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.
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