| AdminHistory | West Preston Manor School, Station Road, Rustington, was opened in September 1933 by Miss Dorothy Boykett, who remained as headmistress until the school closed in July 1979. There were 15 pupils to start with, aged from about 6 to 12 and including four small boys, all of whom were boarders. The two teachers were Miss Hillbrook (Hilly) and Miss Williams (Willie), and the matron was Mrs Jones. Miss Dagny Stromwall joined the staff in the early days, while she was still at Worthing Art School, and became Miss Boykett's partner in 1958. Ten pupils, accompanied by Miss Stromwall and Miss Williams, were evacuated to South Africa from 1940-1945. The school continued to operate in Rustington throughout the war. A separate Junior School was opened c1947.
The school remained small: in 1951 there were 59 girls in the senior department, 33 of whom were boarders, and they were taught by three full-time teachers in addition to Miss Boykett, plus a number of visiting teachers, mainly for singing, speech training and gymnastics. There were 61 pupils in the junior department, including a few boys, and they were taught by three full-time teachers in addition to Miss Stromwall. Numbers had increased to 137 by 1956, and in 1974 were 131, including 40 boarders (senior and junior). Across the whole school in 1974 there were 20 members of staff (equivalent to 11 full-time teachers), 16 of whom were part-time. Half the teachers were over 60 years old.
When the main school closed in 1979, the Manor House and garden were passed to Help the Aged. The Junior School continued for a further seven years, and then moved to 39 Park Drive. |