Mrs Ann Morton, 1960 - 1990

I was delighted to be invited to contribute my memories to the St. Michael's School 150 blog.

Mrs Ann Morton, 2012

I spent the greater part of my teaching career at St. Michael's School, and both my children were pupils there. My first involvement with the school was a part-time teaching post in the spring of 1960 when I taught 'upper infants' on a Friday afternoon. My daughter Karen was then about six months old and I pushed her there in her high pram (Silver Cross - now on display in the National Trust's Chastleton House, Gloucestershire!) and left her outside the staff room where the headmaster's wife, Mrs Maskell, the school secretary, kept an eye on her. After an interval of several years, during which my son Tim was born and I taught for a while at College Town School, I rejoined St.Michael's and taught alongside Mrs. Randle, widow of the former Headteacher, in the 'upper juniors'. After Mrs Randle retired I continued to teach in the upper school (years 5 & 6). David Knott was appointed headteacher in 1983 when Mr. Maskell retired and, at the same time, his deputy, Stan Burch, moved on and I was fortunate enough to be appointed as deputy head in his place. In 1990 I spent one term as acting-headteacher between David Knott's departure to College Town and the arrival of his replacement, Bill Davies, before I, too, moved on to become the headteacher of a small village school in North Oxfordshire.

Over the years memories blur but I have I have tried to pick out some of the happier moments from my time at St.Michael's, not in chronological order.

There was great excitement when the swimming pool was being built by an amazing team of parents. The old wooden dining hall was converted into changing rooms and it was busy after school, weekends and holidays with rotas of staff and parents to supervise. I particularly enjoyed summer lunchtimes in and by the pool, sunbathing and swimming, a staff privilege which set us up for the afternoons.

Part of the old dining hall was used to house an electric kiln which allowed the children to experience the whole story of pottery from the raw clay to finished glazed items. A special project with clay involved every child in the school modelling their own face on a tile which was glazed and fired. The complete collection of tiles was assembled into a mozaic lining the walls of the porch facing the terrapin.


Probably long-forgotten now, the BBC used to produce a whole range of school broadcasts in twenty minute slots with excellent books to accompany them. Among these was an introduction to folk dancing by a London headteacher, John Tether with music by McBaines Band, which I used with my class as an afterschool activity, and we soon had a keen mixed group of dancers. Towards the end of the summer term, for several years, we took this group to Reading and Winchester Folk Festivals and to Days of Dance at various venues. The children danced at the annual school fetes with dances selected to fit with the theme of the event. Our speciality was the Flamborough Sword Dance which reached a triumphal conclusion with eight interlocked swords held aloft - when it worked! (I still have the wooden swords in my study if anyone would like them!).

The old wooden bike sheds (see pictures) were not only great for wet play times but also for swallows, with several nest sites on the roof beams each year, with the birds flying in and out over the children's heads. Sadly the sheds had to be demolished, but we asked for similar beams to be put into the 'Wendy House' built near the steps iinto the churchyard but, unfortunately, the swallows didn't use them. However, house martins nested under the eaves of the old School House, so we still had some immigrants to watch.

We were fortunate that the school is next to the churchyard as we were allowed to cultivate a ten metre square Spring Meadow which was left uncut until June. The children enjoyed seeing and recording the variety of wild flowers, butterflies and insects that this encouraged and finally had a fun afternoon haymaking to provide the school rabbits, guinea pigs and gerbils with soft new bedding.

We had many enjoyable outings over the years, but one I remember with special pleasure was to Art in Action at Waterperry Park, near Oxford, where the children were not only able to watch a great many professionl artists at work but were also able take part in a wide range of art activities themselves. There was much excitement as they arrived back at school clutching all the different things they had made.

During my time at St. Michael's we were able to benefit from a variety of contributions from outsiders. Amongst these was the construction of a wonderful play area, incorporating a range of physical activities, built by the Army - I'm not sure which part of it now, although it might have been Sandhurst Cadets. We also had an amazing day with the famous children's artist Jan Pienkowski who worked with the children, from their initial sketches through to a large and colourful mural on a wall near the office. The day included a break for lunch which he took sitting with the children at a tiny table. On another occasion the well-known poet, writer and broadcaster Michael Rosen read poems to the whole school in the hall and then organised a writing workshop for the children. One day we buried a badger we had found dead in the road, in a cotton shroud; I'm sure we wouldn't be allowed to do that now for all sorts of reasons. The idea was to dig it up again after a suitable length of time to see what had happened to it - but we never did. I probably forgot where we put it, or perhaps it got built over! To complete the cycle, shortly before I left, my son Tim visited the school, representing the Blackwater Valley Project (a collabrative effort between Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey) to provide and plant trees inside the fence to the main road. I wonder if they are still there?

Looking back has been has been quite exciting, giving me the chance to revisit a small world in which I was so imimately involved, all sorts of things have come to mind that I haven't thought about for years. It was a real privilege to have this opportunity to work in a small primary school with an enthusiastic and friendly staff, cooperative parents and wonderful children. Ann Morton