Conisborough School Board

A meeting was held last night, Mr Dufton in the chair. Present Messrs Walker, Stock, Pagdin, Marsh and Tennant, with Mr Harrison (clerk) and Mrs Sargentson (attendance officer).

A deputation from the Football Club waited upon the board to ask for the free use of the schoolroom for its concert on 26 December. Granted.

A deputation from the Conisborough Cricket Club also waited upon the board for permission to use a school as a ballroom on 10 January.

This was agreed to, the Board charging 15 shillings for gas.

It was decided to allow the teachers use of the room for a social evening once a month.

Mr Pagdin said that in the last report it stated that the schools were insufficiently heated. He thought the best way to deal with that this winter would be to get a few gas stoves and put one in each department. He thought that money might be spent that way now than have it taken off the ground at the end of the year.

Mr Stock said the only objection he had to gas stoves was that they made a horrible smell, but he did not think they ought to discuss that question until they hard discussed the question of school extension. It seemed to him, from a question they had had put before, that there were over 200 more children in Conisborough than they had school accommodation for, and he thought this question more pressing than the other, and that they ought to deal with it at once.

The Chairman: The extension cannot be done this winter, that is a certain fact.

Mr Stock: Do not misunderstand me Mr Chairman; I do not mean that the heating question shall stand over until we build, brought until we shall determine what to do. We shall suffer in the grand vistas much over this as from the other, if it is not attended to. I think the cheapest way will be to get designs for an infant school entire, and throw the present one into a boys and girls school.

Mr Stock subsequently said that he had come to the conclusion that they would have to build a new infants school, and that being the case they could go on with the question of temporarily heating the schools.

Mr Pagdin said he saw the should make the present one into a boy’s school and build a new one with an infants school on the ground floor and a girls school as above.

Mr Stock moved a resolution that a committee of the board be appointed to look into this matter, which was seconded by Mr Pagdin and carried.

It was eventually decided on Mr Walker’s resolution, to empower the school treasurer to hire seven or more stoves from the cheapest market he could get them.