Oak Bank School Kent

Virginia" it may well have been my input about oak bank school, yes the school was an independent school, prior to 1961, Who owned it from then" on"! god only knows, I am only glad that the head teacher ( Mr Ainley) was given the opportunity, to control and direct and give his very welcomed expertise, We were all very problematic,children, He was well versed at dealing with that.The problems that he faced with us as children did not faze him. He was always gentle, and sympathetic to all causes, Looking back to his instructions and expectations from his staff, He held high regard for there operational expertise. And the trust that would be forthcoming from the children under" the staffs applied care and supervision.

I went to oak bank open air school, I was there in 1950s I remember nurse spice not very nice person I can't remember names of anyone else, I can remember the school was surrounded by woodland there was a common near by lovely walks and going to church every sunday.

I was at oak bank for a few months in 1950.
I remember Nurse Spicer very well as not a very comforting person. I like joy betts do not remember anyone else by name.
I loved the walks in the countryside

patsainsbury, I was at the school with my brother alan, there was a lady to do with the school she was known as miss Gallagher she lived in seal , I was very young back then at the time I was about 7 or 8 years old don't remember much, I have three different photos of the school,

i was at oak bank open air school from1958 until 1960,i remember nurse spice she was horrible and cruel , i ran away from the school with two others , we were caught and taken back to the school on the same day, we were punished for a week which was very unpleasant , but i have some happy memories as well it had some wonderful woodland walks ,there was a golf course near by were we use to go for nature walks , i remember there was a German fighter plane wreckage on the edge of the golf course there was a small cross erected to remember the pilot ,i also remember a wonderful school teacher miss Pearce she was so kind to us she used to take us into Seal to the copper kettle for tea and cakes, Alistair Kerr

and nurse black

I remember miss Bremner, the "headmistress" and Nurse Black and Nurse Smith, who had squeaky shoes

I am not sure if this is the school I was sent to in 1944 (for convalescence I think)
I don't remember any boys being there. I remember walks down country lanes
with high banks, and picking aconites in the grounds. I would have been 9, as
you could not have horlicks until you were 10 (I think)

Its Brian Seymour, Better known as bert Sanders then," at (Oak bank) from 1964 to 1968 or there abouts. Im sorry but I think I may have stiffled the conversation with my latest input, about Mr Ainley (head teacher) in put, There was also Mr & Mrs Turner (woodworking and metal class) Mr Easor both brothers not sure how to spell there names, (sport) & Welsh, Mr Thomas my faverate music teacher played clarinet. Another Mr Turner for french. At the moment I cannot think of more teachers, School children, were and had a very big impact on me, Nigel stokes, Barry Packer, Nigel Woods, Micheal Marreck, Lawrence Dodd, Allex Muire, ---- Stepenson, Anthony Hoff, Dennis Taylor, Graham Nash, Micheal Tikner, Dennis Taylor, IM sorry lads if I have miss spelt your names, Or I may not have mentioned you all, it does not distract from a great time we had together whilst we were at Oak Bank, "What a family" I still think of you all, to this day, Just to let you know Im now 67 years of age, Im sure I have lost some very good brothers, But once again to the earlier responces to mine thank you very much.

I was at Oak Bank Open Air School around 1953/4. I remember Nurse Spice a really mean person. I had a bench collapse across my ankles whilst on walk and she refused to get it checked out. I couldn't walk and she made me miss dinner saying I was lying. The Head mistress came in to dinning room and found me siting there on my own unable to get up long after dinner time had finished and arrange for me to have an x-ray, I had a crushed ligament and was laid up for a long time. Nurse Spice also accused me of stealing a syringe which she said she found in my cupboard along with bits of stones that I gathered from the woodland surrounding our play area, I used to love digging for old roman bits Ha ha. She made me stand on a table during dinner time while everyone eat and I wasn't allowed any dinner. Anyway I do wonder now if that nasty nasty woman took drugs or something which made her so mean. I expect she is dead now. God rest her sole and hope she was forgiven for her cruelty me and its seems others too. I remember arranging to run away after dinner one evening but got caught just as I was leaving. I remember the other girls getting away but getting caught. On a better note I remember a rubber tyre tried to a tree we used to play with as a swing, long Sunday walk to church, waiting for my parents monthly visits, rest time on camp beds in the open after lunch. I had an older brother Roy who would visit and one of the older girls in the school really took a liking to him and then kept an eye on me. All in all my memories of being there are not good. I would love to hear from anyone else. I have one photo of the outside of the school. I f anyone is interested in seeing.

I was at Oakbank from autumn 52 until summer 53 and my memories of Nurse Spice mirror those left in other comments. She was large red faced in a nurses dark blue uniform and quite rough with the children. Oakbank at this time was not a happy place but it was set in lovely surroundings. I was there during the coronation and we did have celebrations and remember going into Miss Bremmer's room in the evening as we used to do on Sundays.

How glad I was to read your story, I was at Oak Bank in 1954 to 1955, Iv told people about my 9 months there and with a shudder I remember Nurse Spice that name will stay with me for ever. she made me eat a lump of thick gristle. A very nasty woman, I used to beg my mum and dad every month to take me home, in those days your parents never questioned those in authority. I was 9 and girls of 9 and upwards had to look after a small child everyday, after breakfast I had to clean a dormitory and the bathroom and toilets before going on to school, they were big huts in the grounds. I cant remember the teachers name but she was lovely. the playground in summer had rows of camp beds we had to sleep on at lunch times. I ran away with another girl till we got caught, and we paid for it afterwards. I had a few good times there with the girls in my dorm.

I would love to see your photo, I only have photos of my family and myself in the field across the road from the house. bath night was awful, you could have about 3ins of water and got reported if used more, undress and dress in front of everyone. You went there because you were ill, that never entered miss spicers head. you were used like one of the cleaning staff, Im sure with childrens rights today this would never happen now .Do you remember going in to miss Hardys(Head mistress) room for sewing in the evening, I also would love to hear from anyone who stayed there, reading all your memories has made me feel better as I got older and told my mum over the years, she never believed me. thank you for being brave and speaking out.

February 14th 1956 was a date that will never leave me ,a boy of 6 and half in age I was put on a train from Wolverhampton too London ,it was then I realised my Mother was not coming with me ,the tears flowed as the train pull out of the Station ,it would be another 9 Months before I would see my Mother again , totally alone with People I did not know, we arrived in London , told to follow up escalators down escalators, we got on another train to Seven Oaks ,finally arriving at Oak Bank, I suppose I had to tumble in with the rest of the Children ,one just after I arrived there was snow and we got any bit of flat wood to slide down ,I can remember the camps Kids had made out tree branches and Fern looking like a wigwam ,Oak Bank was set in very lovely place surrounded in trees and the walks we use to be taken on it was really nice and I think it gave me a love the Countryside and nature, in the School Room we where taught about Nature and somethings have stayed with me over the Years ,because I had no visits from my Mother in the Summer they took us to a Zoo, which one I do not know another time they took us to Bexhill-on-Sea ,that did not turn out a very happy memory I went for paddle still with my cloths on tumble went under ,I could not swim and some Girls came to my rescue of coarse the rest of the day I was in damp clothes , I can remember the Camp Beds ,we where told to go and lie on them after Lunch in the Summer , one particular early morning we where woken up by the Nurse apparently some of the Kids had be making a noise ,and we where all made to sit in this draughty Corridor with our hands place on the back of our heads until which time the Nurse thought we had served our punishment ( I had got this name Nurse Pie in my mind but reading the other comments they have got Nurse Spice so not sure ) We had some happy times I suppose you remember the happy ones and put the sad ones the back of your mind towards late September we had the job of collecting Acorns apparently the local Pigs adored them ,so that always stays in my mind , late October I was told I was going home and I can remember the Gentleman in his office saying and would you like to go home ,I was 7 years of age then, so that was Oak Bank ,love to know if anybody else was there the same time as me .

Yes I also had to collect acorns for the local pig farm, I also remember seeing children sitting on the floor, hands on their heads for a length of time for us all to see. A tummy bug went around and we had to stay in bed for days and starved of food, I was so hungry I tried eating my toothpaste. After I run away with another girl, all our clothes were taken away from us and when we got them back I only had one shoe, so had to go around with one shoe on. I wonder how much is left of all the lovely countryside and forest around Seal now, that was the best part of being there. there must be lots of you out there with so much to say about things which went on in that house.

I am sorry that since my last imput I seem to have stiffled debate, and conversation, please continue as I would love to hear from any body from the school, My recollection was of the dell, loved it , Mr Ainley, Was head master fantastic teacher, Collected me twice from Hastings, AS an obsconsy, I should have been given the cain twice on both occacions but," NO",: Mr Ainley would have none of that He was such a dedicated teacher an a family man, that punishing a pupil was not in his make up, I have always as a child loved and trusted him implicitly, Im not sure what other children thought at the time but I dont think Im far short of there feelings as well.

I was at Oak Bank around about that time I was only 5 so don’t remember much except Nurse Spice and an older lady with a little dog.

That was Miss Bremner the headmistress. The dog was called Pippin.
Margaret Lambert 1953/54 . Iwas Margaret Fisher then

I was very scared of Nurse Spice but Nurse Penn was nicer . I do have some very happy memories of my time there-(--18 months in all) and of our celebrations during the Coronation.

your years of recolection would be aprecieciatd, none of you have stated your years", But you have only criticised your position, (when there). please explain who you are and your name and year,, I think you are
a person of none subject. you have no idea who we really are, And are fishing. you are the worst, person I have ever met, I will now find you and expose what a shit you are, come on son girl see what you can do, Its supprissing what you can read, But you will miss by spouting others words. you are a person not to be trusted, prove to me that you went to Aok Bank School. your hint is for boys" see how that sits with you now,"

I have always thought that MR and MRS Ainly were the perfect head teachers, during my tenior at this school I have never known abuse the cane or any other abused formatt, Please let me know to what you regard as your abuse, torment or any other frailety, issued to you, By the teachers during the period of 1963 to 1968, I do not recognise your complaint, espescialy as it was a boys school, so you girls or later to become ladys, ITS NOT THE SAME SCHOOL..

you ladies may find that your school was called oak bank, but was directly next door to a boys school given the same name ,"! oh dear have you thought to appolagise for your error no" I dont think so, And I bet my bottom dollar you didnt give a thought to what damage you were doing to an inocent boys school, next door, Please have you even bothered to do your homework! and find out who owned what or did what, NO THAT WAS OBVIOUSE, FROM YOUR REMARKS, I loved Mr and Mrs Ainley, They came to my wedding do you really think that I would invite someone who would miss treat me. All the teachers were saints god bless them, I will let you know that I have always been against bullying at home or the work place, I became a senior shop stewart and supported all the undermind, I will not tolarate bullying in any formatt, thank you if you wish to discuss your schooling issues. bless you.