Mr Baker was the first headmaster of the school to hold a first class teaching certificate.

His log book entry for October 17th 1889 reads,

"I find the children very backward, very restless and disorderly."

He set out to remedy this but his method was very different from his predecessor, Charles Rees. His method was to test! All standards were tested in all subjects and where problems were encountered he gave remedial lessons and then retested.

His methods appear to have worked because the next H.M.I report stated that:

“The school has vastly improved under Mr. Baker. The improvement is so general and so satisfactory that, in view of all the circumstances, I think that the Excellent merit grant has been earned.”

This was the first time in the school's history that the much sought after “Excellent” had been attained and with it came a higher cash grant.