Ackworth then and now

by Jeffrey Swales

Much has changed since 1779, but we can still identify with the description - some students now travel thousands of miles to reach the School, taking a significant time; we still have thick massive walls (not easy to install modern cabling for WiFi); we still have the stone floors (though some are covered in carpet); we still have the large impressive dining rooms and Centre Library.

But we now have electric lighting (gas lighting was installed in 1838, but the School was probably one of the first buildings in the village to have electric lighting - hence the Battery, where the electricity supply was regulated by a room full of batteries); we now have central heating (steam pipes were installed in 1810, though not in the Meeting House - not, of course, our impressive Meeting House built in 1846, but the room currently used by Sarah Rose to teach Art); our caterers produce hundreds of meals each week; we still care for new students and welcome them into the Ackworth family.

Since the School’s foundation, we have been forward thinking and innovative. Indeed, the very foundation of the school, to provide education for boys and girls, was an idea way ahead of its time. We have photographic evidence of a girls’ chemistry class in 1900 - I suspect that chemistry was being taught at very few boys’ schools then, let alone girls’ schools.

We have always valued our activities outside of the classroom - the swimming pool was constructed in 1858, when prosperous towns were building public baths; Sunday walks were a common feature for pupils until fairly recently; Duke of Edinburgh Award has seen many pupils over the years learn new skills, help others, and work to plan and carry out their expedition; the ‘pet hut’ is still marked on the school map in the pupil organiser, though hasn’t seen the goats and rabbits it once did, for some time; the stones around the West Wing still carry the numbers carved in them to mark which garden plot each girl had been allotted.

A reference in one of the books about Ackworth School mentions that in 1804, ‘1000 oaks, 100 elms, and 100 larches were planted in corners of fields on the school estate’. Tree planting is not new! More recently the school has seen the completion of the arboretum, in which at least one specimen of each of the 36 native English trees can be found on the School site. Very few people have had the privilege of climbing into the loft space above Centre Block, but the wooden beams that hold up the roof are a work of art.

Ackworth School continues to manage that difficult challenge of looking forward while at the same time being aware of its heritage. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

International Women’s Day is a day where we recognise how to celebrate, support, and acknowledge ALL women around the world. Supporting International Women’s Day and “feminism” means you support equality within our society. Equality is an important pillar for Ackworth School and throughout history there have been fearless and authentic Quaker women and Ackworth Old Scholars who have compassionately fought with integrity for what they believe.

Pioneering Quaker Women

In 1986 a Friend who participated in the camp described it as “women waiting, watching, just being there, behaving as if peace were possible, living our dream of the future now.”

Influential Female Old Scholars

Fiona Wood (born February 2, 1958, Hemsworth, Yorkshire, England), British-born Australian plastic surgeon who was a pioneer in the field of treating burn victims by inventing “spray-on skin” technology. Fiona was raised in a mining village in Yorkshire and educated at Ackworth School. Fiona’s expertise in burns treatment came to the world’s attention in 2002 in the wake of the Bali bombings but she hasn’t let fame stand in the way of her research or teaching, which she continues at the Royal Perth Hospital, the Princess Margaret Hospital, and the University of Western Australia.

Fry reading to prisoners – The Saint of Prison Reform

One name you are sure to recognise from around School will be Elizabeth Fry (née Gurney). Elizabeth was born in 1780 and was one of the first people to campaign for an end to the death penalty in the UK. Her ideas spread slowly but surely, and eventually, the last public execution in Britain happened in 1964. During her lifetime Elizabeth pioneered initiatives that enabled women prisoners to develop employable skills. This work meant that in 1818 she became the first woman to present evidence in UK parliament. Elizabeth visited Ackworth School as part of the Women’s Committee and helped to conduct inspections of the Girls’ side of School. On top of all this achievement, Elizabeth also went on to have 11 children.

The women

Of

Greenham Common. In 1981, a group of women set up a peace camp outside a cruise missile base in Berkshire. Over nineteen years, thousands of women took part in the non-violent actions at Greenham. Moved to act by the peace testimony, a generation of Quaker women was part of this very public objection to war. They included the veteran peace activists Sylvia Boyes and Celia Davies, who, despite sustaining significant injuries as a result of forceful policing at Greenham, campaign against arms fairs to this day.

Anna Haslam (née Fisher) was a suffragist and a major figure in the 19th and early 20th century women’s movement in Ireland. She helped in soup kitchens and became involved in setting up cottage industries for local girls in lacemaking, crocheting and knitting. She was brought up believing in equality for men and women and also supporting the campaign against slavery and for temperance and pacifism. She was also an educational pioneer and taught at Ackworth School.

Female Scholars

Women’s Day is something special for me, because on this day all men treat you very kindly and lovingly. I associate this day with my family, because every year on this day, my dad comes home with flowers and small gifts, and it’s very nice. I hope that all men do the same to please their girls!

Anhelina

(Fifth Form) international pupil from Ukraine

There’s a tradition where on the 8th March, the husband buys the wife a big bouquet of flowers and gives one or two of the flowers to his daughters. And so, when the day came, my dad and my brother would go out and get me, my mom, and my sister some flowers. Although I loved this tradition, I didn’t like that I didn’t get to give back as well. So, every year I would draw flowers, get some sweets, and hand them out to my friends and my family. Sometimes we forget how much people do for us and how important they are in our lives. This day is about giving back and appreciating all the women in our lives.

Tamar (Lower Sixth) international pupil from Georgia

For me international woman’s day is so important and well needed due to the lack of celebration of women’s achievements in past years. We as a society are