave permission for the children in the top two classes in the school to be released to pick raspberries as there was a shortage of labour.
The quiet times were short lived. In 1944 the 'doodlebug' flying bombs were landing in Kent. The Headmaster was concerned that the children would not have time to reach the shelter before the bombs were overhead. He arranged for two of the older pupils to act as watchers: as soon as they heard the drone of the bombs engine, they rang a bell to alert the rest of the school who managed to get to the shelter in time That August, this procedure was needed frequently. On 17th August, they rang the bell six time in that one day!
Mr Costin had taken over from Mr Smith in 1947. In 1950, attendance at Borden School fell dramatically as it became a 'Primary' school. All the older children transferred to the new Sittingbourne West Secondary Schools, one for girls, one for boys, built on the site where Westlands School now stands. The two Miss Edwards retired in 1958, thus ending their families association with the school that stretched back to their grandfather in 1856, and had therefore lasted for over 100 years.
There followed a period of uncertainty. In 1963 the school had just 85 pupils on the roll. By 1977 less than half of the children living in the Village attended the school, the rest going to Bobbing, Tunstall and Grove Park. By 1980 pupil numbers had dropped to just 33. Fortunately, by 1996 school numbers were up to 120, all of whom did not live in the village. Since then, the school has enjoyed great successes. becoming increasingly popular. Today, Borden CE Primary school is proud to continue with the same values and ethos as established by the Rev Musgrave in 1848."
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