Chronology

A brief history of the County High School for Girls, Loughton, Essex

1876 12th January Mary Elizabeth Hall born in Cheadle, Cheshire

1888 to 1892 Mary Hall was a student at Manchester High School

1890s Mary Hall studied Maths, Economics, Latin and French at the University of Manchester

1894 19th May - Eleanor Marguerite Verini born in Hampshire

1901 Mary Elizabeth Hall, who was to become Loughton High School’s first headmistress, was living in Chorlton, Cheshire, working as a teacher in a private school. - possibly

in Long Mills Derbyshire.

Mary trained under Sara Burstall who was the second Headmistress of Manchester High School, a school attended by the Pankhursts of suffragette fame. Miss Burstall wrote

several books on education, including: English High Schools for Girls: Their Aims, Organisation, and Management (1907), Impressions of American Education (1909) and The

Story of Manchester High School (1911). In 1911 she served as President of the Association of Head Mistresses. At the 1914 Loughton speech day which Miss Burstall attended it

was said that no one living had done more (than Miss Burstall) to bring about the present condition of education amongst girls. It seems that Loughton was to be at the

forefront of girls' education.

1902 Education Act gave Essex County Council the power to create the school

1903 Mary Hall awarded an MA in Economics by the University of Manchester

1904 April - Mary Hall appointed as an English Teacher at North Manchester High School.

1905 The Essex County Chronicle of 24th November reported that

It was proposed to establish a secondary girls’ school at Loughton which would

also be a pupil teacher centre. The secondary girls’ school was actually to be

started next term in York Hill House on which a short lease has been taken.

The site for a permanent building has been obtained about 200 yards from Loughton

Station and the proposed new school would be ready in 18 months or 2 years.

1906 January - The school opens in York Hill House, Loughton with Miss Hall as head. Miss Maud O’Kell seems to have accompanied Miss Hall to Loughton as an assistant

mistress.

1908 The school moves to the Alderton Hill site in Loughton. The Essex Newsman of Saturday 9th May 1908 reports

“Professor Sadler opened the new High School for Girls erected by the Essex

Education committee at Alderton Hill Loughton”

Professor Sadler could well have been Michael Sadler who was an historian and educationalist. He worked at the University of Manchester.

The new building in Alderton Hill was designed by Herbert Tooley.

1909 May - Madeleine Elgiva Heald born in Doncaster.

1909 Announcement in the Essex County Chronicle on 16 July that the new term at Loughton would start on 20th September that year. At this time the school had a junior

department for girls aged between 8 and 12, and prospective pupils had to sit an entrance exam.

1912 December - The first Loughton speech day held at Lopping Hall. Chair of Governors Mr F Dent JP said

“the object of the school was to turn out a girl who was equipped for life in every way”

1912 Formation of the school’s own Girl Guide troop. We know that in December 1927 Miss Hall was a member of the HB Committee for Schools and Guide Cadet Companies.

1913 December - 115 pupils

1914 December - The third Loughton speech day held at Lopping Hall. 154 pupils

1917 Pupil numbers increased so much that an additional temporary building was required

1918 Full time education became compulsory from age 5 to 14.

1919 - 1923 LHS uses part of Braeside School as an annexe while construction work is carried out on the new extension

1922 January - 21^st anniversary of the school opening and Speech Day. Miss Hall said the last twenty one years had been marked by a ‘spirit of comradeship and service’.

1922 Opening of the school swimming bath

1922 December Miss Verini first registered as a teacher

1923 Miss Verini publishes Yuletide Revels in Merrie England with MA Lewis

1926 January - Speech day held at Lopping Hall. The School orchestra played under Miss OKell, teacher at the school and long-time colleague of Miss Hall. It was announced

that a new playing field would be purchased at a cost of £250

1929 By this time the school has three Girl Guide companies attached to it.

1930 New Assembly Hall built - it is assumed that the school no longer used Lopping Hall as a venue for Speech days

1931 February - Winifred Jean Delchar born

1932 One of the first ‘Old Girl’ governors Miss Kathleen Hutchin is appointed

1933 There are 446 students attending the school

1935 Friday 22nd November Announcement in the Western Times that Miss Hall “for more than 30 years headmistress of Loughton High School for Girls “ was retiring.

1936 January - The Essex Chronicle reports that approval has been given to erect a pavilion on the playing field at a cost of £400

1936 Miss Verini takes up the reigns at Loughton. She was previously head at Ely High School. 87 applications were received for the post, then shortlisted to 7. The

appointment of Miss Verini was confirmed from 1st May 1936. She was an English Language and English Literature graduate of Oxford (Class 11) She also had the Cambridge

teacher’s diploma and a Board of Education certificate.

1944 Education Act: Introduced tripartite system of grammar schools, technical schools and secondary modern schools. Pupils were to be allocated by results of 11+ exams. All

pupils were to have free secondary education until the age 15.

1945 September Miss Heald arrives as head. She was a graduate of Newnham College, Cambridge. Miss Verini had left to become Principal of the Cambridge Training College

for Women later to become Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge.

1947 Assumed the start of the Combined Choir with Bancrofts School

1951 School Certificate and Higher School Certificate examinations were replaced by O levels

c1956 Loughton High involved in a BBC recording of Hansel and Gretel with Bancrofts

1962 Miss Hall died. It was said at her retirement that Miss Hall loved her school at Loughton - she lived for it and had striven and fought for the things she thought right.

1962 Opening of new gym (and replacement of its predecessor a Nissan hut!)

1963 Loughton High competed in TV’s Top of the Form. The Show ran from 1948 to 1986, being on television from 1962 to 1975. Loughton narrowly lost its heat to a Boys

Grammar school from Hull. Our team were Deborah Howard, Susannah Howard, Barbara Mason and Charlotte Perrin

1966 January. Loughton High is 60 years old. A service was held in the school to celebrate conducted by Canon EF Hudson Rector of Ingatestone 3000 crocuses are planted in

the school grounds in celebration and commemorative events are attended, amongst others, by Miss E M Verini, former and second headmistress of the school.

1966 Loughton High win the inter school quiz (The Laurie shield) beating Buckhurst Hill Boys into second place. The Loughton team were Janice Grover, Margaret Woskett,

Josephine Parker and Gillian Griffiths.

1966 Friday 13th December Loughton High perform at St Martin-in-the-Fields as part of the Combined Choir with Bancrofts. It seems the Combined Choir had been active for

18 or so years at this point.

1967 Involvement with Buckhurst Hill boys in a performance of Richard III

1968 Involvement with Buckhurst Hill boys in a performance of A Man for all seasons

1968 Tuesday 24th May Loughton High perform at St Bartholomew the Great as part of the Combined Choir with Bancrofts

1969 Friday 9th December Loughton High perform at St Martin-in-the-Fields as part of the Combined Choir with Bancrofts

1971 November - Miss Heald receives her OBE at Buckingham Palace

1972 January - Bomb hoax at Loughton High School. Miss Heald said ‘the whole incident was very tiresome - an irresponsible thing to do’.

1973 67 years after it opened Loughton High forms a Parents Association under the chairmanship of Mrs Delchar. Was there a forerunner of this though? In 1933 a parent

committee

was in existence as it raised £500 for the school scholarship endowment fund.

1974 Loughton High School under threat of demolition but survived

1976 September Headmistress Mrs Delchar dies. Deputy Head, Mrs Henderson, takes the reigns

1977 January - Miss Patricia Smith, Mrs Delchar’s successor, appointed.

1977 3rd May to 24th May Portrait of Miss EM Verini painted by Patrick Phillips RP, displayed by the Royal Society of Portrait Painters,

1979 September. Loughton High due to change from 3-form selective entry school to 4-form comprehensive.

1985 Appointment of Miss Christine Manning, last head of the old Loughton High

1987 9th July Miss Verini dies, notice published in The Times 11th July 1987

1989 The demise of Loughton High, it was rebranded as part of Epping Forest High School before becoming Roding Valley High.

2003 March Miss Heald dies, memorial service held at St Mary’s Church Loughton on 26th June.