Extract from letter sent about 1960 memories

The letter sent to school on Grange Silver Jubilee 1985

It is 25 years since Grange Infants' first opened its doors that wonderful May in 1960.They were halcyon days and we were in an annexe building as the main school was not quite ready. There were fields all around us as neither Manor School nor the Fens Estate had been built. We used the field where Manor now stands for reading lessons and story times on those lovely sunny days.

There were three teachers, myself, Mollie Dodds and Joyce Walton and Frieda Robinson ( later Coward) the headteacher. On Commonwealth Day that year we hauled the piano outside while Joyce played the children sang and danced with their Union Jacks. The school had the lovely atmosphere of a village school.

Only a dozen children syed for lunch which was eaten in Mollie's room and assembly was in Joyce's room because of the piano. Frieda and I had come from the old Ward Jackson School so it was wonderful to be in a new school with its character and traditions to be made.

In September 1960 we moved into the present school  but as the Junior school was not ready , we had to share the building which meant 70 children packed into one room. Our halcyon days were over !

As Owton Manor grew so did the school numbers and at one time we had 500 infants and 60 in a class!

We worked hard but I will remember my days at Grange with affection.

Elsie Stevenson

(Mrs Stevenson was a much loved teacher who lived until she was 101 I believe and was still doing supply work in her 70s) F.Wilson

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