Educating Deptford: The Deptford Ragged School and its place in the Community
The Deptford Ragged School was situated at the heart of working-class Victorian Deptford. Few families in the district were unconnected to the institution, yet we know very little about those families, or the children who attended, or the communities they lived within.
We have received £116,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support this project.
The project will increase knowledge and understanding of the history and heritage of the Deptford Ragged School, and of the lived experiences of those in and around it, as well as examining continuities between lives in the past and the present. We will utilise local stories to communicate broader issues and examine how the school was not simply a provider of education, but also an agent for charity, community, care and nurture, and social mobility.
The project's legacy will be continued knowledge-exchange through a digitised archive, exhibitions, performances, education resources for schools and local organisations, and research into links between education, schooling, wellbeing, the environment, and social mobility.
Community Researchers who will undertake research into the Ragged School via three themes: ‘Ecology, Environment, and the Natural World’; ‘Wellbeing, Food, and Nutrition’ and ‘Lived Histories and Life Stories’ of pupils, families, and staff.
We are partnering with the Creekside Discovery Centre, IRIE! Dance, and The Bear Church who will each use our research to underpin projects of their own.
We are looking to fill a number of posts for this project.
Please visit the Recruitment Page to find out more.
Educating Deptford: the Deptford Ragged School and its Place in the Community is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to increase understanding of the history of the Deptford Ragged School, create a digitised archive, work with the local community, and utilise the research to explore how the school provided education, care, built community and enabled social mobility.
A huge thanks to National Lottery players!