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No. 12 Gossamer July 1946
LEGSreunited HOME page » LEGS Memorabilia » The Gossamer School Magazine » No. 12 Gossamer July 1946
12-Gossamer09-History
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The Early Days - History of the School by L Taylor
TEXT BY OCR

When I left last December I promised Mr. Roberts that I would write a short account of the early days of the school, and, as I wanted to be as accurate as possible, I have had to make enquiries about the very early days. Greatly to my surprise I had to go back to the year 1894 when Pupil Teacher classes were held in the old Board Room, the upper room of that strange building just within the playground of the old High Street School, which is now housed in the lovely new buildings off Grange Road. As far as I can tell these P.T. classes were held in the evenings and were attended by the Pupil Teachers from all the schools in the town ; they were taken by the headmasters
of the schools, each one, I suppose, taking his own pet subjects.

In November, 1896, a change was made and whole instruction of these teachers in the making was put into the hands of one man specially appointed for the job - Mr. Samuel Clegg who then began an association with the education and public life of Long Eaton which lasted until his death in 1930. I think it is fair to assume that while the previous classes were more in the nature of special evening classes, the year 1896 was really the year of the foundation of what is now the Long Eaton Grammar School ; if that is so, then this is really the School's jubilee year. I should add that, even then, some of the classes were held in the evening, for, in those days, boys and girls who wished to teach had to spend at least half the week gaining experience in teaching and class management.

Among the students attending in those days were Miss Hall, who later became head of a school in Long Eaton, Mrs. Hart, now teaching at Tamworth Road School, Dr. Gye (then known as Will Bullock), William Linnell, the first indefatigable secretary of the O.S.A., who is now head of a school in Buckinghamshire and as much a Peter Pan as ever, and Miss Turner, the present Senior Mistress of the School. More names I must not give because of limited space. Early in 1901 the School removed to rooms above the swimming bath in Derby Road Boys' School playground and there seem to have been fewer evening classes from that time so I presume the various
years-there were four in all-were allowed to spend a longer time at the P.T. Centre during the daytime.

I commenced duty there on January 9th, 1905, and found myself teaching students from Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire ; the last-named first appeared in November, 1904. The Notts. students were there at the end of 1902 but I cannot find when they first attended. I often wonder what present-day scholars would do if their journeys were as long and tedious as those of thirty to forty years ago. Students from Diseworth, Long Whatton, Kegworth, Castle Donington, and the Draycott and Borrowash areas had often a long walk to their own railway station and then a walk from Trent station to the school building ; there were no buses to the school door in those days.

It must have been in September, 1905, that we removed to the Wesleyan Central Sunday School ; there we had a large room on the upper floor, where we could accommodate three or four classes, and a smaller' room on the ground floor where we commenced some practical General Science. We had only trestle tables but were able to buy a few good balances-they are still in use in the present balance roorn-and simple apparatus with which we could do experiments in Elementary Mechanics, Hydrostatics and Physics.

In that term I was joined by my first colleague, Miss M. E. Harris, who came to take French and Latin and give general help ; with only three of us we had to lend a hand with any subject. Miss Harris was an enthusiastic hockey player so we started a hockey team. Some of the older old scholars will remember our first mixed match when Miss Harris herself was the victim of a badly placed shot from one of the boys. What a terrible eye she had ! These same older scholars may like to know that, after many years abroad, Miss Harris returned to this neighbourhood in 1941 and was very interested to hear of their doings and of the School's progress.

During September, 1905, we had a visit from Dr. Michael Sadler, who was making a survey of education in Derbyshire and suggesting future developments in the county. He was a delightful visitor, always so encouraging and inspiring. In his report to the county authorities he recommended that a Higher Elementary School with Pupil Teacher and Preparatory classes should be established, and so plans for the school on Tamworth Road began to take shape, though it was not until 1910 that we were able to transfer to our own building.

In September, 1906, Mr. C. B. Fawcett joined the staff, teaching mainly Geography and Mathematics ; he stayed with us until Easter, 1911, and has since become a Professor of Geography in London University.

At Christmas, 1906, Miss Harris left and was succeeded by Miss Evans, whose retirement in 1943 we all regretted so much. Many old scholars will understand the remark made by our old friend and medical adviser, Dr. Pierce, when he knew Miss Evans had gone- 'But what about the school plays ? ' What indeed !

In November, 1908, our first native French teacher arrived in the person of Mlle. Marie Martin ; she was followed a year later by M. Georges Michellet a brilliant teacher who stayed with us for three years and then returned to Bordeaux, where he was in charge of the broadcasting station ; he lost this post during the recent German occupation but I hear that he has since regained it. From that time to this we have had a series of French Assistantes who stayed for one or two years. It is a strange coincidence that the present one, Mlle. Pic, is a graduate of Bordeaux University and hopes to meet M. Michellet on her return there. Some of the old scholars will be glad to hear that Mlle. Goniche (1928-30) is expected in Long Eaton this summer.

We moved into the new school in January, 1910, though at first we had only the wing nearest the Free Library. Until the school was completed in September, we had a very trying time, for not only did we live in a perpetual noise but our Headmaster had a very severe illness and was absent from the end of April until the following September. The school was formally opened by Professor Michael Sadler on October 29th, 1910. We reopened that year with more scholars and sta, and it would be foolish to attempt to name all the colleagues who joined us for long or short periods in those early days. I must however mention Miss Bennett (1910), our first Chemistry
teacher, who was recalled to do work at Sheffield University during the 1914-18 war, and is still there. Students who have gone -from us to Sheffield have met her.

Scholars will be interested to know that in December, 1910, the school had to be closed for a week because of floods. How history repeats itself !

In March, 1911, our first Manual Instructor was appointed Mr. J. T. Alliott (known to us all as ' Tommy ') ; at first he only taught one day per week but he was a gifted craftsman and under his tuition many old scholars developed a love for wood-carving and metal work, and for the making of simple silver and enamel jewellery. In September, 1911, Miss Drake joined the staff. What a good teacher we gained then and how we missed her friendliness when she left in 1943 !

In March, 1913, Mr. Attenborough was appointed the first 'Old Scholar' to become a member of the staff. He was a senior pupil teacher when I came to Long Eaton, and, like our headmaster, he was a wonderful teacher. They could both hold the attention of any class they taught on any subject. Mr. Attenborough left us in 1915, and, after some years as a student and then as a lecturer at Cambridge he was appointed Principal of Borough Road Training College and is now Principal of University College, Leicester.

In September, 1913, Miss Turner-another old scholar-joined the staff. You all know what a happy choice that was and what a tower of strength Miss Turner has always been: In the same term the school commenced work under the ' Regulations for Secondary Schools,' and, now that I have brought you to the time when Long Eaton Secondary School became a going concern in its own new building, I think I must close this very brief account of those early days, fully conscious as I am of much more that might have been said.

Perhaps, with School Sports just over and the long vacation ahead, I might add that even in those early days we paid visits to London, to the theatre, to concerts, to a Test Match, and to any exhibitions that came our way ; we had School entertainments-less elaborate than in later years-and inter-school matches and Christmas parties. I hope these diversions will long continue as part of the school life, and that work and play will go hand in hand for the good of present and future scholars.
L.TAYLOR.
Photo reference: 12-Gossamer09-History