This photo shows a class at Burymead School, Stevenage, c1917 with my father, William Charles Welch, in it. He is marked with an x. I attended this school 1943-1947 and I can assure you nothing had changed. It was still lit by gaslamps and we had slates with chalk to write on them with.
One incident I remember was a teacher looking into my mouth and saying something to the effect that I would always be very talkative because my tongue is joined at the front not at the back.
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I have been fascinated to find this page while looking for info on the area. My father was Brian Batson who was a teacher at the school, who subsequently became deputy head after the move to Six Hills Way. I was delighted to see his name mentioned by Tony Latimer whose name is familiar. I wonder if Tony played the French horn and went to Alleynes the same year as me, 1963ish. And yes, Dad was good at pretty much everything!
Thank you, Owen, for your photo and stories. I started at St Nicholas in 1958 and transferred to the new school when I was 9. I was a reluctant pupil and remember being very miserable on my first day in Mrs Pattenden ‘s class. However, I do remember happy times too. My teachers were, in order from Class 7 to Class 1 (remember the classes were numbered backwards?): Mrs Pattenden, a lovely lady who fluttered her eyelids; Mrs Livingstone, an outwardly hard northern woman with a surprisingly loving heart; Mrs Pattenden again, who would apply a scented salve to your brow if you were feeling poorly; Mr Batson, who was good at everything, but never did show us how to peel a banana without touching it; Mrs Warner, who had a fierce reputation but brought The Borrowers to life like no other; Mr Batson again, who was a great parent substitute at Cuffley Camp and Mr Leverton, who, with his soft-top MG and knitted tie brought Lady Plowden’s child-centred learning to an ill-prepared class of traditionally- taught children, but opened our eyes to art.
I would love to hear memories or see photos from others who attended the school.
i seem to remember the surname Briers and the Christian name Alma. I was there at the same time. i learnt more there than i did subsequently!!! because this school did what it set out to do thoroughly grounding and informing its pupils in – i don’t want to say the basics, because it was much more than that . it was the last time i understood maths well, until i resumed study of it as an adult. the teaching was so good you didn’t even realise you were learning it was such an enjoyable process; even though it was ‘rote learning’ and we didn’t have the same facilities; the teacher then was everything and my goodness they knew their jobs and they did their jobs very well.
Alma & Margaret were friends with my aunt Beryl Tyler nee Chapman. My Dad Derrick Chapman also attended the school.
I think this is about the time my Mother attended the school, her name then was Alma Beeching. Her friend also attended a few years earlier. Her name was Margaret Briars.