Miss Alice Burgess; headmistress 1912-1928

The school was founded by Miss Burgess in 1912, with 7 pupils. She purchased 2 houses in Bickley - Springhurst which became Practical House, and then Gordon Lodge, which became School House, and named the school after Mrs Mary Stratford Sanderson who helped with the initial finance. She also built the hall to join the two houses together.

She chose the school motto "By love serve one another" from Galatians 5v14, and also started the house system with the Challenge cup for the house winning the most cups. There were two initially, Elizabethans with the colour blue "Deeds not words"  and Victorians with the colour pink "Play up, play up and play the game".

Pupils boarded in Practical House, and had lessons in School House. Uniform included navy serge  dresses with cream silk and collars, with a summer dress of cornflower blue cotton and a hat. School colours were blue, pink and cream, and there were a small number of boys at the school too.

The school day started with prayers, followed by lessons. A wide variety of traditional subjects were taught, including music, dancing and elocution.  Sports included netball, hockey, rounders and tennis during lessons, with hopscotch being enjoyed during break time.

A Guide company and Brownie pack were held at the school, and Sports day and trips to London to concerts and the theatre were enjoyed. 

Boarders would have to rise early to practice their music, had maids to serve at their dining table and enjoyed trips to the local sweet shop. 

Miss Burgess established high ideals and a happy atmosphere for all to flourish.

Miss Eva Wilkinson; headmistress 1928-1953

 

Miss Wilkinson had a commanding presence and gracious manner.  She adopted the sweet pea as the school flower. Many changes were made to the buildings - she put a laboratory in the Brownie House, built the Domestic Science House behind the hall, and installed central heating. She also built the swimming pool and purchased land for the playing fields and 2 tennis courts.

Numbers of pupils increased significantly, so a third house Alexandra was formed with the colour beige "Press on and persevere".  There were form cups (tidiness, progress and loyalty) to be won as well as house cups (various sports, Work cup and Challenge cup). The junior houses were Martins, Swallows and Swifts. Each house had a song, and there was even a competition for the singing of the house song, with resultant choirs and rehearsals.

Silence was kept in the corridors, doodling was frowned upon and yo-yos were a popular pastime during break. Guides and Brownies flourished, including guide camp. The first school holiday abroad was taken to Holland.

Gymnastic displays were given to parents, and the school played lacrosse, netball, rounders and tennis. The school play was given wide coverage in local newspapers. There was a choir, music recitals and a percussion band for younger children.

Boarding for some pupils continued,  with a homely atmosphere under matron, but the food not always being enjoyed. A weekly menu was followed with fatty fish and soggy chips on a Friday. Midnight feasts were punished by a daily dose of medicine known as "Gregory powder".

Debates and a pet show were held, Harvest Festival was celebrated and there were parties at Christmas and Guy Fawkes. The school had a magazine and an Old Girls' Association.

During the Second World War the boarders were evacuated to Mullion, Cornwall where the school used bungalows and the Polurrian hotel. Numbers at the school fell dramatically during the war, and financial difficulties led to staff salaries being reduced. Several bombs fell on the school, windows and ceilings collapsed, uniform was relaxed and everyone carried a gas mask, and pupils responded to the challenges with courage and cheerfulness.

It took several years for both academic achievements and the buildings to recover from the war, although the school remained a happy place.  

 Miss Winifred Genner; headmistress 1954-1974

 

Miss Genner was appointed as a new headmistress, and arrived with her dog Gypsy, who would follow her around school. She upgraded the fabric of the building, installing proper fire escapes, new entrances and full central heating. She removed the fireplaces and redecorated the classrooms. A fire in the boiler room caused damage and disrupted normal function of the school for a while,  the drains flooded on a number of occasions, and boilers remained highly temperamental.

Boarders were phased out, and the Boarding House was redeveloped and renamed Practical House.  This gave a domestic science room, needlework room, art room and music room, together with several smaller rooms for individual instrumental lessons. Two new science laboratories were also installed and equipped, and the swimming pool was heated.

The kitchen was upgraded and more space made for dining, as a full 2 course cooked lunch was provided for the whole school. The buildings were rewired, the electric bell installed, plumbing improved and water fountains installed. Old fixed bench desks were replaced with more comfortable modern desks, and 4 hard tennis courts were put in place.

Numbers at the school were around 200, and boys were no longer admitted. The uniform was changed initially to navy skirts or pinafore dresses with a gold blouse, and school tie, and summer dresses in a choice of pink, blue or gold check. The black felt hats had horizontal striped bands in school colours, and the school crest, but was then replaced with straw-coloured boaters. Towards the end of Miss Genners time the uniform was changed to a summer dress of plain light blue and a winter pale blue skirt with navy jumper, and light blue blazers or navy cloaks.

Junior classes had monitors to perform duties such as cleaning the blackboard or filling ink wells. Grace was said before lunch, which was eaten in silence. Rounders, tennis, lacrosse, netball and swimming continued, with keen interhouse competition. 

A new emphasis was put on the importance of raising academic standards, as girls were encouraged to work throughout school for their General Certificate O levels.  Drama, school plays, music and choirs also flourished, but the Guide and Brownie movement came to an end. School holidays were taken to Austria and Paris, there was a Christian Fellowship, trips, outings, and fundraising for various charities including the RNLI and Dr Barnados.

1962 was a special year with both the Golden Jubilee and the schools 50th anniversary. Celebrations included a Dance, Gymnastic display, dinner and a summer fete, and money was raised to build a sports pavilion in the playing field.

The Old Girls Association was robust, with summer meetings, cocktail parties, and filling several pages of the school magazine. The Parent Teachers Association was also formed, with annual Winter dance, Summer barbecue and September cheese and wine party. 

After Miss Genners retirement she continued to work for the church and the Guides, and was awarded an MBE for her long and valued work with the Red Cross. 

Mrs Alicia Ann Williamson; headmistress 1974-1994 

Mrs Williamson was the youngest head of the school, and the first to be married with a daughter of her own. She  gained a blue at Cambridge for fencing, enjoys singing with Bromley Operatic Society and was a local magistrate.

Numerous changes were made to the buildings. The infants were rehoused in the old Medway hut, and juniors were given the whole Garden room wing. In 1979 a new classroom was added to the back of each floor. A new sixth form block was opened, which included a secretarial unit, art study and geography room, a new swimming pool was installed and a new sports hall was also built over the hall.

In 1986 the whole junior school did a conga through the empty classrooms of the garden rooms, before they were demolished and the Macmillan building was erected to house the junior school and provide a new large art room.

Numbers rose to 400, with the senior school having 2 parallel forms for each year, and strong demand for junior school places resulting in a simple entry test.  

The school day commenced with registration at 8.35. Assembly followed when girls file into the hall to recorded music, juniors sitting on the floor, seniors on benches and chairs. Notices are read, a hymn sung and prayers said. Some terms Mrs Williamson serialised a book, other terms members of staff and classes prepared assemblies. 

Many girls would bring packed lunches to school, and cooked sit down lunches made way for a cafeteria system with self service from a choice of food. 

Pupils were able to study for a choice from 22 different O level subjects and 22 different A level subjects. Parents evenings were organised, and computers were introduced together with video recorders for watching suitable television programmes.

Behavioural offences would gain a black mark, and three would mean a half hour detention. White marks could be gained for helpful behaviour and counted towards the house Manners cup. Houses also competed for the Work and Challenge cups as well as on Sports day.

Sporting achievements became commonplace, with the many netball and lacrosse teams performing well in competitions, and the addition of trampolining and fencing where many badges and tournaments were won. Tennis, rounders, swimming and athletics also continued.

Art outings, school plays, choirs, concerts, recorder groups, string groups, wind band and chamber orchestra maintained plenty of opportunity for art, drama and music to flourish. With other groups and schools girls participated in Ernest Read performances, and large choral works including Handel's Judas Maccabeus at the Royal Albert Hall.

Mock elections have been held, christmas parties and history exhibitions. Money was raised for a wide variety of charities. The school magazine and PTA flourished, with the OGA rebranded as The Stratfordians with an annual meeting and newsletter compiled through circle secretaries.

A happy family atmosphere was maintained until the school merged with Farringtons, a local girls school in 1994. Staff and pupils were accommodated at the Farringtons site, where a new art and technology building was built and named Stratford House. Portraits of heads and the boards listing head girls together with other memorabilia are still on display there.

The Stratfordians; 1994- current day

Farringtons was renamed Farringtons and Stratford House for 10 years, until it reverted to the name Farringtons School. The school site next to Bickley station was redeveloped into a residential cul-de-sac named Stratford House Avenue, whereas the playing field is now Charlotte Park Avenue.

The Stratfordians remain well supported, with annual committee meetings where a traditional apple cake is consumed, reunion lunches and carol concerts when the school song is sung. There is a yearly newsletter eagerly anticipated by many old girls, with a foreword from the President, Mrs Williamson, a report from the secretary, Miss Atkinson and a collation of news and memories from many and varied Stratfordians. The OGA is run through the dedication of Miss Atkinson and her team of circle secretaries, and a large event is planned for 2012, which is the centenary of the school founding.

The Eva Wilkinson memorial fund is proposing to leave a legacy that continues the work of education for girls with the spirit and energy of our founders and Miss Wilkinson. They are proposing to invest in a school for 450 pupils in a village in rural Africa. If you are interested in donating to the SHS legacy  project, or would like further information, please email evawilkinson@btinternet.com