RELATIONS between the Church of England and the Methodists at Kidlington were not always amicable.

Pupils at the national school paid a heavy price in 1884 when they took a day off to attend the Methodists’ Sunday School treat.

The following day, they were caned and told they would lose 15 minutes’ playtime for the next 10 days.

The vicar of Kidlington apparently later admitted that all the children who enjoyed the treat were given one stroke of the cane.

It was claimed that their parents had told them not to go to school, because they thought permission would be refused by their teachers.

Questions about the children’s treatment were raised in the House of Commons.

The children weren’t the only ones in trouble at the school.

The local Conservative Association booked the schoolroom for a banquet and the following morning, the school was “unfit for occupation”, forcing pupils to stay in the yard all morning.

The school managers were warned – it is not clear by whom – that the school should not be used “for any purpose which would prevent the instruction of scholars being carried out”.

They were also warned that if there was a recurrence, they might lose their annual grant.

These extracts of school life come from a History of School Road, Kidlington, published by the Kidlington and District Historical Society.

* If any readers have pictures or memories to contribute to the history of Kidlington Methodist Church, please contact Malcolm Bromhall, 53 Oxford Road, Kidlington OX5 2BP, call 01865 373958, or send an email to malcolm.bromhall@oxfordmethodists.org.uk