Fretherne and Saul: Education

EDUCATION.

In 1662 Ephraim Rice was described as schoolmaster of Saul; (fn. 1) a public school at Fretherne in 1678 is mentioned above. (fn. 2) There was said to be no school at Fretherne in 1818 and 1833, (fn. 3) though in 1825 there were 40 Sunday school pupils. (fn. 4) A site for Fretherne National school was acquired in 1837; (fn. 5) although it was in Fretherne parish, the school was in Saul village, opposite Saul church and Saul National school. (fn. 6) The two schools coexisted, apparently independent of each other. Fretherne National school received a building grant before 1839; (fn. 7) the school building survived in 1967 as a brick house, different from the other houses of Saul village in being a low, gabled house with mullioned windows. In 1846 there were 18 boys and 28 girls. (fn. 8) The school was moved in 1873 (fn. 9) to a new building 700 yds. north of Fretherne church; it was maintained largely by the rector, who appears to have provided the Gothic school building. Attendance was 22 in 1909, when the rector and Sir Lionel Darell provided wholly for it; (fn. 10) it was closed c. 1910, (fn. 11) and became a private house called the Anchorage. (fn. 12)

Saul National school was later said to have been established and built in 1814, (fn. 13) but in 1818, when there was a Sunday school with 100 children, it was reported that a large school-house on the National plan was then being built by R. B. Cooper. (fn. 14) There were 30 children at school in 1825, (fn. 15) but in 1833 Saul was said to have only a Sunday school with 70 and Sunday school had 88 children; (fn. 16) the building, north-west of the church, (fn. 17) comprised a schoolroom and two cottages of which the rents provided part of the school's income. There were only 30 children attending by day in 1877, but there was a nightschool two evenings a week. (fn. 18) Attendance had increased to 86 by 1904, when the school was called Fretherne with Saul National school, (fn. 19) and was 79 in 1936. (fn. 20) After the closure of the former British school, the Church of England school became the only one in the parish; the cottages adjoining the school became classrooms, a prefabricated building was added, and in 1967 attendance was 86. The older children then went to school at Stroud and Quedgeley. (fn. 21)

The British school, which was known as Framilode British school in 1855, when it had 122 children, (fn. 22) and as the Saul Scriptural Knowledge Institution or Saul British school in 1878, was established in 1845 and the school-house built in 1847. Attendance was 70 in 1878, but it may have increased when a second classroom was added c. 1880. The school was undenominational (fn. 23) and had an attendance of 105 in 1904, when it was called the Fretherne with Saul British school. (fn. 24) Later it was called the Fretherne with Saul Undenominational school until 1921, when it became a council school. (fn. 25) Attendance was 97 in 1936, (fn. 26) and the school was closed in 1950. (fn. 27) The plain brick building in Moor Street was used as a garage in 1967.

Framilode National school was built in 1854, (fn. 28) enlarged in 1860, (fn. 29) and closed c. 1895. (fn. 30) Attendance was 50 in 1869 (fn. 31) and 57 in 1889. (fn. 32) The building, immediately south of Framilode church with a teacher's house built in 1857 (fn. 33) beside it, was used for a Sunday school up to 1923 (fn. 34) and for a church hall in 1967.