SCHOOLS
William Pawne (d. 1578) directed in his will that
the residue of his estate should be used to
establish and maintain a school in his
manor of Chivers Hall (see above). (fn. 65)
There is no sign that such a school was in fact founded.
By the terms of Dr. Walker's Charity (founded
1687) a child from High Ongar might be sent to the
charity school at Fyfield (q.v.). How long the right
was exercised is not clear. It had been commuted by
1834 for a small cash payment and later lapsed altogether (see below, Charities).
About 1799 the rector's wife and two other ladies
established a girls' school at High Ongar, and by 1807
some 20 girls were learning to read and sew. (fn. 66) This
experiment was probably the origin of the National
School which by 1816 was receiving some £31 in
annual subscriptions. (fn. 67) In 1818 there were about 60
children at this school, mostly girls, and 74 others
attended the Sunday schools held in conjunction with
it. (fn. 68) In 1828 the day pupils were said to number 80
and in 1833, 89. (fn. 69) These figures, however, were probably inflated by the inclusion of children who only
attended the Sunday school, for in 1835 there were
said to be only 60 at the day school. (fn. 70) The rector seems
to have owned the school building, which was situated
at the east end of the village on the south side of the
road; subscribers helped to maintain the school. (fn. 71) In
1846-7 there were 77 pupils under a mistress who
was paid £50 a year. (fn. 72) About the same time the rector
helped to maintain a dame school, possibly in some
other part of the parish. (fn. 73) There were also private and
dame schools, unconnected with the church; in 1833
there were five, including one boarding-school, and
71 children were attending them. (fn. 74)
In 1867 a new school was built opposite the church,
with accommodation for 135 and a teacher's house.
Subscribers gave £1,097 and the Education Department a building grant of £201. (fn. 75) Since a school had
recently been established at Paslow Wood Common
and there was also another school in the parish with 15
pupils, (fn. 76) the new church school was sufficient for the
needs of High Ongar's stationary population. The
Education Department stated in 1872 that no more
accommodation was necessary. (fn. 77) Attendance at the
school rose hardly at all before 1880, when it was only
72, but by 1886 it had risen to 119. (fn. 78) The building
was therefore enlarged in 1887 to accommodate 160. (fn. 79)
The annual grant rose from £58 in 1873 to £95 in
1886. (fn. 80)
In 1890 a school board was established at High
Ongar and in that year it accepted transfer of the building for use as a board school on weekdays. (fn. 81) By the
Education Act of 1902 the school passed under the
administration of the Essex Education Committee,
Ongar District. In 1904 there were 153 children on
the books, 4 teachers, 2 of them certificated, and a
monitress. (fn. 82) Attendance subsequently fell, to 91 in
1915 and 62 in 1938. (fn. 83) In 1936 the school was reorganized for mixed juniors and infants, the seniors
being transferred to the new school at Chipping
Ongar. (fn. 84) In May 1952 there were 90 children under
3 teachers. (fn. 85) The building, opposite the church, is
single-storied and of red brick, with teacher's house
attached.
In 1865 a wooden building was erected near Nine
Ashes Farm, Paslow Wood Common, for use as a
church school, the cost being met by subscription. (fn. 86)
The attendance was at first small: an average of 29 in
1880 and 28 in 1886. (fn. 87) In 1892 it began to rise,
additional pupils coming from Norton Mandeville,
where the school had recently been closed, and Blackmore, where the school was overcrowded. (fn. 88) By 1893
there were 56 children on the books, although there
was adequate accommodation only for 50. The school
board, which had accepted transfer of the building in
1890, considered its enlargement but eventually
decided to build a new school a short distance to the
south-west of the existing one. (fn. 89) The new school was
opened in 1895 with accommodation for 88. (fn. 90) Attendance rose to 92 in 1904; there were then 3 teachers. (fn. 91)
The annual grant increased from £28 in 1893 to £67
in 1902. (fn. 92)
By the Act of 1902 this school passed under the
administration of the Essex Education Committee,
Ongar District. The average attendance fluctuated in
the following years: 52 in 1915 and 63 in 1929. In
1936 the school was reorganized for mixed juniors and
infants and in 1938 the average attendance was only
34. (fn. 93) In May 1952 there were 2 teachers and 35
pupils. (fn. 94) The school is a single-story brick building
with a slated roof (see plate facing p. 126). The earlier
school near Nine Ashes Farm is now used as a mission
church.
From about 1890 to 1930 there was a private
school for boys (and later girls) at Marden Ash, run
by Francis Dawson and by Mrs. Dawson. (fn. 95)