MORE than 70 years of school history has been unearthed with the discovery of headteachers' logbooks spanning two centuries.

The hand-written records were discovered at Northgate Junior School, Guisborough, inside a tin trunk in a dark cupboard where the gas meter is installed.

The logbooks were kept by headteachers between 1860 and 1937, and record daily events not only of Northgate, but also of the previously amalgamated Wesleyan and Providence schools.

Headteacher Pat Anderson said: "The books record details about lots of different aspects of the schools. They show things like how many children were in school, and also their reasons for absence, which are very interesting. Children were given the day off for all sorts of reasons, such as storms, wet days, church picnics, or if the circus or fair visited town."

The books show lesson plans, including lists of poems to be learned by the pupils. Classes were also given "object lessons," where they would learn about different items, such as fruit.

Mrs Anderson said: "It is wonderful to compare their approach to lessons to the way things are laid out now. I think it's fair to say that our lesson plans are considerably more detailed."

She said that some things had not changed over time, with many books recording comments on overcrowded classrooms, truancies and the need to raise standards.

As is the case today, each school was visited by inspectors to check the standards. Schools received payment based on results, with each successful inspection recorded in the books.

Along with records of attendance, reports and results, social history can also be seen, with some headteachers including personal comments on the performance of various teachers.

Northgate pupils had a chance to see the logbooks in a special assembly, where they were shown extracts of records from the late 1880s.

The records from that year noted that the girl pupils did very well in singing and needlework, but their reading had to be less monotonous. The boys reportedly needed to improve in both writing and spelling, but the rest of their work was nicely done.

"The children were fascinated to see the style of the old handwriting in the books," said Mrs Anderson. "It was mostly written in copperplate, and the writing is so continuous, it just flows on for page after page."

The books will go on public display at Guisborough Museum and were accepted by museum representative and former Northgate pupil Edgar Winfield.

Mr Winfield, who left the school in 1934, was delighted to see his name appear in a 1927 admission list in one of the log books.

Although the log books will be kept at the museum, the school will continue to have access to them.

"We would have loved to have kept them in school, but they are obviously very valuable as historical documents," said Mrs Anderson.

"I'm sure we will be using them for a lot of projects in the future, but we felt it was important that people with an interest in local history have a chance to enjoy this find."