Infants Orchestra‚ Featherbank School Horsforth
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This is my school photograph taken at Horsforth Featherbank Infants School in 1941.

The children were given a musical instrument and the boy on the chair posed as the conductor for the orchestra. Featherbank School was opened 15th September 1911 to replace the Grove Day School‚ New Street‚ Horsforth to educate children from the age of 5 to 14.

My mother was one of the pupils transferred - she was 9 years old at the time Pupils had the opportunity to obtain a scholarship at the age of 11 and go to a Grammar School. The first Headmaster was Joseph Rathmell‚ (my mothers Headmaster). He was a Lay Preacher in the Armley area of Leeds. His daughter later became a student teacher at the school. Joseph Rathmell was succeeded as Headmaster by Wilfred Walker‚ a strict disciplinarian (my headmaster).

In the thirties the school year was divided into four terms‚ rather than the three we have today. The school comprised of three stone buildings- the infants school for 5 to 7 year olds - the "Big" school 8 to 14 year olds and the woodworking and cookery building. During the war years‚ the school had an Air Raid Shelter built underneath the "playground." Pupils had to carry their gas masks to school each day and when in the classroom they were hung on their chair back. Regular Air Raid Practices were held to evacuate children from the classroom into the air raid shelter.