Former pupil Elsie Jackson, now 87, remembers the school as being strict and orderly.

Its headmaster Mr Leroid was a strong disciplinarian who demanded respect.

"We used to run up the entry when we saw him," she said.

Elsie managed to escape the wrath of Mr Leroid until her final year at the school when she was 14.

"I got the cane and went in the punishment book, but to this day I don't know why," she said.

The other teachers were equally as strict.

Miss Ackley and Miss Davies were both headmistresses during Elsie's years and neither tolerated chatting in class.

"We had to be clean and tidy and were inspected each morning," said Elsie. "Anyone dirty would be sent home or caned."

The 80 pupils would start school on Monday at 9am, breaking for lunch at noon, before resuming lessons at 1pm until 4pm.

The first four days of the week were devoted to the three Rs - reading, writing and arithmatic.

On Friday afternoons, Rostherne school taught practical activities such as cookery, midwifery and sewing.

According to the rulebook learning how to mend garments was not only useful, but necessary to help the pupils to 'maintain a comfortable and neat appearance'.

But Elsie enjoyed Sundays best when the children could skip and play rounders from 9am to1.30pm.

"We also used to dig, grow vegetables and collect apples from the tree and sell them to the people," she said.

There were no exams at the school and most of the children left at14 to serve apprenticeships in a trade.

Truancy was not tolerated and children who did skip school were sometimes expelled.

"Every parent must be sure no good can be gained by those who do not attend regularly," the rules stated.

They ended: "It is hoped the parents will see and feel the advantages of attending to these rules in the improvement and increased usefulness of their children."

The school building still stands but has been renovated and is now a private house running a PR company.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.