I've lived in Lindfield since I was three years old and so I was amongst the numerous generations who attended the Junior School on Lewes Road. Mr Jarvis, although I feel I should probably acknowledge the fact that we are both adults now and use his first name from now on, was the headmaster in charge in my era. After he retired he has remained in the area to this day. Unexpectedly meeting Bernard at a Rotary Club event last year gave me the perfect excuse to book him in for our Village People slot!
Bernard Jarvis grew up in Wem in the agricultural county of Shropshire. He attended the nearby Grammar School and was later looking to take what would have been the most obvious career choice. "Just about half of my relatives worked in railways in some form or another," he tells me, "so I had an offer on the table from Aston University to do a degree in Electrical Engineering so that I could follow suit." However the family doctor was about to change all that when he declared it was not advisable for Bernard to go into a profession that was potentially out in the open air, up ladders or particularly active. At the age of six Bernard contracted Rheumatic Fever and spent two months in hospital and ended up missing ten months of school. The fear was always that it may return, and the doctor's word was final!
In the light of this sudden change in circumstances, Bernard's father knew a School Inspector in nearby Staffordshire and organised an introduction. The idea of teaching appealed to him from the start and he was keen to give it a go, soon enrolling at Culham Teacher Training college near Abingdon.
After he qualified in 1966 Bernard took up his first teaching post in Basingstoke - at the time a massively expanding area of Hampshire. "They were recruiting lots of teachers and I went where the jobs were." When he arrived in the area the population was around 45,000 but by the time he left 16 years later that figure was nearer 90,000! His first job was actually in a secondary school but he soon realised that he wasn't suited to the role of a teacher of older children, taking a primary job the following September.
Bernard met his wife, Norma - also a teacher - at Richard Aldworth School and they got married in 1968. As a male teacher he says it was inevitable that he got involved in football and athletics at the school. He has always been a football fan and was a local referee for 25 years. During his early years of teaching, some weekends he would attend up to four games, what with school matches, local league and youth games too.
Still today, when Manchester United are playing he's never far from a TV screen!
His last school in the area was Chalk Ridge, a brand new school built on an estate of nearly 20,000 people. He recalls another school which was near to the atomic weapons base at Aldermaston where many of the children's parents worked. From time to time they sold off equipment from the base to local people - something which Bernard often took advantage of to ensure his school was well-equipped. "Security was incredibly tight onsite. Once pre-checks had taken place it was easy to get through the gates, but getting out was a different matter!"
Basingstoke was part of the so-called 'London Overspill' and huge numbers moved from the capital to the town. "After one Easter holiday," Bernard explains, "we returned to find that our classes had gone from 30 pupils to 46!" At a later time there was an outbreak of Asian Flu in the area. "Of the 46 who were supposed to be in the class, 27 were off sick."
One thing that he would often advise new teachers is what to expect in terms of sickness from the classroom: "During your first few years you will pick up all sorts of bugs," he would tell them. "But don't panic, after a while you will build up an immunity to it all and you'll be fine!"
In 1982 Bernard, Norma and their two girls Kerry & Tina moved down to Sussex after being offered the headship at Lindfield Junior School. "The salary increase was just £10 per week but we were keen for new challenges and Lindfield seemed like a great place to do that." Moving to a village school was a big change and took some getting used to. "The school opened in Lindfield in 1881 and I was only the ninth head! The area clearly hadn't been used to much change."
"The move here was not regretted though, and I enjoyed a good staff team and many supportive parents right from the beginning." For a short while both of his daughters were at the school too, which he said was interesting. "I think they got more stick than I did," Bernard continued. "I seem to recall them getting lots of invitations to parties though, as parents and children were keen to see what the new head's offspring were like."
One of the new things which Bernard instigated at Lindfield, which has continued to this day, was the Year 6 (it wasn't called Year 6 then!) school trip to the Isle of Wight. Using his links with a former employer, a Church of England school in Hampshire, he discovered that the Westbrook Centre was available during term time. "I wanted to do something to celebrate the pupils reaching the end of primary education, plus I think it's really helpful for children to see their teachers out of the school environment and having a bit more fun." The week's holiday was a hit from the start with both pupils and parents. The mother of a ten year old fussy eater happily asked: 'What have you done with her? She doesn't stop eating now!'
The Victorian building was a big difference to work in and Bernard recalls that bad weather made the Junior School particularly challenging as a series of unconnected buildings. They also used the Common during the summer term lunchtimes - something the children loved but it wasn't without its drawbacks. One lunchtime a child got bitten by a dog. When Bernard and another member of staff intervened they also got bitten. Bernard ended up phoning Norma and she drove all three of them to Cuckfield Hospital!
Bernard's time at the school took a somewhat unplanned end when the decision was taken by the local authority to merge the Junior School and the Infants School on the newer site at School Lane. Both heads, Mr Jarvis and Mrs Hunter, applied for the new headteacher role but, amongst some public outcry at the time, Mrs Hunter was given the job. "If I'm honest I still feel I was the best person for the job, but I was offered a generous early retirement package and so I tried to settle into my new life."
This life came about in 2000, after 18 years at the school, but the couple decided not to move away, instead staying put in their home in Franklands Village. The couple were both actively involved in various groups and activities.
One of the things that Bernard was able to become more involved in was Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club; a great passion of his. He has long enjoyed both the company and work ethic of the group, which is part of the global Rotary network. "Many don't understand what The Rotary Club is on a local or larger scale," Bernard commented. "It is a terrific organisation doing much good all over the world." He cites the extraordinary work of The Rotary in its goal to eradicate Polio worldwide. There are now only two countries where the disease is endemic.
He has also been able to spend more time in his garden, where he has always enjoyed spending time to think while tending his numerous plants. Plus there's his golf (he plays three times a week at Lindfield Golf Club) and his role on the team of Sextons at All Saints Church and he has been the Mid Sussex Area Treasurer for the charity 4Sight for 15 years!
Their two daughters both have two daughters of their own now, and they very much enjoy spending time in Orpington and Leeds with their families too.
Bernard concludes: "Life in and around Lindfield is good, I certainly can't complain. We are both extremely grateful for our initial welcome and our great friends in the area all these years later."
Source: Lindfield Life October 2015, Issue 79, Pages 14 - 15