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De La Salle College

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Amazing thread.

Wish they'd bring back National Service etc

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DE LA SALLE COLLEGE. A light-hearted view.

 

Although a proper Sheffielder, I refused to join in with the masses (of proper Sheffielders) who demanded their city should be a Ta-g free zone. I was brought (dragged) up to always be kind and friendly towards outsiders who chose to come to Sheffield, and to England generally. I also had the common sense, plane ordinary good judg(e)ment, to know that we are a city, and a nation of Christians with love and money to share.

 

Having read through this thread, I am feeling quite flabbergasted by persons complaining about their time at DE LA SALLE COLLEGE. These complainants should count themselves lucky that their ancestors were accepted into this once fair city, because they wouldn’t have gotten a good education otherwise. I received a real English education in secondary modern schools, and received many thrashings, some justified, some not. Am I complaining? NO!

 

Let’s take a look at your place of learning:

 

Build in a run-down part of Sheffield in 1923. A new building for 180 pupils was opened in 1925. In 1930 the buildings were further enlarged to contain an Assembly hall, gymnasium, 11 classrooms, art room and chemistry and physics laboratories. The number of boys in attendance became 340.

 

 

More:

 

DE LA SALLE COLLEGE, was a direct grant Grammar school for young Catholic boys only. The school was conducted by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, recognised by the Ministry of Education. The staff were highly qualified University graduates who prepared you for matriculation, higher school certificate and University scholarship examinations.

 

You had 2 hard tennis courts and a large spots field attached to the College as well. Unfortunately, during the ‘40s when Rev. Brother Peter, B.A. was headmaster, you had to start paying fees…£15.15s per annum. These fees only went part-way to paying toward the wages of the proper Sheffielders who had built the school with their toil, sweat and taxes. You don’t know you’re born.

 

 

 

 

If this post survives, which I doubt (some humourless mardy-bum will complain), I am expecting a good caning by other Forumers. For self-preservation, I’ve slipped an exercise book down inside the back of my trousers. Amen.

 

 

 

The Zakes. A.K.A. Ollie.

 

De La Salle -the boy's Catholic Grammar School- was never in a 'run down' part of Sheffield even in the 1920's. Although school no longer there, that part of Pitsmoor (Scott Road/Abbeyfield Road) is still a 'smart' area and I don't recall the place ever being a secondary school.

Edited by stpetre
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I still do not think De La Salle was a secondary school in the sense that I thought of that term, boys at age 11 who did not pass the 11 plus. Perhaps Torontotony could help me here ?

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I was there in the 40s Zakes and I disagree with your assessment. Were the staff highly qualified university graduates? really. How do you know? From my recollection, there were unemployables among them. We learned French from people who had spent little or no time in France, a point brought home to me the first time I visited Paris and learned more about the pronunciation of the language. We learned history from somebody who withheld information about the Inquisition and causes of anti Catholic sentiment in Tudor times. We learned nothing of biology either, possibly because there would need to be discussions about reproduction. Boys who didn't make the grade to get into a grammar school found a better curriculum in the polytechnic and trade schools run by the city.

 

In my day, boys could be and were expelled for smoking. One unfortunate lad I recall was downtown when seen puffing away by Brother Peter. Let me remind you that this was in a day when the health hazards of cigarette smoking were not as widely known.

 

I personally wasn't good at sports and I got no help from the staff. First Brother Edward, then Brother Augustine followed by Mr McQuade. I was shamed and called a washout. True no doubt, but unhelpful.

 

My progress in life following De La Salle owes nothing to my experience and what I learned there.

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You can find other stuff from index at foot of above page eg.

 

Headmasters: 

 

http://web.archive.org/web/20060209182506/http://www.de-lasalle.freeserve.co.uk/headmast.htm

 

College History: 

 

http://web.archive.org/web/20060209182445/http://www.de-lasalle.freeserve.co.uk/history.htm

 

Prefect’s Badge: 

 

http://web.archive.org/web/20060209182531/http://www.de-lasalle.freeserve.co.uk/prefpagecentre.htm

 

 

 

 

Edited by valleyhill

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33 minutes ago, valleyhill said:

Thanks for all the recovered links , a lot of familiar names and faces,both staff and pupils  from my time  there _1956 to 1961.

 By the way I am the poster you replied to, my name was changed due to a misunderstanding on my part .

Edited by Ontarian1981
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3 hours ago, Ontarian1981 said:

Thanks for all the recovered links , a lot of familiar names and faces,both staff and pupils  from my time  there _1956 to 1961.

 By the way I am the poster you replied to, my name was changed due to a misunderstanding on my part .

I don't recall it ever being a secondary school and I lived 800 yards away, unless it converted to one in later.

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48 minutes ago, St Petre said:

I don't recall it ever being a secondary school and I lived 800 yards away, unless it converted to one in later.

Well I suppose a grammar school is a kind of secondary school anyway. In my day, however it was called a grammar school and was the only catholic one in SouthYorkshire or North Derbyshire. Kids came from all over the place.There were charra loads from Doncaster and Barnsley which also brought in girls for Notre Dame. There were lots fom Rotherham, Chesterfield and the West Riding which included Catcliffe, Brinsworth,Aston,Swallownest etc.etc. in those days.

 

Edited by Ontarian1981

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1 hour ago, Ontarian1981 said:

Well I suppose a grammar school is a kind of secondary school anyway. In my day, however it was called a grammar school and was the only catholic one in SouthYorkshire or North Derbyshire. Kids came from all over the place.There were charra loads from Doncaster and Barnsley which also brought in girls for Notre Dame. There were lots fom Rotherham, Chesterfield and the West Riding which included Catcliffe, Brinsworth,Aston,Swallownest etc.etc. in those days.

 

At a rough estimate, how many pupils could De La Salle accomadate the years you were there -I mean with all the classes full in one given year ?

Edited by St Petre
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42 minutes ago, St Petre said:

At a rough estimate, how many pupils could De La Salle accomadate the years you were there -I mean with all the classes full in one given year ?

Hard to say, there were A, B & C graded forms in each year, One through Five then an Upper Sixth and Lower Sixth forms.The classes were not all the same size except maybe the first year. After that the classes varied because there were always holdovers from a previous year to add on. The Sixth forms were also smaller, as not all pupils were University material and a lot like me couldn't get out fast enough.lol. At a guess I would say around 400, but I could be 50 or so off either way.

Edited by Ontarian1981

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