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Late 50s Grammar Schools

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Ron Bee was my father and taught mathematics at the Central Technical School. He collaborated with Edwin (Ted) Gray who I believe was headmaster at Eckington Grammar (??) at that time. Ted was also a very enthusiastic supporter of the scouting movement in Sheffield. Greystones was a composite site in the early fifties - I attended primary and junior schools there. No one has mentioned Silverdale Secondary Modern School which opened at Bents Green about 1956 and this school actively promoted Sheffield's thirteen plus exam for transfer to the Central Technical School. High Storrs School was the grammar of choice in that district and continued to be segregated at least until 1974when I was interviewed for an engineering crafts post there, unsuccessfully.

 

I am still in possession of your father's Geometry textbook which was well known as Bee & Gray. I used it as a pupil and subsequently in teaching, especially at High Storrs! Nice to hear from you.

 

http://history.youle.info/NEGS/teachers.html

Your father is also included on this link, of staff at Nether Edge, along with Andy Walker, both of whom moved to the Central Technical School.

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Were there two Hurlfield schools? I went to HURLFIELD SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR BOYS in 1957 and it was a comprehensive school.

There was also HURLFIELD SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS.Which was ruled out of bounds.

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Were there two Hurlfield schools? I went to HURLFIELD SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR BOYS in 1957 and it was a comprehensive school.

There was also HURLFIELD SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS.Which was ruled out of bounds.

 

I think the answer is yes but comprehensive schools hadn't arrived in 1957! I think the Girls' school became Grange Grammar and Hurlfield Boys joined the former Central Technical School to become Ashleigh?

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Can anyone help complete our list of Greystones teachers?

Mr Reeman Headmaster Ruff

Mr Morgan Maths teacher Moggy

Mr Christie Maths teacher ?

Mr Godfrey French teacher Spike

Mr Pemberton Maths teacher Prem, Spam

Mr Smith Science teacher ?

Mr Johnson Science teacher Johnnie?

Mr Belcher Woodwork teacher Gem

Mr Gill Mechanics teacher Gillie

Miss Cole Geography teacher Ada

Miss Bayard French teacher ?

Miss Hopwood Music teacher ?

Miss (Mrs?) Marsden History teacher ?

Miss Essenhigh English teacher ?

Miss Baxter Domestic science teacher? ?

Mrs (Miss) Wragg? English/French teacher ?

Mrs/Miss ? Art/English teacher ?

 

Miss Lant?

 

 

I was in 3b when it closed

Jonathan Smith

 

 

I was at King Ecgbert when it first opened.Remember most of the teachers.There was a huge mural in the foyer of the crowning of King Ecgbert.Was told it was painted by Mrs Carey's husband[she taught French].What happened to this as I believe the original building was demolished.

The wallpaper around the Hall was black with huge gold lions printed on it reputedly £13 per roll a fortune in those days.

And does anyone remember the crushes on the bottom corridor as the bell rang for change of lesson and the whole school moved,then someone came up with the bright idea that it might be safer if the teachers moved with the bell!

And yes Mr Shaw was everyone's favourite.The only male teacher on the staff then but a good teacher and gentleman

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I think the answer is yes but comprehensive schools hadn't arrived in 1957! I think the Girls' school became Grange Grammar and Hurlfield Boys joined the former Central Technical School to become Ashleigh?

 

I have just joined the Forum which I found through Google. I was trying to find info about my old school Grange Grammar.

 

I was at the school from 1952 to 1956 (my family then relocated to Kent). While I was there the name was changed from Hurlfield GS to Grange GS and the art mistress designed a new badge showing a red squirrel (we thought it looked more like a kangaroo). I found the reference to the Chris Hobbs web site and have now got pictures of my old school to add to my 'memoires'. My grandchilden are going to be thrilled to read them (if they know what's good for them). Very interested in the Forum - many good memories of Sheffield.

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Hi Chairboy,

 

I was at Nether Edge between 50 and 56 and don't recall the name Belcher, could be attributable to advancing years though. Not a name one would forget when referring to a master.

 

Mike

 

I did two years at Nether Edge before we all upped sticks and moved to Abbeydale Boys GS in 1958. I can definitely remember Mr "Gem" Belcher, but couldn't say for sure if he was at both NEGS & ABGS.

 

Now you've made me realise that it's the 50th Anniversary of ABGS opening this coming September. Pass the zimmer frame!

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Hi akura,

 

Mr."Gem" Belcher only taught at Abbeydale. I attended Nether Edge 1956/58 then moved to Abbeydale where Belcher joined the teaching staff and taught me metalwork. I was only there for one year then my family moved to Lancaster.

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http://www.rowlinson-sheffield.org.uk/

 

Not still contesting, Rowlinson OB's can fight their corner or enlighten us but I thought the above link may generate some interest? The site is still in embryonic form but says the school opened in 1953 as Rowlinson Technical School.

I note a bus pass is shown and think people attended from all parts of the city -from an entrance exam - as otherwise, they'd have gone to their local secondary modern school?

 

"These pupils were from Greystones, which closed down, so they were relocated to Rowlinson, but only there for about one year. Date was probably around 1958." - This quote was pasted from below a form photograph with this explanation, thus providing the link with Greystones. I wonder if at one time, Greystones was on the 11+ options' list and later changed to Rowlinson?

 

The 1944 Butler Education act set up the three types of school. Technical schools were supposed to be on a par with grammar schools, only targetted at producing scientists and engineers. Of course, grammar schools then 'appeared' to be better (= more snob value) because they suppposedly dealt with the more acedemic subjects. you still had to pass the 11+ (in Sheffield, at least) to attend technical school. Because they were quite rare (many places didn't set up technical schools) the split became seen to be grammer vs. secondary modern.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripartite_System is quite a good write-up including

"The most important result of the lack of money was the disappearance of the third part of the system- the technical schools. Very few existing schools could fulfil the technical role, and the priority remained grammar and modern schools. The tripartite system was, in effect, a two-tier system with schools for the academically gifted and schools for the others. Without technical schools, the eleven plus became seen as a pass-or-fail exam, either getting children to the grammar or consigning them to a secondary modern."

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Don't forget the intermediate schools

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I was a pupil at Hurlfield Grammar in the 50s. Classes were divided between the 2 main houses,Holt House and The Grange. The gym was a fairly new building as were the canteen and domestic science rooms.The science lab were in the old stables. I can remember ther was a mounting block in the courtyard of the stables. The music room was in the conservatory of Holt House. Ther was a large lawn outside which we were not allowed on,and a beautiful grassed bank leading up to the woods, which every spring was a blaze of colour when the crocus flowered. The head teachers name was Miss Reid,(Jane Penelope.) and the music teacher whose name I can"t remember played the Cello in the Halle Orchestra. flowered.

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There were 3 distinct school buildings on the Ashleigh/Hurlfield site

1 - Hurlfield Boys Sec Mod, sandwiched between East Bank Road and Hurlfield Road and with access off East Bank Road.- later Became Myrtle Springs main site and now renamed Sheffield Springs Academy.

2 - Hurlfield Girls Sec Mod School. Big glass building. Directly south of the boys school, across Hurlfield Road and with access off Hurlfield Road. Later used as a part of Ashleigh, this was the first to be completely demolished.

3 - Central Technical school for boys .(came up from Leopold Street) - further south still, access off Gleadless Road - became Ashleigh - then Myrtle Springs lower school, now demolished.

 

My wife Rona Eden grew up in their shadow (Gleadless Cresc) and her mum, Agnes Eden, was school secretary at Hurlfield Girls School - Headmistress Miss MacArthur later Mrs Knot.

 

Rona attended King Ecgbert Technical school from 1959 - 1966 (headmistress Miss Coates) and it was difinitely a girls only school for that time with maroon / pale blue uniform. She can't remember there being another girls' technical school in Sheffield. Girls moved to King Ecgbert from Greystones and Rowlinson when it opened. The school has now been demolished and a new building opened lower down on the same site. Rowlinson Technical School was considered to be the boys' equivalent.

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Hi to all previous NEGS posters,

 

What a trip down memory lane you've taken me, the only thing that hasn't been mentioned was the dreaded "monkey cage run".

 

I attended NEGS from 1952 to 1957, and agree with brianic that Mr. "Gem" Belcher did not teach at NEGS.

 

Hi Puffin4,

 

Was your subsequent career after leaving NEGS influenced by the after school "Flight Club" and especially the meeting on RAF aerial photography?

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