Schools & Education
Sunniside White Elephant School
By 1923 the number of children attending Marley Hill school was so great that it was decided to open a Temporary Infant School.
It is recorded in Marley Hill School Log Book:-
20th April 1923
Hannah Armstrong, Head Teacher, Lesley Cuthbert C.A. and Ethel Smith P.T. finish duty today and will commence on the 23rd at Sunnisice Temporary Council School. The Sunniside children have been transferred to the Temporary School, and the other children remain as an Infant class or in the Mixed Department.
Consequently the temporary school opened, with 62 children on roll, on April 23rd 1923 in the Sunniside Church Hall of St. Cuthbert's Church, Marley Hill, which was situated on Gateshead Road.
The hall, which had been built in 1914, was of pebbledash construction, consisting of a T-shaped hall with a stage. It was rented to Durham Authority at a 'pepper corn' rent of 1/- per annum. A temporary action to fulfil a need, which lasted 40 years!
In the beginning the school was heated by a coke stove, which appeared to have caused major problems. Many references are made to this.
7th December 1925
The temperature at 9 a.m.was 34º. The essential subjects were taken and the rest of the morning was spent in marching and exercises to warm the children. Mrs. Jobling sent over a large milk-can ful of cocoa. This we dispensed to the children who were exceedingly cold by 10.30 a.m.
23rd February 1931
A new boiler was installed.
Even in 1945 low temperatures forced the Head Teacher to close the school.
February 1962
At 9 o'clock the school was filled with smoke fumes. the boiler registered 90º and the temperature in school was 34º.
14th January 1963
School supplied with two oil heaters as water system was out of commission.
This building, being a church hall, was also used for various activities in the evening, namely Church Lad's Brigade, Youth club, Sunday School Meetings, etc. Several incidents of damage to equipment are recorded.
In 1955 an H.M.I. report reads:- (41 on roll)
"Recently various alerations have rendered the premises more suitable for school purposes. These have includede the paving of the playground, the repainting of the interior of the building in light colors, the installation of extra heating apparatus, the partitiioning of an alcove to form a staff room and the removal of material unconnected with the school, which has given better facilities for the storage of equipment. The two teaching spaces in the hall are separated by a curtain. There is a scullery for use with the school meals, which is prepared at a central kitchen (Burnopfield) and served in the hall to about 12 children each day. Cloakroom and sanitary provision are adequate in amount, but there is no constant supply of hot water to any of the pupils' washbasins.This is a very pleasant school in which the children rapidly acquire confidence and a keen interest in their work."
The school enjoyed a stable staff there being only three Head Teachers, during its lifetime. Namely:- Miss Hannah Armstrong 1923 - 1948, Miss Lesley Cuthbert 1949 - 1951, Miss
Mabel Davison 1951 - 1962. Finally Mrs.A Grant saw the school closed 31st May 1963 with only 15 pupils on roll.
What happened to the building afterwards? For a while it stood idle and then it was sold by the church on the 25th November 1965 to the Dumigan brothers. They tried to develop it but were refused planning permission. It was then sold to Mr. McClennan, a Heating Engineer, who used it as a depot/warehouse. It was burnt to the ground in a spectacular fire on 7th March 1975. Eventually Mr. H. Brown bought the site and built a bungalow 'High Trees' in 1984.
Why the 'White Elephant School'? Who knows? Perhaps it was because so many varied activites took place there, one being a "temproary" school.
Swalwell School
Swalwell Board School was opened in 1874/5 by Whickham School Board, coming under the jurisdiction of Durham County Council in 1904 and Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council in1974. Having been extended in 1893 it functioned as a school for all age groups until 1964 when seniors attended Whickham school. In 1973 the infants moved to a new school in Southview Terrace and in 1987 the juniors also moved there and the old school was closed and demolished.
Memories of Front Street School 1949-1962
Alex Johnson recalls memories of teaching at Front Street School 1949-1962.
Read by Alex Johnson
Available on: A Miscellany of Twentieth Century Memories from the old Whickham Urban District: Part Two.
Listen to the Podcast (28MB download)
Celebrations of 25 years at Washingwell School - 1999
Present staff and former staff and pupils reunited with special guest, illustrator Chris Mabbotts, a former teacher at the school, to celebrate 25 years of Washingwell School.
Front Street Primary School Sports Day, Chase Park 1986
Nativity Play, Front Street School, 1984
Whickham School
Interview with Max Williams - May 16th 2000
In 1962 Whickham Secondary Modern School opened, replacing the all-age school at Front Street, as part of a programme to replace elementary schools with secondary schools. Whickham children who passed the 11+ went to Blaydon Grammar School. The education in Whickham was under the auspices of the Durham Education Authority, which introduced comprehensive education piecemeal. Owing to the huge growth in the school population because of the large house building programme, Whickham Secondary Modern School closed in 1970 and Whickham Comprehensive School opened on the same site.
The new school had different governors, a new head, Max Williams, and all the teachers had to reapply for their jobs. The 3-form entry modern school became an 8-10 form entry comprehensive school, with 39 teachers and over 600 pupils in its first year. There were children from Swalwell (~1.5 forms) and Dunston (1 form of borderline O level pupils who didn't go to the grammar school ). When Dunston Comprehensive was built in 1972 the Dunston children went there. The school expanded rapidly as J.T. Bell was building 200 houses per year and new primary schools were being built. Children from Marley Hill and Byermoor were coming to Whickham, but Swalwell children were going to Dunston. In 1973 21 additional teachers were appointed.
In 1974 when the boundaries were altered, Whickham became part of Gateshead M.B.C. and Whickham Comprehensive became more of a Whickham school. The children from Winlaton stopped coming and went to Blaydon, which became comprehensive in 1974. In 1976 the school had the first 6th form built up from the comprehensive intake.
There were 4 building programmes in the first ten years to accommodate the increasing number of children and provide extra facilities. The school population doubled in that time. By 1979 Whickham was the largest school in the area and probably the most successful. In 1980 Gateshead M.B.C. decided that it should be just an 8-form entry school as people were using all manner of means to get their children onto the school roll, eg. sending children to live with other members of the family. However, in the 1980s Margaret Thatcher introduced parental choice for the selection of a school for a child, so the intake broadened again and Swalwell children started to return.
When Max Williams took early retirement in 1984 on health grounds (he had cancer) there were 1300 pupils with about 300 in the sixth form. The school was organised into a house system with 6 houses by 1984. There were 82 members of staff. Bill Smith, who was Deputy Head, was appointed as the new Headmaster. In his time, when there was talk of Gateshead having a tertiary college, he tried to get the school to opt out of Local Authority control but the parents voted against it. The school is now under the L.M.S. scheme.
In 1983 Mike Hind, The P.E, Master became a Head of House. In 1984 Gateshead was choosing 2 schools where night classes could be held. Mike Hind was appointed to oversee this at Whickham and he got them off the ground. They are independent of the school structure, they just use the building.
Max Williams sees the school as having been an early experimental comprehensive which turned into a very successful comprehensive and then a community school. At his retirement party he told Bill Smith that each day when he went into school he would be surprised by something.
On his second day as Head, a mother burst into his room and demanded to know "And what is the matter with orange knickers?" The previous day the children had been told that they needed navy knickers for P.E. The girl's father had sent the mother up to the school to ask the aforementioned question!
St. Mary's Roman Catholic School
Whickham acquired its first Catholic School in 1972. Catholic education in Whickham began in the house of Mr and Mrs McWilliams in Eleanor Terrace. Father Walsh came from Dunston to instruct the pupils of the County School (Front St.) Catholic Schools existed at Byermoor, Dunston and Blaydon. When Father Pickering founded the Whickham Parish in 1948 it was with the intention of founding a school also. Negotiations were begun which were not completed till 1970, when the then Minister for Education, the Rt Hon Edward Short, MP, instructed Miss Alice Bacon (Parliamentary Secretary to the Department of Education and Science) to inform the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle that the new Whickham R.C. School had been accepted and placed on the "Design List".
Work was entitled to begin on April 1st 1970, but there were more snags, including the death of the quantity surveyor, financial difficulties for the appointed building company, the death of the architect in charge of the project and the departure from the firm of his deputy architect. However, a new architect and building firm were appointed and the project was given a kick-start. From then the work proceeded fairly smoothly with excellent co-operation between the builders and the headmaster, Mr Leo Mason, culminating in the opening on April 10th 1972.
The new school was "Open-Plan" with seven teaching areas, 3 for the Infants and 4 for the Juniors. 74 children attended the school, but it was expected that this number would rise to 250. The school has its own kitchen adjoining the hall. In the grounds there was an "Adventure Playground" a lovely field and an adventure area. Future plans included grassing the front entrance grounds at the top end, putting a rockery around the school's frontage and separating the car park from the children's entrance with a flagged and grassed centre-piece.
St Mary's Head Teachers
Mr Leo Mason 1972 - 1985 (Dec)
Mr Arthur Burke 1986 (Jan) -
Preparatory School
Dorothy Cline started at this school in 1931. It was run by Mrs Easey, who used to teach at the Parochial School, and was situated in what is now the Cuthbert Room in the St. Mary's Centre. There was a big table in the middle of the room with forms on either side to accomodate the pupils, about 8. A blackboard stood beside the fireplace. What is now the lounge held two billiard tables which were always shrouded. The pupils had to pass through there to go to the toilets, which were where the kitchen is now. The pupils wore purple blazers with a school badge, WPS in gold on a purple background. The girls wore purple berets and also black velour hats.
When Mrs Rollins took over the school, she moved it to the building where the Healthlands Cafe is now. (Dorothy also remembers a Miss Conner teaching them, but is unsure of exactly where she fits into the picture.) During the war, Mrs Rollins ran the school from her house on Fellside Road, situated on the R.H.S. going up from the Front Street. Dorothy left WPS in 1938 to go to Dame Allan's Girls School. However, when the girls were evacuated from there during the war, Dorothy's mother would not let her go. She returned to WPS on Fellside Road for about a year until the evacuees started returning to Dame Allan's.
Parochial School
In 1900 Whickham Parochial School was a mixed school under the mastership of Mr Castles, the Boys' and Girls' Schools having amalgamated in 1897 (not in 1900 as recorded in other publications. See the Log Book held in the Tyne & Wear Archives.) The Infant Department was separate at this stage, although on August 1st 1910 it became an Infant Class, under the general control of the Head Master. In 1900 the Infant Department was under the control of Miss Mary Elizabeth Pratt, who had been a pupil teacher at the school and commenced duties as Certificated Mistress on January 9th 1899.
Mr Castles was meticulous in recording information in the Log Book, however his entries mainly dealt with the attendance, which was governed by the weather, the season and illness. As many of the children came from outlying areas and the roads were unmade, heavy rain or snow made them impassable, preventing the children from attending school. Childhood illnesses often became epidemics earlier in the century and sometimes the entire school had to be closed. In 1918 the school was closed for 9 weeks because of the influenza epidemic at the end of the First World War. In the fruit, and potato picking seasons and at hay making time attendance at school was poor because the children were working in the fields.
The school holidays were not taken at a set time every year. The summer holidays were taken in two parts and the timing seemed to vary from year to year. If the school had been closed for illness then the holidays were shortened. When the hoppings came to Whickham in May the children had two days' holiday.
The school premises were used for social functions and Mr Castles often recorded that they were left in disarray. Furniture was left in the wrong place and/or overturned, beer bottles were left lying around, the Master's back door was once marked with obscene pictures and his doorpost was used as a urinal. (Nothing changes!)
The entry for October 31st 1902 conjures up a lovely picture. "54 children were 'draughted' into the Mixed School today." Taking note of the date, was this done by the spirits that were around at the time?!!
Headteachers of the Parochial School
During the twentieth century there were 6 headteachers.
Mr Robert Ord Castles 1881 - 1923: Mr Castles started as a pupil teacher at the school on March 12th 1871, before rising through the ranks to become the Master in 1881, as the head teacher was known in those days. His entry in the school log book for January 26th 1923 reads as follows:
"Resigned the Mastership of this school after a service of nearly 42 years - in harmony with Managers, Teachers and parents. Appointed July 18th 1881 - left January 26th 1923. Signed Robert Ord Castles.
Mr William W. Rose 1923 - 1956: His entry in the log book for January 29th 1923 reads:- "I took charge of the school today as headmaster, in place of Mr R.O. Castles, who resigned duties on Friday January 26th 1923. William W. Rose.
Mr R.W. Edwards 1956 - 1974
Mr M.L. Mears 1974 - 1983: When Mr Mears retired in July 1983 he presented the school with a miner's lamp to remind the children that the school, which was set up as a charity school in 1714 by Dr Thomlinson, taught the poor children of local miners. Mr Mears said "The lamp will work if you fill it with fuel and ignite it, just as the children's minds will work if they are filled with fuel from the teachers, but the spark must come from the children." He also said that the lamp will remind them that Christ is the light of the world.
Mrs P.A. Pritchard 1983 - 1988
Mr Alan Dobson 1988 - Mr Dobson joined the staff in 1973 as a newly qualified teacher, staying for 1 year. He returned in 1983 as Deputy Head, taking over the headship when Mrs Pritchard left.
Front Street School
Whickham Front Street Infant School and Whickham County Mixed School were opened together in August 1909 and were governed by Durham County Council. The Infant School catered for about 90 children aged 5 to 7 years, while the County Mixed School housed another 270 children from 7 to 14 years. A few pupils were admitted to Blaydon Secondary School at 11 or 12 years of age. This pattern prevailed until 1962, when most of the children over 11 years transferred to the new Whickham Secondary Modern School, which became Whickham Comprehensive School.
The County Mixed School eventually became Whickham Front Street Junior School. In April 1974, when local boundaries reorganisation came into effect, the schools came under the jurisdiction of Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council.
The school buildings were extended in spring 1950 with the opening of a dining room and the prefabricated classrooms. In September 1980 the Nursery Unit was added. In September 1986, the two schools, which had opened together 77 years earlier, were at last amalgamated as Whickham Front Street Primary School, under the headship of Mrs Pat Farrell (later to become Mrs Pearson).
Fanny Stephenson's Private School
The Durham Directory of 1870s mentions a private school kept by Miss Fanny Stevenson. "Some Chapters in the History of Whickham" by Helen Bowling records that this school was said to be the one in Church Chare taken over by Mrs Easey. However, in the Whickham Journal No 5, Winter 1978, there is an article by Alan Wright about Grace Hilda Cook. She says that she "was educated at a little private school known as Miss Fanny Stevenson's, which is now the Co-op next to West End Methodist Church." (The Co-op no longer has these premises and the church has become Whickham Community Church - 1999.) Miss Cook was born in 1892 and when she was 11 she went to Rutherford College in Bath Lane.
The Kelly's Directories of 1906, 1914 and 1921 mention Fanny Stevenson's Private School, but it isn't mentioned in the 1925 edition.
Whickham Schools
Cloverhill School
Cloverhill was built in 1977 to bridge the gap between the schools in Whickham and Marley Hill. Separate infant and junior schools were going to be built, but the money ran out. It became a 1-form Primary School, initially taking children who were surplus from Marley Hill School. When Cloverhill was due to open the building wasn't ready so the children went to Marley Hill and used the huts. The first headmaster was Mr Robin Foreman, who retired in 1995, when the post was taken up by Mr P. Coker.
There are now 197 pupils in the school with 7 members of staff, one of whom has been there since the school opened, having transferred there from Marley Hill. There are 7 forms in the school which has 8 classrooms. The reception area is going to be extended to make room for ICT work. (Information, Communication, Technology.) Some children now come to the school from outside the Whickham area.
The school had a very good Ofsted Report recently. It was said that the ethos of the school was one of the best that the inspectors had ever seen.
The school has lovely grounds adjoining Sunniside Park and the children do environmental work there. The school is going to create a Millennium Garden with timber seating. The children have also designed squares for a Millennium Tapestry, which are being embroidered by one of the mothers.
to the school to ask the aforementioned question!
Swalwell
Swalwell Board School
Swalwell Junior and Infant Schools were built in Market Lane in 1874 and opened on December 14th 1874 by J.B. Alexander Esq. as Board Schools. The first entry in the Log Book was on January 15th 1875. Both schools were overcrowded from the time they opened and between the wars classes were also held in the Ebenezer Chapel. The Infant School moved to new premises in South View Terrace in April 1973. A site was allocated next to the Infant School for such time as a Junior School would be built. This took so long to happen that the parents formed SWAG (Swalwell Action Group) to fight the deferment of the building programme. One couple took their daughter to Downing Street to deliver a letter of protest. She was given VIP treatment and treated to a ride in the Prime Minister's car. The Junior School was finally completed in1987 when the 2 schools were combined to form Swalwell County Primary School. The old school was demolished shortly afterwards.
Swalwell Junior School produced a Centenary Magazine in 1975 and a booklet on Swalwell County Mixed School 1875-1987 was compiled on the closure of the old school. All who remember their time at Swalwell School look back on it with affection because of the school's friendly, welcoming atmosphere. The old building was regarded as "grand and proud, fashioned in stone, with spacious rooms and high ceilings, difficult to heat but very nice to work in". One inspector, who visited the school in October 1923 reported:- "One marked feature of the School is the corporate spirit found in every room. Teachers and scholars strive to produce the best that is in them, and the school is truly a habit forming centre, which cannot fail to exercise a high influence on the social life and outlook of the village in which it is situated. In a word, this school is one of high ideals, based, after careful and thorough preparation, on hopeful, enthusiastic endeavour, which overcomes inherent difficulties and achieves success of high order."
As with all schools, the wars of the twentieth century greatly influenced school life. Military victories eg the relief of Ladysmith and of Mafeking, were celebrated by the granting of half day holidays. During the Second World War, air-raid shelters were built in the school yard and from October 1941 pupils over the age of 12 years were permitted to take one week's holiday in order to help with the potato picking. Teachers, helped by villagers, were required to fire-watch from sun-down to sun-rise; watching for incendiary bombs which might fall from enemy air-craft after an air-raid warning. Some teachers, who lived a distance from the school, had to stay right through. The fire watching room was the staff room, but the only toilet facilities were across the yard. One lady teacher remembers walking the dark stairs , through the school and across the yard with only a small torch for lighting as more frightening than the possibility of bombs. At the end of the war the children gathered round the Union Jack in the schoolyard and sang patriotic songs with great gusto.
Apart from Military Victories, Royal occasions were also celebrated, such as Jubilee Day, May 6th 1935 and the Coronation of King George V1 and Queen.
Open Days have long been a feature of Swalwell Schools, parents visiting the schools as early as 1901:-
October 2nd 1901. Visiting Day. "About 60 mothers arrived during the afternoon. They were very much interested in the children's work and made themselves very much at home, clapping sometimes and talking to the children about the school. The children behaved well and were pleased with the praise. Drill was taken in the yard first, and as the mothers wished to see it again, the children drilled at the finish. The sum of twelve and sixpence was contributed towards the children's Christmas treat."
The school motto is "Hold Fast To That Which Is Good". It would seem that Swalwell School has done, and continues to do, that.
During the General Strike of 1926, Swalwell School played a large part in helping to organise a Soup Kitchen for the children in Swalwell affected by the strike. The meals were supplied in the church hall and the Head Teacher, Mr H.A. Davison, was the Superintendent of the Feeding Centre. In the first week there were 397 children on the meals list.
Streetgate
The White Elephant School
This curiously named school opened in 1923 and closed in 1963. The reason for its name has been lost in the mists of time. The building was erected in 1914 and was burnt down in a mysterious fire in 1975. A bungalow called "High Trees" is now on the site. It was named after the high trees in its grounds which were in the school yard. The caretaker lived in a cottage where the police houses are now. Lottie Brabban was the caretaker at one time and there is a wood named after her (Lottie's Wood) on the opposite side of the road at the entrance to the Whinney Fields.
There was just one big room for the classes - they were open plan before their time! There were just 3 headteachers in the lifetime of the school.
Marley Hill
Marley Hill CPSMarley Hill Community Primary School, a stone building facing the road, celebrated its centenary in 1995. Over the years there have been only 7 Head Teachers, namely: - Mr. Dewhurst 1895 - 1913, Mr. Bellerby 1913 - 1945, Mr. Atkinson 1947 - 1965, Mr. Gardener 1965 - 1971, Mr. Sykes 1971 - 1991, Mr. Rowland 1991 - 1999, Mrs. Westgate 1999 - to the present day.
The school started off, under the control of Durham Council, as a small village school catering for children aged 5 - 14 years old. The Senior Pupils transferred to Burnopfield Modern School in 1958. In 1974 the Infant and Junior school was taken over by the Gateshead Authority.
Over the years the numbers of children on the roll have fluctuated. In 1895 there were 240 pupils, but by 1977 there were 330. Since Cloverhill School opened in 1977 the roll has dropped and today there are approximately 150 children in five classes.
Marley HillThe school was first extended in 1964 with the addition of a hall, inside toilets and a classroom. It was further extended in 1974 with another classroom. Gas central heating was installed in 1978, so the caretaker no longer had to stoke the boilers!
Today, in spite of many changes, it is still the happy caring school with the family atmosphere that most past pupils and former staff remember with nostalgia. It can look back with pride over more than a hundred years at the achievements of others.
Dunston Schools
Dunston "Board" School
Dunston Junior and Infant Schools were built on the site of an old orchard and opened as Board Schools by Ralph Carr-Ellison on December 14th 1874. They came under the auspices of the Whickham School Board. Under the Education Act of 1902 School Boards ceased to exist and the schools were taken over by Durham County Council from April 1st 1904. The name, "Board School" still lives on and even in 1974 it was still known as the Board School. It has been known as Durham Council School and Durham County School. In April 1974 it came under Gateshead MBC with the reorganisation of county boundaries and renamed Dunston Junior and Infant Schools. It is now called Dunston Riverside County School.
Pupils of Dunston Board School.
Dunston Church School
Dunston Church School was opened on November 4th 1818. The Church of England Mission was built opposite the school and later became Mission Cottages. These buildings continued in use as school and lecture rooms until the outbreak of the Second World War.
Dunston Hill School
Kingsmeadow Community Comprehensive School
At Easter 1959 the senior departments of Dunston Hill School and Dunston County School combined to form Dunston Hill Modern School, moving in to new premises on Market Lane. The Headmaster was Mr Henry Nattress who was succeeded by his Deputy Alan Johnson.
It became Dunston Comprehensive School in 1973. This coincided with the raising of the school leaving to sixteen. An extensive building programme was started comprising of a large dining hall and kitchen, until then the meals had been cooked at a central kitchen and brought to the school. At the same time a Science, Art and Handicraft Block was built with provision for two Year Group Assembly rooms and offices. The School at this time was organised on a Year Group system with a Head of Year.
In 1975 with the reorganisation of boundaries the School was transferred from Durham County Council to Gateshead Metropolitan Borough and the building programme was suspended. Other Headteachers were Mr Winwood and Mr Robinson.
In 1990 with the reorganisation of Secondary schools in Gateshead a new school was created, taking pupils and some teachers from Dunston Comprehensive, Saltwell Senior High School and Hillhead Junior High School. The school was
Education in Twentieth Century Whickham & District
Introduction
At the dawn of the twentieth century there was only a handful of schools in the Whickham and District area. In Whickham there was the Parochial School and one or two private schools, Dunston had the Church School and the Board School and Marley Hill and Swalwell both had Board Schools.
Whickham Parochial School began life as Whickham Charity School in 1714 when Mrs Joan Blakiston left £100 in trust to the Rector of St Mary's Church, the Rev Dr Robert Thomlinson, for the education of 36 poor children in Whickham Parish. In 1742 the first school building was erected in School Lane and was altered and extended in 1825 and 1869, before ceasing to house the school on October 22nd 1971, when it moved to its new premises on The Broadway. This new school was officially opened on February 29th 1972.
The one or two private schools do not appear to be documented. In the "Whickham Journal" No 5, published in 1978, there is an article by Alan Wright in conversation with Grace Hilda Cook, who was born in 1892. She was "educated at a little known private school known as Miss Fanny Stevenson's, which is now the Co-op next to West End Methodist Church." (The Co-op is no longer there and the Whickham Community Church now occupies the church building.) In 1929 a private school, Mrs Easey's Academy, which became Whickham Preparatory School, opened in Church Chare.
In the early part of the century the Parochial School was becoming overcrowded and in August 1909 the Whickham Front Street Infant School and Whickham County Council School were opened. With changes in education required by law and the huge house building programme which began in Whickham in the 1950s, many more schools were needed to meet the educational needs of the town. Whickham Secondary Modern School opened in 1962 and became Whickham Comprehensive School in 1970. In 1966 Fellside Junior School was built, followed by Fellside Infant School in 1968. Washingwell Primary School and St Mary's Roman Catholic School were opened in 1972 and Cloverhill School followed in 1977. Whickham Chase Hall School and Whickham Cottage Nursery School began in the old Cottage Hospital in 1987. Gibside Special School was the last school to be opened in the twentieth century. It was created on the Fellside Infant School site, as this became vacant when the Infant School merged with the Junior School.
Dunston Church School was opened on November 4th 1818 and then Dunston Board School was built in 1874, becoming Dunston Council school in 1904. Since then it has been Dunston County School and is now Dunston County Riverside School. However, the name "Board School" lived on for years after it ceased to be that. Dunston Hill School opened in 1910 and Dunston acquired its Comprehensive School in 1973.
Marley Hill Colliery School, which was built by Isaac Bewley, was opened by Sir Charles Mark Palmer, a major industrialist of the region, on August 1st 1895. The school is now Marley Hill County Primary School and in its 105 year history to the end of the twentieth century has had only 7 Headteachers. The history of Marley Hill School has been recorded in a book written by Mrs Joan Telford, a former teacher at the school and a member of the Sunniside Local History Society.
Streetgate had its own primary school from 1923 to 1963, the unusually named White Elephant School. The origin of this name is lost in the mists of time, so if you know the reason for it, we should be delighted to hear from you. The school was on the site of the property, "High Trees", named after the high trees in its grounds, which were in the yard of the school. The school building was burned down in a mysterious fire in 1975.
Swalwell Board Schools, the Junior and Infant Schools, were opened by J.B. Alexander on December 1st 1874. The Infant School moved into new premises in 1973. After extension to accommodate the Junior School in 1987, the two were combined to form the Swalwell County Primary School. The original buildings were demolished soon afterwards.
The School Board Man
I don’t know if they still exist but up until the 60s at least, one of the most feared officials for school kids was the School Board Man. The role of this gentleman was to wander the streets looking for kids who were playing truant (or playing the wag as we used to say)..
In the 50s and 60s in Swalwell, the School Board Man was a gentleman called Mr. Foster. A short, bald, bespectacled and moustached character in a Burberry raincoat, Foster would lurk around corners waiting to pounce on unsuspecting truants. If caught, you were generally dragged by the ear to your parents who would be lectured to by Foster on the erring ways of truants with a warning to ensure that you attended school.
On many occasions Foster would be spotted in the distance and we would run like hell to ensure that he didn’t catch us. He would never chase you but would yell after you that he would get you next time - he often did! Foster disappeared sometime in the 60s and was never replaced.
Does anyone else remember him?
From David Newton now resident in The Philippines.
Mrs Ellis, caretaker at Marley Hill School (born 1908)
Mrs Ellis started in 1945 and was there for 18½ years.
There were 10 outside toilets, which regularly froze in the winter.
She was paid an extra 4 shillings for lime washing the toilets.
The meals for 150 pupils arrived in containers from Burnopfield Central Kitchen. There were 3 helpers.
Mr Bellerby, the Headmaster, lived in the School House for which he paid 2 guineas a week rent.
4 tons of coke was delivered to the school each month. It was dumped in the yard and she had to shovel it into the boiler house. There was often a heap of coke lying in the schoolyard.
Mrs Elllis helped at the Coronation celebrations in 1953, which was held in Marley Hill Welfare Hall. The Burnopfield Co op loaned a television set for the day and it poured down with rain. Mrs Ellis was responsible for the staff toilets.
Her salary when she retired was £4.14.6d per week with 2 days extra pay for her length of service!
Alex Johnson, teacher at Whickham County School, Front Street from 1949-1962.
After nearly seven years of war I returned home, went to Training College and finally in September 1949 I began teaching at Whickham County School. The Headmaster was Mr Ron Kennedy, a perfect gentleman, and a friend of Mr. Maurice Chevalier, the famous French singer and actor.
The staff was made up of Mr. Emmerson, Mr. Kempton, Mr. Ruddick, Mr. Bramley, Mrs Winskell, Miss Hutchinson, Miss Harbit, Miss Longstaffe and Miss Veitch with Miss Boyd as Cookery Teacher. I was given the 10+B Class which I thoroughly enjoyed, as well as being Physical Education Master.
I loved the children of Whickham and loved teaching. I was seldom home straight after school for I ran a Puppet Club, an Adopted Ship Club, a Nature Club, Athletics and a Football Team.
The children made most of my puppets and I have them still today. All the pupils enjoyed our shows and we gave shows to hospital children. I would pile children into my Ford 10 Prefect, put the puppets into the boot of the car, balance the theatre on the top of the car and away we went. The star of the show (the witch) was Eunice Sharp.
I adopted a ship on behalf of the School It was M.V. Laganfield, an oil tanker, and although it gave me lots of work, it also gave the children lots of pleasure. We plotted the ship’s voyages on a large scale map in my classroom and the children wrote letters to the crew.
When it docked in the Tyne there was great excitement for we all went down to see it.
The crew were mostly Chinese and allowed the children to “take over�? the vessel. A lovely meal was always provided and the children took gifts to their favourite crewmembers.
The Chinese visited Whickham and the fathers of the pupils introduced the visitors to the delights of Whickham Social Club. Mr. Fatkin, the Chief Engineer, presented a model of the ship to the School, and it hung in the school for many years.
Every Christmas the crew made a collection amongst themselves and sent me a large sum of money to give the club members a party, which I did and which was always greatly enjoyed.
In 1955 I took a party of schoolchildren to Blankenberg in Belgium and in 1960 I took 50 children to Italy to Rome to see the Olympic Games and to have a seaside holiday in Rimini.
Rimini 1960
In 1962 I had booked a trip to Spain, and although I had left the school to start my own private school I promised to fulfil my obligations.
In 1993 we had a reunion perhaps one day we can have another?
Reunion 1993
To hear the full story of Mr. Johnson’s time at Whickham School you can buy the audio CD or cassette Miscellany of Memories Part 2, available now.
Lord Armstrong
Lord Armstrong was born and brought up in Shieldfield in Newcastle but was sent to a Dame School at Beech House, Front Street, Whickham.
Mr. Lawrence Dewhurst
Mr. Dewhurst was Headmaster of Marley Hill Council School from 1885 -1913. He was highly respected in the area and was involved in all aspects of life in the community. Even in retirement people would consult him for advice. Mr. & Mrs. Dewhurst and their 7 children were the first occupants of the School House. On retirement they moved to a new house on Metal Bank (Sunniside Road) called 'San Souci' (translated - 'care free'). He was organist of St. Cuthbert's 1883-1920 and died in 1926. He is buried in the churchyard. Dewhurst Terrace in Sunniside is named after him.
My First Day at St Mary' s School Whickham-1997
“My first day at school was very good. At 7 o’clock my Mum woke me up. I bounced out of bed, raring to go. I got washed and dressed into my grey dress with a pleated bottom. Also I had my light blue polo shirt with my grey tights and black shiny shoes. When I was ready I brushed my hair and looked at myself in the mirror. This was it! I was starting school and I wasn’t really nervous, mostly excited. As I walked down the stairs my Mum popped out with the video camera, taping every step I made. I have always wanted to go on the bus and today I was getting on it.�?
“I remember I put on my uniform. My polo shirt and grey pants with a blue sweater. My Mum used to drive me to school at 8.45am. On certain days we went into the computer room and went on the computers. My Mum picks me up in the car at the end of school.�?
“I was on the bus and my Mum was holding my hand and tightly squeezing it. She said ‘I don’t want you to go but you have to’. My Mum looked for my name in the cloakroom. I was right in the middle. Above my name was a picture and I was a yellow and orange ice-lolly. In the classroom I remember seeing lots of toys and bright colours. There was a bright red carpet and at the far end there were loads of children just like me. Some were crying and some just sitting there by themselves. I sat next to my teacher. I was nearly under her chair�?.
“I was really excited but still very nervous when I started school. My Mum took a photo of me in my new school uniform. My Mum took me to school. Then I came back on the bus. I had loads of fun. I played in the water and sand-box. On the second day I cried and didn’t want to leave my Mum, but then I had fun.�?
“When I got in we put our coats on pegs. Each peg had a name on and a picture. Mine was a tree. We went into the classroom and the teachers introduced themselves. They had made name bands for us, and when the register was called you got your name-band which went round your waist, like a belt. I had school dinner and reception always goes in first.�?
“I was looking forward to being in ‘big’ school, as I called it. I walked into what looked like an interesting classroom. It was great playing in the sand and water.�?
I remember there were children that looked like giants. A teacher came out of the door and rang the bell. My Mum took me to line up. All the giants were going in first and our line went in. I started to cry because I was nervous but excited. My teacher showed me around. It was cool. Our class, Reception, had our own toilets. After dinner the teacher read everybody a story and I fell asleep. The story was Little Red Riding Hood.�?
My teacher was really nice and kind. She showed us all of the classrooms. I remember this girl put sand in my hair and then soaked me with water. Sometimes I missed my Mum and felt like crying but I was scared in case some of the big boys and girls laughed at me. I had an older brother but he was usually too busy playing football. Playtimes were great, but I often got knocked down by the crazy kids. They were huge.�?
“My first lesson was sponge painting and at the end of the day I got a ‘well-done’ sticker.�?
“My Mum was telling me to remember to hand in my Dinner Money and to be sensible and careful. I made a lot of friends that day and it made me happy to know that I wouldn’t be alone at playtime.�?
“When I got there I peered round the corner and started to cry. I felt as if I was tiny because all of the other children were massive compared to me. At lunch time I saw all of the other children eating their dinner. I had dinner too. I thought the dinners were lovely�?.
“ Reception was great! I remember friends who were cool. We did everything together. We would make up games and we would go to each other’s houses for tea. I had a friend. We would have ‘sleep-overs’ and joint birthday parties. Everything was really fun. I felt very special with all my friends around me. It was fantastic.�?
Helen Nordmann. At School in Whickham.
In 1931 when I was 8 years old I started Whickham council school as it was then called. I was glad to have left my infant school in Durham, as I was terrified of the head master. He would burst into the classroom and grab some screaming 5 year old to his room for a beating and I had nightmares thinking he would pounce on me.
In my new school I had no such worries, as the head master was my dad Mr Kennedy. I was put in Miss Longstaff’s class. Later I heard she had been told never to make me a monitor or single me out in any way. At that age I could not understand why I was never chosen for anything but it meant I was popular with the other girls. In fact some of them thought it was not fair! After all these years I can remember their names, the Turner twins, Hilda and Marjorie, Joan Morpeth, Della Gibuns, Rose Guthrie and the teachers Mr Emmerson, Mr Kempton, Mr Ruddick and Mr Parker. Mr Ruddick took music and produced fine choirs but woe betide any one who came late or missed a practice. Mr Parker was a quiet man who rarely used the strap. His woodwork room was at the top if the stairs and always seemed to be full of boys absorbed in what they were doing. He also took over the school garden which was behind the Hermitage. When Mr Parker got promotion Mr Green took over and later Major Johnson.
As well as Miss Longstaff the women teachers were Miss Hutchinson, Miss Harbut, Miss Veitch and Miss Green who took cookery down the stairs. My father’s room was upstairs with a view of the boys' yard. The girls' yard was on a vicious slope with dreadful toilets at the bottom. These were only used in a dire emergency. Actually the school has not changed much. The toilets are inside but the oblong hall with classrooms leading off on either side has not changed. All equipment is vastly improved but there is no woodwork or cookery as all the children move on at the age of 11.
When I was there the infant department was in charge of a rather vague lady called Miss Melvin. Her main aim was for her pupils to recite a poem for the chapel anniversary. I often heard my father say that he could never discuss anything with her as she insisted he heard a poem. She was also very deaf and would not admit to it. Hearing aids were not in use so many bizarre exchanges took place. My father heard the following. Small boy, “Please miss can I leave the room? Puzzling reply, “Yes pet get one in the cupboard?". I remember wishing I could say a piece at the anniversary but I went to the Church of England.
I felt safe at school despite the strap being used, as the main method of keeping order especially by 2 of the men. It was a quiet hard working place. My father was popular as he was firm but fair. I hated the way he asked every morning how I had done in mental arithmetic, which we had to do every morning. I don’t think I ever got 10 out of 10, 6 or 7 was the norm and not good enough. I did not like arithmetic at all though I knew my tables. The 11 plus exam dominated those early years. There were far too few places at Blaydon Grammar School for the large catchment area it covered. So many bright children missed their chance and if a school got more than 4 scholarships out of a class of 30 it was very good. Without any pressure I just knew how much it would mean to my father if I got a place. I was a voracious reader so I was good at English and had no problem with intelligence tests but my arithmetic dodgy and hating it and being scared did not help! As well as those interminable arithmetic lessons I did not like Group Reading. As I had the designated book finished first session and then had to endure weeks while the slower readers stumbled through it.
Another lesson caused problems and that was Needlework. I kept losing my needle and when I found it I could never thread it. My stitches were uneven and I always was way behind the others. Poor Miss Hutchinson despaired so much that on one occasion she told me to take the horrible grubby overall home and finish the seam. Needless to say I did not rush to do it and as my mother was a firm believer in a fixed bedtime I was ordered upstairs and SHE would finish it. As she was no better than me her handiwork was met with horror. “Take these stitches out,? shrieked Miss Hutchinson. “They are worse than ever", I seethed, lost my needle and was in a bad state when I confronted my unrepentant mother. Now my dad was a lovely man but guileless and innocent in many ways and he found the episode funny and actually told Miss Hutchinson who did not find it amusing at all and was mortified. So this trivial episode caused distress all round and I have never forgotten it.
In the years I was at this school Whickham was a PIT village with 2 working mines. Many boys joined their fathers and uncles working underground at 14. The girls went into service and worked for pitiable wages until they married. There were 2 commercial colleges teaching shorthand and typing and they were an escape for those who could pay the fees. It is hard to believe that in those days there were no facilities at all in the village. Once a week in the school hall in the evening Library was held. This meant battered trunks were hauled out and a meagre selection of books was displayed. How I longed for a new book but in vain.
As there was no park the streets were our playground and the Pit streets were ideal. Oh, the games we played and the fun we had! Often I would go into a house and to me they were wonderful. There was generally a blazing fire a lovely smell of baking, a baby to be nursed and on rare wonderful occasions a miner playing the accordion. My own house did not compare well!
I hated the girls' yard and I believe that today the vicious slope still causes problems. I confess that in the winter the slides were magnificent but the rest of the year it was awful. My friends and I were great at bays and I regularly spent half my week’s pocket money on a block of chalk bought at a shop next to the school gates from a nice lady called Mrs Egglestone. With the rest of my penny I would buy a concoction called a soda lunch. My mother behaved as though it was poison, but I liked them as the sherbet could last a long time!
Every year my father arranged a trip for the whole school. On one memorable occasion we all went to Edinburgh. It must have been hard to organise but it was a great success. We had a special train and we went to the zoo. I bought my mother a hideous tartan trinket, which I was sure she would love, as she was Scottish.
Other diversions within the school year were the choir festivals. Mr Ruddick always had a good choir and sometimes we won the shield. There were 2 festivals one in the City Hall and one at Ryton. Mr Ruddick was a very strict disciplinarian and to miss a choir practice was a mortal sin. As there were no school dinners if you lived a long way from the school it was not easy to get back in time but no excuses were accepted in those days.
Of course the boys always had the excitement of the football team in which my father took a keen interest. Somehow he got them all in a maroon and blue strip but even he could only manage one very precious leather football. It was prized and only used for home games. I heard years later that one teacher soaked the ball before a match. This made the ball as heavy as lead and he told the Whickham boys not to head it! My father would have been horrified IF he believed it. He was such a fair man he could not have believed in such unsportsmanlike behaviour.
One abiding memory I have is teachers pay day. There were no banks or cheques just actual money. My father went to the bank and collected the cash. It was then divided accurately and each teacher was called to collect, check and sign.
John Handy, born 1904, remembers.
Whaggs Lane as a mud track with very few houses, following his older sister to the Parochial School when she returned from lunch and the teacher allowing him to sit in a corner of the classroom, a large space divided by chairs into two classes.
Starting his school life officially at the new primary school on Front Street in 1910 and his sister joining him there.
Seeing Dr. Andy Smith riding his horse to visit patients.
Yearly visits to the culvert near Duckpool Lane to see young foxes, also seeing ducks on the pond.
Wandering freely on Gibside and Ravensworth Estates.
Making bats and balls with which to play cricket.
Playing football in winter with local lads in the Junior Football League and on one occasion with the Queen Mother on one of her visits to Gibside!
Royalty regularly visiting Gibside, travelling from Newcastle Central Station by coach.
Wearing clogs during the First World War.
Playing Knocky Door Neighbour and Jack Shine a Low, name for Miner's lamp.
Attending the annual flower show and games in a field at the bottom of Rectory Lane.
In his last year at school helping the Head Teacher with his war work, i.e. selling savings bonds etc.
Joyce Newton Remembers
Joyce, who lived in James Street, started Front Street Infant School in 1932, when she was about 5 years old. She had already been in school twice with her sister, when her mother had to go somewhere, so it wasn't a totally new experience for her. There were 4 classes in the school. The Headteacher was Miss Melvin, who taught English and Poetry. Joyce became very interested in poetry because of Miss Melvin's influence. The other teachers were Miss Wheatley, of whom Joyce was particularly fond, Miss Wilson who taught Maths and Miss Kay who taught Music.
The children always performed plays at Easter and Christmas. There was a school trip every year, which was usually to the coast.
When Joyce was 7, her family moved to a colliery house near Watergate, but she still attended Front Street School. The lunch break was one and a half hours, so there was time for Joyce to walk home to have her lunch. When her father was out of work her mother got a job, but she still went home to have lunch, as her father was there.
When Joyce was about 8 years old she moved up into the Junior School. The Head Teacher was Mr Kennedy. The other members of staff, most of whom lived locally, were Mr Kempton, who became Head at Whickham Secondary Modern, Mr Parker, the Woodwork teacher, Mr Ruddick, the Music teacher, Miss Cousins, Miss Hutchinson, the Sewing teacher, Miss Longstaff and Miss Harbutt. Joyce's first class teacher was Miss Longstaff.
Joyce particularly remembers going into the hall for Music, having lovely Christmas parties when the children were given food in a bag to eat at your own desk, and being given extra school milk, which she hated, because she had a pale skin.
When Joyce was 10, her family moved again and she went to Marley Hill School.
A. Reed remembers.
Swalwell Board School had been opened for 26 years when I first attended it in 1901. Mr William Spears was then headmaster, a greatly respected man although much feared, as were all the teachers. They were great disciplinarians and punished any misbehaviour or insolence swiftly and effectively.
At 8.55 am each morning the bell, high up in the school roof, would be heard. That was the dreaded first bell heralding all to school. At 9.00am, lined up in Standards 1 to V11, the day began. Silence fell upon the class with the approach of "Miss" or "Sir", and would remain.
Class instruction was always given and whether the subject was understood or not silence reigned. No-one asked anything. Every subject was taken very seriously and written carefully in pen and ink. Any, unnecessary mistakes were dealt with by a quick rap over the knuckles. Particular attention was paid to writing and spelling. I remember the hours and hours of tedious practice, but we all left school able to read and write properly.
Early Days-A Boy goes to School in Swalwell.
I was born on March 25th 1940, which was Easter-time and 6 months into World War 2, in the village of Swalwell, which was then in the county of Durham. I started Infant School after the Easter Holiday in April 1945. The war in Europe was still going on. It ended in May 1945 but the war in the Far-East lasted until the end of August.
I, like most children, thought that being sent to school was some sort of punishment, devised by adults to keep children in their place. The same idea as whatever all children seemed to ask for was met with the reply "No, you can't have it, there's a war on". (Much like the politicians of today promising "Jam and Good Things Tomorrow", but no way now.)
Most of the children starting school were examined by a School Doctor and a "Dickie" Nurse. Most were suffering some health problems because of poor diet during the war years eg. no fruit, too plain a diet with not enough starch or protein and not enough food. I had a dry, scurvy skin with body spots and was under-weight, so was given a special allocation of Virol (malt) and concentrated orange juice for Vitamin C (normally only for babies). I was 8 or 9 years old before I knew what a banana was or chocolate. I thought only boiled sweets were made. They, and everything else, were obtained via a "Ration Book" if available. Rationing remained in force for some things until 1954, the year after the Queen's Coronation.
Children started school straight after their 5th birthday (no nursery schools then). There were 38 boys and girls in my class. We were given a pottery beaker of milk each morning at 10.45 am and sometimes, special treats of pieces of cheese or Horlick's tablets. Once we were sent a crate of red apples, a present from the children of Canada. We got 2 apples each, what a treat!
The toilets were outside in the school yard. They often froze up in the winter, so we were sent home. There seemed to be a lot of snow in those days.
When the war ended, we all paraded in the school-yard, along with the Senior School, to sing "Land of Hope and Glory" and "God Save the King".
There were always plenty of textbooks, crayons, pencils, etc for all the children. The desks were doubles, so two had to sit together. This could cause a problem if no-one wanted to sit beside you. The teachers, all women, were held in awe. They were kind, but firm, and the Head Mistress had a cane, which she used if necessary. We had to collect Rose Hips in the Autumn time, with the help of our parents, to be used for the making of Rose Hip Syrup, which was rich in Vitamin C. We kept daily records, on the classroom wall, of each day's weather, by means of symbols of the sun, rain etc. We had large wall maps of the World, with lots of countries in Red. This, we were told, was the British Empire, owned by us. (Within 10 years, most had demanded and got independence.)
Early days at school were mainly pleasant, even with war rationing, and most children got on with each other.
Mary Williams remembers.
"At last, the day arrived for me to start school. I had my new sixpenny case, from Woolworths. In it, was an apple for playtime. I reminded my mother frequently that she was to tell the mistress I was wearing my new boots. At last it was our turn to enter the mistress's office where I constantly nudged my mother and indicated the boots. At last, she said "Mary has new boots especially for today". They were duly admired. Then I was taken into the "baby" class to start what turned out to be a very happy school life.
"In my early days at school I hated to get it wrong. (I am still the same).
On arrival at school one day, I was horrified to find I did not have a slate rag. (Writing and sums were written with chalk, on a slate and a rag was essential). The said rag had to be held up in one hand and your handkerchief in the other at prayers (now called assembly).
What to do? I dashed into the toilet and tore a square out of the front of my petticoat it was plain green cotton with a lace edging.
All went well at school but when I got home, it was a different matter. My mother was furious. The "slate rag" was washed, then, sewn in again. I had to wear it for months, presumably to teach me that clothes were expensive and had to be looked after, carefully.
How I hated that petticoat"
In times of hardship.
"In the early 1930s when food was short some children went hungry. We were very fortunate in that my grandfather had an allotment, father's friend had a market garden, a cousin had a butcher's shop where we could get marrow bones for broth, and an uncle who was a railway linesman on the Carlisle route did a spot of poaching in his lunch hour.
One day my brother and I noticed children asking workers from the new Power Station if they had any " bait" left, and were given a newspaper parcel, which, when opened, seemed to be sandwiches. We stationed ourselves in a strategic position, "asked" and received a parcel, which proved to contain a jam sandwich - not of interest to us at all. Next minute we both received a sharp smack on the bottom, and were frog-marched home, by a very irate grandmother. Who lectured us all the way on how fortunate we were in always having enough to eat without any need to beg in the street - no treats for us that day from grandmother."
Flying Kites
Outdoor games were played in cycles-top and whip, marbles, skipping ropes, but when it came to kites my brothers and I were always sent up the road to ask Mr Clark to make us one with the instruction “don’t forget to ask nicely and�? DON’T FORGET TO SAY PLEASE.�?
We were always told to come back the next day and bring one string (saved from one old tattered kite).
The next kite was always ready- a cross made with two straight pieces of stick and part of the wooden hoop of a butter barrel was used to make a rounded top, the construction was carefully covered with newspaper skilfully glued on then a tail string with newspaper bows all the way down- wonderful Mr Clark would then send us over to the park to play fly it.
Sometimes he called us back and added some more tailing-perfect. Flying the kite usually kept us busy during the school holidays.