The Lodge School - 1930 To Present

1930 To Present

With the appointment of Rev H.B.Gooding to succeed Mr Emtage, The Lodge School had finally produced its own Headmaster, an achievement to be proud of. The new Headmaster re-introduced Greek into the curriculum and encouraged the serious study of Classics. In 1935 the Memorial Hall was completed, partly to accommodate the increased number of boarders on the first floor, but also to provide for more classrooms. Construction of a new science/laboratory block accommodating additional classrooms on a second floor also took place. There was great interest in the boarding establishment and the number of applications to join the school increased, especially from neighbouring islands, and when Gooding retired in 1941 the school roll had passed 150, which included about 70 boarders.

The Memorial Hall was built from funds raised almost exclusively by Old Boys in honour of former pupils who died in the First World War. It was opened in 1935 and bronze plaques bearing the names of those who died in both World Wars were added in 1965.

In May 1944, the Sanatorium and Library was destroyed by fire. The Library was temporarily rehoused in locked cupboards in a classroom until 1953 when a small room became available where the books were stored. The new library rebuilt from subscriptions and re-opened in 1955. Further building works were undertaken and the boarding establishment was enlarged to accommodate 30 more termly boarders by 1945. By June 1946, the school roll had increased to 213. In September 1950 the school roll passed 300 for the first time.

In 1959 the Government, through the Education Act, instituted the Common Entrance Examinations to The Lodge and similar secondary education schools on the island. Around this time the school roll exceeded 400.

For much of the 1960s, the school population was quite static but pressure by Government was beginning to be placed on the school to increase its numbers and the Governing Body acceded to the wishes of the Minister of Education to expand into a three form entry such that the 1967 school roll of 438 had passed 550 by 1970. Two new laboratories were added in 1967 eventually leading to two labs for each of the three science disciplines. The following year a new classroom block to accommodate a further three classrooms was opened.

In 1971 the Government instituted free Secondary education which immediately impacted on the boarding establishment of the school, such that by 1979 this 234 year unique aspect of the Lodge School became uneconomic to maintain. Another great shift in the school was about to take place in the mid seventies with the introduction of girls from other schools into the sixth form. Earlier in 1970, two girls from a sister school, Codrington High, had come to The Lodge to undertake Biology A Level instruction, but it was not till 1974 that The Lodge had enrolled its first girls into the school.

ln 1979 the hundred year lease the Government was given on the premises by the SPC expired and it took the opportunity to acquire full possession of the premises The Lodge School in October 1983.