This newspaper cutting from The Gazette on May 7th 1963, was carefully kept in a drawer by my Nan in London. It shows the pupils of Aylesford County Primary School during its opening ceremony. I am sat in the front (with an x over my head). I still have those National Health glasses!
I have fond memories of this school in Teapot Lane. Every morning our Head Mistress, Miss E H Smiles held an assembly in that hall, which also doubled up as the school canteen. Huge hymn sheets would hang down from its ceiling and with the residual odour of school dinners wafting under our noses we would sing hymns like, 'All things bright and beautiful...'
As a gift to their headmistress, parents and children of the school collected a huge amount of milk tops - raising enough money to get Miss Smiles a beagle puppy. The pupils voted to name the dog Penny.
Because this fund-raiser proved so successful the next project was even more challenging - an outside swimming pool. This was eventually constructed together with a pair of heavily creosoted wooden changing rooms. Of course, the boys soon began drilling peepholes with sharp implements through its dividing wall.
One morning I stood on the side of that bright blue pool, beat my chest, did a Tarzan call and dived in. But unlike the Lord of the Jungle, I landed unceremoniously on my head. After swallowing what seemed like gallons of chlorinated water, I thrashed my arms about and scrambled back up to daylight. As I stood knee-deep, my ears popped and buzzed. Shaking and coughing I opened my stinging eyes and noticed several dead flies, wasps and a soggy brown carpet of leaves float past. This experience put me off swimming for life.
Adjacent to our primary school in Teapot Lane stood a small corner shop. Every weekday, heaving queues of children would wave their pocket money under the nose of the agitated shopkeeper. Sometimes they wanted a bag of marbles, but often it was for Bazooka Joe chewing gum, Spangles or packets of sweet cigarettes.
In the playground girls would skip, jump and sing, while the boys would hold British Bulldog competitions or chant 'Join Up For War!' Flying footballs would ricochet off high fencing behind groups of boys clutching handfuls of conkers, marbles and bubblegum cards.
A few teachers of that school still remain in my memory. Mrs Corbett, Mrs Seymour, Miss Hardy and Mr Dyson. But it was Mr Mellor's lessons in one of the mobile wooden classrooms that stand out. Looking back now he seemed way ahead of his time. His wonderful storytelling was enhanced by his wife's beautiful illustrations. One week, just before our summer holidays, our class made a short ghost movie. Every pupil appeared in the film and operated the 8mm cine camera. Mr Mellor even showed us all how to create special effects. One technique was filming through the ripples of heat given off by the classroom's old oil heater. This gave the scene a dream-like quality. If that film still exists, I would love to see it again.
In 1966 there was much excitement at school when the opening sequence of the movie 'Half A Sixpence' was filmed in Aylesford Village. Aerials were taken off the roofs of many of the old houses near the church and many children took the day off school to watch Tommy Steele dancing over Aylesford Bridge.
As reported in the Kent Messenger, Mr Mellor bravely took 27 of our class on a week-long field study trip to Doddington Youth Hostel in April 1968. This was the first time it had been done and was successful - although I was very homesick. During the trip some of the girls played a netball match, we went to a waterworks, visited a church and explored the beautiful countryside. Mr Mellor was a fantastic teacher.
The newspaper article about the oppening has:
“Aylesford County Primary School completed nearly six years ago, was officially opened by the Dean of Rochester, the Rt. Rev. R. William Stannard, at a dedication service in the school’s assembly hall on Thursday.
The school although in use for nearly six years has never been officially opened or dedicated. the ceremony was held over until a new wing, comprising three classrooms, was completed the last term.
Costing more than £64,000 to build, the school designed by Maidstone architect Mr Dennis Darbison will accommodate about 400 pupils.
In his opening address, the Dean spoke of the importance of “bringing God into the lives of all those who pass through the school. The dedication of this school is not just a ceremony,” he said.
“It is something you will remember all your lives; when you are older, you will be proud to come back and say, ‘this is my old school.’
‘It is a fine and important thing that you think is right and necessary to have your school dedicated in the name of God.
“We have offered this school to God and asked Him to help it and to guide its progress through the years,” the Dean said.
Guests present at the ceremony included Miss M Maplesden Noakes, vice-chairman of the Kent Education Committee, who proposed a vote of thanks to the Dean, Alderman W.G. Sherman, chairman of the Maidstone Divisional Executive for Education, Canon H. J. Powell, Vicar of Aylesford, Mr G. T. Heckels, Clerk to Kent County Council, and Councilor John Evans, Mayor-elect of Maidstone.
Guests were welcomed by the chairman of the school managers, Mr A. A. Howick, who presided at the opening ceremony”.
