Unlocking hidden history

Today, an ever increasing number of schools are recognising the potential of their archives. Just as the nation is researching family history to discover their ancestors, so schools are researching their archives to discover their roots.

As well as being a resource for presenting the school, archives demonstrate more intangible qualities such as pedigree, ethos and a sense of identity. The archive is a reflection of pride in the history of the institution; there is a sense of belonging in their community which is important to both pupils and their parents.

School archives should not be seen in isolation however; they are an invaluable tool for understanding how society has evolved over many generations and should be made widely available to external researchers.

Whether it is providing material for a postgraduate student's PhD or inviting the local primary school to visit and have the opportunity to undertake research for the first time, the school archive is a valuable source of material for all researchers. One of the most interesting tools available to school archivists is the admissions register.

At many schools it was the practice to record the profession of pupils' fathers but only rarely the occupation of the mother. This fact in itself is an indication of how the role of women in society was perceived.

At St Helen and St Katharine, fathers' occupations included coffee planters in Kenya, tea planters in India, sugar planters in Jamaica and, intriguingly, there was even a taxidermist in India!

Archives at girls' schools in particular demonstrate the changing role and aspirations of women in society and question the perception that, in general, middle-class women stayed at home in the early 20th century. Letters from old girls show long-standing links with overseas service, with women going abroad to teach, nurse and engage in refugee work - all this at a time when it was considered that women were not as mobile as their male counterparts.

As the century progressed, records show that more professions were becoming open to women. However girls' education continued to include lessons and exams on cookery, needlework, laundry work and housewifery; a question in the housewifery' section of a 1951 domestic theory exam paper asks candidates to explain what the daily duties in the bedroom' are!

Sheila Cooper, executive director of the Girls' School Association (GSA) shares in the belief that archives are a vital resource for a school. She explained: "Archives can demonstrate very vividly how forward-thinking and pioneering girls' schools were when they were established.

"They challenged the norms of the day and encouraged girls to do the same. They are still places full of expertise and wisdom in educating girls, and they are institutions that allow girls to challenge the norms of today and create their own opportunities to become the leaders of tomorrow. Archives have a key role to play in supporting and confirming this view."

School magazines, programmes, governors' minute books, letters, exam papers, exercise books, photographs, and memorabilia in the form of old uniforms and equipment can throw a fascinating light on life as it was.

Photographs of science laboratories demonstrate that even in the early years of the 20th century pupils were conducting their own experiments.

During both World Wars, some schools were converted into hospitals and others played host to pupils from schools near London. Photographs show how they adjusted to such circumstances.

Other records show how schools dealt with epidemic outbreaks such as the Spanish influenza of 1918 or, more recently, the Asian flu of 1957.

An outbreak of the dreaded influenza' at St Katharine's was treated promptly by the staff in charge. The girls were taken up to the Downs every day for a week and lessons were taken outdoors. Fresh air and exercise were considered to be the best way of avoiding the illness and the experiment was deemed a huge success.

The different approach to pastoral care, changing styles of uniform, and the greater involvement of parents, are indications of how much attitudes have changed over the last 50 years.

The potential for school archives is huge. One particularly exciting initiative is the building of oral archives. Former pupils from each decade in the school's history are invited back to the school and interviewed by current pupils; the interviews are recorded on film and later transcribed.

Former pupils are delighted to be invited to come back and talk about their experiences and current pupils who had originally regarded the exercise with some misgiving ("Do I really have to talk to an old boy about the war?") came away from the interviews full of enthusiasm and with a desire to find out more.

The use of archive material in present day teaching should not be undervalued. Dr Christine Joy, Archivist at Manchester High School for Girls has created a young historians scheme entitled A Victorian School'.

It offers online primary sources with guidance on understanding and interpreting the sources, background information and worksheets. Designed to conform to the requirements of the National Curriculum, Key Stage 2 History, there are sections on buildings, lessons, sport, teachers and children and material includes a school timetable, an exam paper, rules for both teachers and children and, of course, photographs.

Dr Joy also uses her school archives in performances, both on Founders Day at School and at the Imperial Museum North which supports the performing arts by inviting local groups to perform there.

Dr Joy put together some pieces of poetry and prose written by Manchester High pupils for the school magazines, which illustrate how attitudes to war changed between the Boer War and the Vietnam War and then wrote a linking narrative to hold them together.

A group of girls read the pieces and they did five performances in one day, to an audience of museum visitors.

The performance began with a poem called, Britannia, the Queen of the Sea which was written during the Boer War. It begins: Britons were made to conquer, As Romans were of old.

No foe, however, daring, Can bear now to behold Britannia's shining armour, Her banner's burning gold.

Dr Joy said As you can imagine, one of the girls declaiming this made the visitors aware of us, not least because it is so very politically incorrect. Some sat down, others joined them as the performance went on, and so we had an audience'.

Very different was a First World War poem, about soldiers who returned from the war wounded, handicapped or traumatised.

There were humorous pieces too, such as a description of Manchester High girls making huge quantities of jam for soldiers on the Western front, and knitting socks for Belgian sailors.

Dr Joy said: "We had appreciative audiences, including some school groups. The girls enjoyed the experience, and an article appeared about them in the local paper, so the school got some good publicity."

The realisation of how important school archives have become is reflected in the activities of the school archivist group. It is coordinated by Rita Boswell, archivist at Harrow School, and was formed more than ten years ago. It now meets annually and the current membership comprises representatives from more than 130 independent schools throughout the country.

Specialists are invited to speak on topics ranging from conservation and preservation to copyright, data protection and freedom of information.

Archives are also a useful marketing tool for schools as Sheila Cooper of GSA acknowledges: "A school's archive is a manifestation of its pride in its history. Parents are buying a place for their daughter in the school's future history.

"A school's history and archive is part of how the school demonstrates its brand and builds up a strong sense of identity - and we know from some recent focus group work GSA has been doing with parents, that a sense of belonging to a school with a strong sense of identity and pride is very important to girls and their parents when choosing a school.

The growing interest in school archives is part of the general trend of individuals and institutions researching their past, highlighted through television programmes like Who Do You Think You Are?.

School archives can be a useful tool for those researching their family histories and school archivists are contacted on an almost daily basis by researchers requesting information relating to the time their relatives spent at school.

Evidence shows, however, that not all pupils left with glowing accolades and whilst it may be amusing to read of daring escapades of former pupils, news of such events is not always as welcome to the families involved and care is taken when disclosing information.

So, when you are downsizing or de-cluttering, before you make another trip to the tip, spare a thought for the archivist at your old school who may be thrilled to receive those old team photos, exercise books and badges that you had forgotten you had.

A word of warning, however - do contact the archivist before sending large parcels of memorabilia as few schools have the luxury of unlimited archival storage!

Finally, if your children or grandchildren come to you and ask what it was really like in the Swinging Sixties' or ask you to talk about the good old days' make sure the camera is running and be thankful that your reminiscences will become part of your family archive.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2008 issue of Attain - the magazine for the parents of children attending IAPS prep schools across the UK. For more information visit the website: www.attainmagazine.co.uk