May/Jun 2024

24
South Woodford Village Gazette
Fields of Memories
In the second of a series of articles to mark Churchfields Infants’ and
Junior School’s 150th anniversary, former pupil Carol Elsbury (class of 1972)
reflects on her memories of Miss Francis and Mr Baker
People often say schooldays are
the best days of your lives. I felt a
sense of security and happiness at
Churchfields, which was a testament to the
staff. We had recently moved from Swindon
and starting a new school was terrifying. At
the end of the first day, the school phoned
my parents to congratulate them on my
grasp of English, which confused my mum
until she realised they thought I had come
from Sweden, not Swindon!
I have hazy memories of the infants, where
Miss Hollis presided over us one day in the
playground, dividing our class into birthdays.
We had no idea this would mean some of our
friends would ‘disappear’ and our class would
be altered going forward. We soon adjusted
and my real memories begin clearly when we
went into the junior school.
Our classroom was one of the huts built at
the rear of the school, near the large field, to
cater for the ever-growing student body. I
can remember that hut as being so colourful,
with paintings on all the walls, a large nature
table on the right-hand side of the room and
mobiles hanging from the ceiling. The tiny
tables faced the blackboard and to the rear
was the reading area. The teacher was Sheila
Francis; she was one of two cherished teachers
at that school who did so much for me.
I was okay until someone raised their voice;
then I was scared. When Miss Francis would
admonish someone, I would be upset but try
not to show it. Finally, my mum spoke to Miss
Francis, who came up with a simple but very
kind plan. If she was going to raise her voice,
she would walk over to me, hold both my
hands and smile, and then tell someone off
over her shoulder! It might seem silly now, but
to me, it made all the difference in the world.
Class photo with
Miss Francis
In my last year at juniors, we were supposed
to have our first male teacher, Mr Baker.
However, when we came in on that first
morning, we were greeted by an elderly
teacher, who I think was Mrs Mangham. She
explained Mr Baker had been on holiday and
had tragically lost his son in an accident. She
taught us for a few weeks and said it was
essential we did not say anything to Mr Baker
about the accident and that we must be
well-behaved upon his return. And we were. I
found Mr Baker an encouraging and positive
person, which was extraordinary given what
he must have been suffering. He developed
my love of reading and writing and my last
report said I had a very “chatty” style!
I think the greatest sadness for pupils of our
era is that when we return for the reunion
in June, the buildings we remember will no
longer be there. I can close my eyes and see
the high windows, the painted bricks, the
classroom doors surrounding the hall and the
gigantic TV stand, which was ceremoniously
wheeled out. But mostly, I remember a feeling
of happiness, and for that, I am truly grateful.
A school reunion will take place on 8 June
from 11am. For more information and to
register, visit swvg.co.uk/c150
To advertise, call 020 8819 0595 or visit swvg.co.uk