Susan Grindley

I went to Woodhouse West Primary school from the age of 5 up to the eleven plus. I left in 1963/4 My two sisters also attended and then we migrated to Australia. I remember it all very well and enjoyed my time there and I still connect with friends from Woodhouse (all living in different places). Names such as Christopher Newbould, Jane Staniforth, Glen Gillett were in my class with Mr Thorpe. The games we use to play in the school play ground at the front of the school i.e. two balls, skipping, whip & top, marbles, slides on the ice in winter. Miss Richardson and her strict but excellent teaching. I can remember the aquarium picture across the wall in her classroom - we all had to paint a fish. I was a dinner girl collecting numbers from the classrooms. Somehow always added them up incorrectly and so I could have seconds or thirds of my favourite dinner, meat pie, Christopher's was cheese pie - fantastic. I helped run the school sweet shop and was allowed to eat as many chocolates as I liked....of course I didn't. I even remember when the first biro was introduced to us by the principal. Ink wells, blotting paper and continual ink stains on clothes and fingers were the order of the day. Ms Moody always dressed in black and had me bring in pounds of tomatoes grown in our greenhouses in allotments behind Sheffield Road. I loved my childhood and school. All seasons were different and left wonderful memories for me. As I was tall I was always Angel Gabriel in the Nativity, Jane was Mary and Christopher a shepherd or wiseman...what wonderful times.

I lived at 40 Sheffield Road Woodhouse for fourteen years and left in 1965 with family for Auz. I attended Woodhouse West Primary School on Sheffield Rd and my two sisters after me....I can remember lots of names and still connect with others from Sheffield Road.