Cwmdeuddwr National School 4
An extra income
Work on the land
Mr Cornall the first Head to record in the surviving School
Log Books had a constant battle with local children and their
families over attendance. Children stayed away for a variety
of reasons, some legitimate and some less so. The Head expected
children to miss school in bad weather. Small children, often
inadequately shod and clothed, could not be expected to walk
miles in bad weather. Many poorer families kept their children
away from school to work on the land whenever the season offered
an opportunity for an extra income.
Mr Cornall called in the Attendance Officer and sent lists of children absent for no reason to the Attendance Committee. He was not impressed with their response however saying in one entry "Unless greater attention is paid to the lists I send in, I shall cease to send them at all. The Attendance Committee is a mere sham.!"
School
Log Book
"Noyadd shearing. Several children asked leave of absence from school".
County Archives
R/E/PS/9/L/1
The second entry reads:-
"The shearings affect the attendance very much. 40 children
absent this morning at the New House shearing. The school will
be closed this afternoon."
Potato planting and picking, hay-making, the corn harvest and
- most of all - whinberry picking were the other opportunities
seized by poorer families.
A long-standing problem
In 1890 Mr Llewellyn Davies succeeded Mr Cornall and served as
head teacher for the next 32 years. As late as 1915 Mr Davies
was still having attendance difficulties.
"Admitted two sisters - Megan & Gwen Smith - the older girl being 12 yrs of age. These girls had not attended school for 4 years as they lived in an out of the way place."
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