DATE DIARY TRANSCRIPTION
1st July 1864 12a.m. First Class kept in for Arithmetic and Home Lessons. 3.20 pm Fifth sent out to play being very noisy. Returned for regular attendance 3/11 to over 90 children.
4th July 1864 School pence 16/0 present 118. Application made to send to children by Mr.White a Signalman at Station.
5th July 1864 Heard that T. Tidey is wanted to work for Mrs Oldham.
6th July 1864 Work as usual. Kept 2 Infants in when the rest went out to play.
7th July 1864 Mrs. Carr complain (sic) of the children pulling her son about the Tale turned out to be a myth.
8th July 1864 1.30 Will. Waller severely punished for stone throwing. Returned 4s for regularity. Gave notice of holiday on Monday; for Oddfellows Fete.
11th July 1864 Holiday for O.F. Fete.
12th July 1864 118 present. Two new scholars admitted. Several away from First Class. 12/0 pence.
13th July 1864 First Class thinly attended. Lower classes very noisey. (sic)
14th July 1864 Work as usual.
15th July 1864 Returned for regular attendance 4/6. Gave notice that names of mothers who wish to attend the school treat must be sent in to me.
18th July 1864 Present 134, never so many before. Johnson and Billy Coomber fighting at noon.
19th July 1864 Requested children to bring names of mothers who desire to be at the treat. Work as usual.
20th July 1864 Gave notice that Holidays commence next Friday. Received names of 45 mothers.
21st July 1864 James Johnson allowed to leave at 11am. Work as usual; - gave notice that Prizes would be given tomorrow.
22nd July 1864 Returned 4/5 for regular attendance. Rev. R. E. Wyatt attended and several ladies and gave out the Prizes. Holiday for 1 month.
[11 Aug 1864] [Not mentioned in the logbook, but on this day headmaster John Bailey who wrote this logbook married Alice Maria Head at Holy Trinity, Cuckfield]
22nd Aug 1864 School commenced again. 99 present, several at work 10/0 pence. First Class very thinly attended.
23rd Aug 1864 Very wet only 45 present. Work slow.
24th Aug 1864 William and Mary Ann Stebbings have left, there (sic) parents being about to leave the Heath.
25th Aug 1864 Third Class writing particularly bad, many mistakes. Make inquiries about what children Mrs Oldham will pay for.
26th Aug 1864 Returned 2/0 for regular attendance. Second Class lazy at Arithmetic; must pay more attn. to Catechism.
29th Aug 1864 104 present 13/0 School pence. 1st Class small. Work as usual.
30th Aug 1864 Ditto. Lady Dealtries visit sch.
31st Aug 1864 First Class thinly attended. Noisy in lower classes. Work rather loose.

I'm delighted that during the course of this month's entries I've been able to contact a direct descendant of John Bailey the headmaster who wrote the original logbook. John Bailey taught at the school from 1859-1865 before moving on to Upton Magna in Shropshire and Eastry, Kent, eventually retiring to south London.