Education

The first mention of a school in the village was that established by Thomas Sparkes in 1721. He had given a copyhold farm of over 24 acres which provided an income for the education of  ten poor children. His charity produced about £40 a year. The first school buildng is thought to have been on the outskirts of the village in Rede Rd in the building now known as Fuschia Cottage. James Pask was the school master in 1844. A subsequent building on Old School Rd became the "Penny a Day' School. This building is now called Beehive Cottage.

Whepstead School opened in 1875 with room for 120 pupils. The first school board was Chaired by the Rev'd Steele. The former school and adjoining school house, which were built in 1874, at a cost of £1500 are now Grade 11 listed. There were other small schools in the village prior to this including one on Rede Rd and another in Old School Road.

The school logs can be found in the Record Office in Bury. They tell a lot about the life of the viilage: the weather, the farming year, celebrations, sickness and poverty. A summary of the logs from Victorian times can be found below and make interesting reading.

Sadly the school closed in the 1980's and the school and the school house are now private dwellings.

Whepstead School Logs 1875-1901

Image courtesy of the Bury Past and Present Society. Spanton Jarman collection.