On turning to the right I found myself in the

Large Central Assembly Hall

where the children will meet and be drilled and have their first lessons in harmonious obedience which will form the initial stage to their taking their proper place in the future in the duties of life.

  The hall is a very handsome room about 50 ft by 25 ft. of lofty height, with a gallery at the south end for any visitors who may wish to have a look at the progress of events in the infants’ world.  The floor, in fact the whole school, is paved with wood blocks, but in the hall lines are drawn a yard apart each way so that there will be a place for every class, and every class will soon know its place.

  On the south or Newton-road end are two babies’ rooms, with sliding glass screens between them, each holding fifty.  It is most interesting to see the little seats and desks for two arranged in groups and then the cleverly designed seats against the walls, so arranged that the desk board passes over the heads of the children and comes down in front of them so that

The Little Ones Are Safe

  In these rooms the heating and ventilation seem very efficient and the babies have their own way out to the playground.

  To the west of the hall are two fine rooms for sixty children each well warmed and ventilated, and the passage for the children from hall to playground is at the end.  North of this are three more beautiful rooms for the children, sixty each, but something seemed the matter with the heating arrangements, as these two rooms, which are at the north, seemed more fitted for the storage of ice cream than for live children.  I understand the firm supplying the heating arrangement is being written to, as evidently something has

“Gone Wrong With The Works.”

  These five class rooms for sixty each and two babies’ classes of fifty each will accommodate 400, but the department allow for 60 in the central hall, making 460 children in all, and it will not be many months before the full number is at work, if I’m any sort of a prophet.

  The woodwork of the ground floor and gallery is well painted a sombre quaker green, which is a capital wearing colour, I imagine, and forms a good contrast to the bright tints of wall and the white of ceilings and of the upper woodwork.  The various passages and corridors are in light brick with dark glazed brick dadoes.  Upstairs is a large room for the teachers and a store place for kindergarten and other stock.  The children have a splendidly large play ground and some rather low sheds at the other end.

Children’s Entertainments at Rushden - Opening the Newton Road Infant Schools

Very wisely the Rushden School Board decided to throw open on Wednesday and yesterday the new Infant schools on the Newton-road for the inspection of the parents and the public generally. The rooms were prettily decorated with plants and flowers, and kindergarten work was shown on the walls. Work in the school has been commenced this week with 335 scholars, the premises being built for 460. Large numbers of people visited the school both Wednesday and yesterday. On Wednesday afternoon, when the public were admitted, the youngsters were found busily engaged, the first class with clay modelling; class 2, slat weaving; class 3, building with blocks; class 4, stick joining; class 5, rope work. The babies were having a tea party with toy cups and saucers. Class 1 was in charge of Miss Denby; class 2, Miss Clews; class 3, Miss Olive Parkin; class 4, Miss Tunstall; class 5, Miss Ruth Brown; babies’ class, Miss Barber. Miss Nash, the head mistress, superintended the arrangements.