By 1935 the village population had dropped in both villages – 301 in the Gower and 206 in the Ferris and the number of children in school had reduced to 74 even though the school leaving age had risen to fourteen years of age. Epwell still had its own village school at the time although its older pupils aged eleven and over, came to school in Sibford. The school building remained much the same as in 1900. The heating was just as ineffective with a temperature of 8oC being recorded at 10 o’clock on a winter morning. The installation of electricity was completed in 1935 – earlier than in many neighbouring villages, due mainly to the demands made by the Quakers at Sibford School. The staffing had increased to two assistant and one pupil teacher, in addition to the headmaster. There was less ill health recorded in the school registers due to fewer epidemics but attendance was still poor as children were expected to help with allotment and harvesting work.

As communication improved beyond the village through daily newspapers, the radio and a bus service, the importance of school as a place of education improved, resulting in better attendance. Lessons also took on a more attractive guise and the children were regularly taken out for nature walks, outside visits and there were area sports at Hook Norton, county sports at Kidlington and weekly visits to Bloxham for woodwork for the older boys and to North Newington for needlework for the girls. Classes were now divided more by age than ability with the introduction of differentiated lessons for the more or less able. The infant’s class ranged from 5 – 8 years of age, the middle class from 8 – 11, and the top class for those of over 11 up to 14 years.

In 1942 the children over 11 from Swalcliffe joined those from Epwell in coming to Sibford Gower Endowed School. This necessitated the running of a bus from Swalcliffe via Epwell to Sibford. With falling numbers on the school roll – there were only 40 on register, Epwell School was closed and children of all ages were bussed to the Gower school. A new canteen was built out of one of the cloakrooms and all pupils, bar one, stayed to school dinner and enjoyed the free school milk which had been introduced in 1938.

Maureen Hicks