The 'Old School' exhibition which took place within the Community History cabinet in the Museum's Local History Gallery was curated by the pupils, parents and teachers of today's Middle Street School.

Beginnings

	Daily milk rations, 1948, Middle Street School, deposited at ESRO

Two hundred years ago, the first public elementary school in Brighton was founded. Originally called the Union Charity School, it later became Middle Street School.

The school was founded and maintained by subscriptions, and by payments of a penny a week from the scholars. In 1840 it became Royal Union Schools due to the royal subscription continued by Queen Victoria. By 1873 the school became a board and was run by Brighton Borough Council soon after the turn of the century.

In 1930, the Boys and Girls Junior Schools were combined as a Junior Mixed School, with the Infants also amalgamated shortly after. The school building was rebuilt in 1974 on the same site, where you will find it today.

Ex Middle Street School pupil Joyce Hill talks about being milk monitor

	Ex pupil Joyce Hill, 2005

Joyce Hill: " If you were very good you got to be milk monitor, used to liked that, being milk monitor. "

Current Middle Street School pupils interviewing: " What did you do? "

Joyce Hill: " Well you had to dish it out, they had little card board tops in, you had to push it through, put the straw in and hand it out. These little third of a pint bottles, not sure if we paid for it, whether it was very little, it was like a ha'penny or something like that. But if a child wasn't um, perhaps his height wasn't too good or something appeared to be lacking they would get double milk. "

Current Middle Street School pupils interviewing: " Do you think any of the children there like, cheated, pretending to be lacking in height? "

Joyce Hill: " No, it'd be the doctor who would decide that. They would do it by weight and you, no you couldn't just say it, you had to have medical reasons. "

Play audio

Ex-pupil Pat Sprinthall remembers the school song

	Middle Street School, 1973

' School Song '

Scholars we of Middle Street
Boys and girls in friendship bound
May we always when we meet
For the school are praises sound
Long its stood its fame is old
The traditions we are told

Give your best, give your best in Medias Res

We are proud to give our best
For the honour of our school
Where we work and play with zest
And where service is the rule
With are minds and hearts
All as one to do our parts

Give your best, give your best in Medias Res