An emotional day as a traditional village school closes its doors for the final time.
Llangedwyn Primary School near Oswestry has been serving the community for well over 100 years but after today it is no more. Former pupils were invited back to share memories and say goodbye to the school, as pupils will be moved on to other sites.
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00:00Hello folks, who've we got here then? What's your name?
00:03I'm Catherine Hart, I'm the headteacher at Lange Edwin School. I've been here since 2011.
00:09And this is your lad?
00:11Yeah, I'm her son.
00:12And what's your name, bud?
00:13Jonathan.
00:14And you were a pupil here as well, weren't you, Jon?
00:16Yeah, I went here when I was at 20...
00:18When you left 2015.
00:20Yeah, I left 2015.
00:212012, oh yeah.
00:22Yeah, I went here for a couple of good years. It was good fun.
00:24So how old is the school, do we think, then?
00:26The school is 199 years, the school building they moved into in 1897.
00:33And how long have you been here yourself, miss?
00:35I've been here 13 years.
00:37Funny enough, Jon, he was 13 as well, wasn't he?
00:40The last thing he did was employ me before he left.
00:43And how is it for you then today?
00:46Oh, very sad, very sad to see it go. It's been a really special place to teach and to be part of.
00:52I feel very lucky, very proud of it.
00:54What's so special about these small schools, then?
00:57I guess it's the sense of community, isn't it?
01:00You just get to know the families more.
01:02Yeah, you get to know the families. You really know the children.
01:04So you can have a very bespoke, nurtured approach, which works really well to support them.
01:10It's just amazing to see them grow through the years.
01:13So what's you on to now then, miss?
01:17Well, I'm joint head here and at Clambeck Iron School, so I'll still be there in September.
01:21So you'll see a few of the kids from here?
01:23So yeah, some of them are coming over, which is brilliant.
01:25And has it been nice today, everyone getting together?
01:28Oh, it's been absolutely fantastic to see so many people here, so many people from different periods.
01:32And it'll go on this evening as well, so yeah, it's been really encouraging.
01:36Fantastic. And some of the pupils have even had their hands cast, haven't they?
01:40Yes, they have, yes.
01:42It's a nice little memory, isn't it?
01:43Yeah, it's really special.
01:44And is it sad for yourself as well, then, to see it closing?
01:47I mean, it's kind of like a bit of me. It's been part of my family for most of my life, you know.
01:53It's hard for me to say, but it's almost like the death of a family member.
01:59Yeah, I can understand that.
02:01Really sad.
02:02Yeah, well, wish you all the best onwards and upwards.
02:05Thank you very much.
02:06Cheers, guys. Thank you.
02:07Where's mummy, Margot?
02:08Can you point to mummy?
02:09Where's mummy on the picture? Where's mummy as a little girl?
02:17How you doing, folks? We've got John on the right.
02:19John, you were a headteacher here, weren't you?
02:21I was.
02:22When was that, then, John?
02:24This is when we failed.
02:27Thirteen years ago.
02:28Thirteen years?
02:29I believe.
02:30So, how is it, kind of, coming back here? Did you always know that there's a...
02:36Never really left.
02:37Yeah, yeah. It stays with you?
02:39Yeah.
02:40Yeah. How long were you here for?
02:42I was here for thirteen years.
02:44Oh, were you?
02:45Yeah.
02:46Unlucky for some, but not for you.
02:47Not for me. Best job I had.
02:49Cool. That's nice to hear.
02:51And, girls, you were pupils. We'll zoom in on that picture and bring that up.
02:55You've got your recorders just to reminisce.
02:58So, how old do you... We think you were, what, about nine years old on that picture?
03:02Yeah.
03:03Yeah.
03:04And, funnily enough, you still play the recorder.
03:07I do, yeah.
03:08So, you're going on to teach, is it? Your granddaughter, is it?
03:10My granddaughter's learned to play the recorder and the piano as well.
03:13And that's what you've ended up doing, is it?
03:15Yeah.
03:16Yeah, wow.
03:17And what about you, girls? Did the recorder grab you? Did you stay with you?
03:21No.
03:22They can still play one tune.
03:24One tune. Well, that's better than most people.
03:27So, your memories of being here at the school, good memories?
03:31Oh, yeah.
03:32Yeah?
03:33Quite a lot of fun, isn't it?
03:34Yeah. And then I came back to work for a couple of years. I supported a little special needs boy here.
03:40So, I was lucky enough. And I was working under John.
03:44Working under... Were you?
03:45Yeah.
03:46And you taught here as well?
03:47I did. That's when I came out of college.
03:49Yeah.
03:50September, that's 1918.
03:52Yeah.
03:53The end of the year, yeah.
03:55And am I right in thinking some of your family, was it one of your parents went here?
03:59Yeah, my dad and his brother.
04:01Yeah.
04:02They were both here.
04:03And my mum.
04:04Yeah.
04:05She's outside now.
04:06So, this building is proper intertwined with yours and your family's history, isn't it?
04:10Yeah, my two sons came here through Shortwell too.
04:13Yeah.
04:14So, how...
04:15Linda was the chairman of the governors when I was here.
04:17Yeah.
04:18So, how does it feel today then?
04:20Did you always kind of think, you know, with it being a little village school and the way things are,
04:24did you always think at some point there's going to be that notice saying the school is, you know...
04:28I guess so.
04:29Were you kind of mentally prepared?
04:31We've fought a few battles in the past. It was...
04:34Yeah.
04:35Always there.
04:36Yeah.
04:37Always there.
04:38Daddy.
04:39So, it's kind of a happy day reflected on memories, but kind of quite sad I should imagine.
04:43Yeah.
04:44Yeah.
04:45Lots of memories in these walls and not much has changed.
04:48Yeah.
04:49The partition now used to come back and school dinners and the toilets outside.
04:55Lots of things.
04:56Yeah.
04:57Milk.
04:58Oh, yeah.
04:59The little bottles of milk.
05:00Frozen milk.
05:01Yeah.
05:02What were the dinners like back in the day?
05:04Oh, brilliant.
05:05Yeah.
05:06We used to have to walk up to the village hall and the cook was called Miss Alison.
05:11And I was absolutely gutted when I was going to high school that I was going to miss every
05:16little crumble.
05:17Yeah.
05:19How are you guys?
05:20Come in.
05:21Come in.
05:22Come in.
05:23I'm really sad about the school shut down.
05:24Well, that's what I was going to ask you to on the last day.
05:26How are you feeling?
05:27It is sad, isn't it?
05:28Really sad.
05:29Yeah.
05:30Have you enjoyed your time here?
05:31Yeah.
05:32I love this time.
05:33This school is the best school in the world.
05:35It is.
05:36It's got a great playground, hasn't it?
05:37Oh, yeah.
05:38Yeah.
05:39I used to have a tree house.
05:40A tree house?
05:41You used to have a tree house?
05:42Yeah.
05:43But I wasn't in then.
05:44Oh, yeah, me too.
05:45And Daisy, do you remember the tree house?
05:46I wasn't here.
05:47Oh, so you missed out on that bit.
05:49We saw the photo, but we weren't there since.
05:52Is this your tree, Daisy?
05:54Yeah.
05:55Let's have a look.
05:56Show us your tree.
05:57So you've all been given a tree, haven't you guys?
05:59Yeah.
06:00That's because the oak tree is the emblem of the school, is it?
06:03Yeah.
06:04Yeah?
06:05Yeah.
06:06Wow.
06:07See, what are you going to do?
06:08Yeah.
06:09Yeah?
06:10That's not bad, is it?
06:11Where are you going to plan yours, Daisy?
06:13Probably where we grow our vegetables.
06:17Yeah, yeah.
06:18That's quite a cool little gift.
06:20So which schools are you guys going to then?
06:22I'm going to Lambeth High.
06:24Yeah.
06:25We're going to Lambeth High.
06:27Yeah.
06:28After Lambeth High, we are going to Lambeth Loughlin.
06:31Yeah.
06:32I said that correct.
06:33High school.
06:34Yeah.
06:35And, yeah.
06:37It's a sad day, though.
06:38Yeah, you've enjoyed your time here.
06:40I'm going to Saint Martin's School.
06:42Well, it won't be as good as this one, probably.
06:44Maybe.
06:45Well, enjoy your time at your new schools, guys.
06:48I will.