South Yorkshire Times May 8, 1948
Conisbrough School Experiment
Boys Learn About Land
Insight Into Farming For Miners Sons
12 boys, aged 13,14 and 15 from Conisbrough, Denaby and Conisbrough Parks, are taking part in an interesting educational experiment at Conisbrough Boys Modern School. From 57 volunteers in the four senior forms then be selected as pupils at an agricultural science course which the headmaster, Mr GW Humphries, and members of his staff have just inaugurated at the school.
Farm visits are to be paid and practical lectures will be given in the school laboratory and library.
On the one by comes from a farming family. The remainder are from miner’s home is in Conisbrough urban district, but they all have one thing in common; they are all keen on the new departure in their studies and proud that they have been selected as the first students.
They have already had their initial lecture – on potatoes – from Mr Humphries and visited for the first time the farm at Hill Top of Mr Frank Ogley, J.P., the Conisbrough landowner. Last Wednesday I listen with interest, with the boys to the second lecture – on manures – by the schools gardening master Mr T Mitchell.
Regular visits are to be paid to Mr Ogley’s farm, and to the pleasure staff and students, Mr Ogley is extending every assistance.
Mr Humphries told me this week that it was home to stimulate the boys to work in the surrounding areas and to visit the farm in their own time when they had made contact with the workers there.
“Records will be kept of the work of the boys, what they have seen and done at the farm and also what they think about the work performed there,” Mr Humphries added. “The farming will be closely integrated with science, gardening and geography in the school, and schoolwork for the course will include Notts about the farm, individual records of work and observation, simple soil analysis of various fields, a plan of the farm and a relief model of the surrounding district.”
Mr Humphries emphasised that the cause was an experiment and that it was not a vocational training scheme; the course have been designed to give the boys a broad background of the importance of agriculture as one of Britain’s principal vital industries.
The first visit to the farm had provided a general introduction to the farm premises and equipment and the boys had seen the opening of a potato pie and the erection of a riddle and sorting of the potatoes. Later they took part in the work and were all delighted to operate an ingenious potato planting machine.
Some of the boys will be leaving school in July, but it is hoped that the majority will be able to see the full cycle of the farming year and perhaps farming operations extending over 18 months. The large percentage of volunteers for the cause – from an industrial district – was surprising. The scholars were warned that farming meant a seven-day week, irregular hours and work at times in depressing weather conditions, but in two of the forms volunteers representing more than 50% of the pupils.