The school about 1900 [Z50/85/8]

Bedfordshire County Council became Local Education Authority for the county in 1903, following the Education Act 1902. In 1904 the County Surveyor reported on the condition of all the council and voluntary schools in the county under LEA control, excluding those on Bedford and Luton Boroughs which had their own executive arrangements. The surveyor set out his report in the format below.

OAKLEY COUNCIL SCHOOL

GENERAL WORKS ... £30/13/9
SANITARY WORKS ...  -
HEATING & VENTILATION ... £14/5/-
(TOTAL) ... £44/18/9 

House

GENERAL WORKS ... £3/18/-
SANITARY WORKS ...     -
HEATING & VENTILATION ...    -
NEW WORKS ...     -
TOTAL ... £3/18/-

TOTAL ... £48/16/9

Oakley School and House (Council)

This is well-built stone and tiled structure, of good design, airy, and well lighted.

General School Room ... 47 feet 6 inches by 20 feet by 15 feet to 18 feet high

Infants' Room ... 12 feet 8 inches by 20 feet by 15 feet to 18 feet high.

This is shut off from General School Room by a framed partition, partly glazed, measuring 12 feet 8 inches by 20 feet.

The windows are large. There are two pivot lights, and seven others, making in all nine. These are ample ventilation for fair weather, but in bad weather Five Tobin Tubes and an Exhaust Ventilator are necessary.

The stained and varnished work is good, walls and ceilings need repairs, cleansing, colouring, whitening and paint renewing two coats, also fastenings repairing.

The floor is very thin. Three-fourths will soon need entirely new boarding.

Cloak Room and Lobby - 15 feet by 8 feet by 9 feet average height.

This is light and airy. A Lavatory is provided. Wet comes in from roof. All needs repairing, restoring, cleaning, whitening, colouring and painting two coats as before and all leaving sound.

Offices These are provided with trapped pans, flushed by a pail of water. The new ones are clean, the older ones have not been so well tended. This is a type of closet that too often fails to get sufficient  water, and care, to ensure cleanliness.

They are below the surface of the School yard, therefore the surface water stands in wet weather upon the floors, as I found them on my visit. All the Offices need renovating.

School Yards

These need reforming to grades comformable to the surface water grids and drains, the latter need rectifying.

House 

This has two rooms on the ground floor, and two upon the Chamber floor measuring:
Front Sitting Room ... 12 feet by 12 feet 9 inches by 8 feet 6 inches
Kitchen ... 12 feet by 9 feet by 8 feet 6 inches
Bedrooms are same size by 9 feet high.
A Scullery is provided in an outhouse, next range of Offices.

The house portion is in very fair order. The stairs need a light, also handrail.

External Repairs and Painting These should be followed up next season

Water Supply A hard water pump is provided in Scullery.