Silvermere Secondary Modern/Culey Green

[RaymondHomer]

On reflection Silvermere was a very large site especially for secondary schools, the sports facilities being substantial for the time. Fitted inside the running track was a full size hockey pitch. Seem to remember we had a full time groundsman to boot

 

[badpenny]

It was originally built as a junior school i believe..

 

[Gordon Bennett]

Roy Polard ,Alan. Some teacher names, Mrs Bell maths, Mr Brettle maths and PE, Mrs Brettle english , Mr Gregory Dep Head, Mr Evans geography, Mr Redgrave english, Miss Lacy drama, Mr Knight art, Miss Trumper PE and Mr Bennet metal work.

I am the son of Leonard Bennett the Metalwork teacher. My father went on a cruise to the Mediterranean with the school on the Nevassa from 10th November to 26thNovember 1965.
I am about to throw out nearly 280 sides of the trip. Would anyone like them?

 

[robert]

Hi Gordon, I remember your father well, he stood in as an English teacher at times.I have him to thank for knowing how to address an envelope correctly.

 

[mayne-knott]

I am the son of Leonard Bennett the Metalwork teacher. My father went on a cruise to the Mediterranean with the school on the Nevassa from 10th November to 26thNovember 1965.
I am about to throw out nearly 280 sides of the trip. Would anyone like them?

Hello Gordon, my name is David Harvey and I was at Silvermere Secondary Modern school until 1959. Your dad taught me metalwork until I left there. If anyone is reading this post recalls my name and would like to contact me please do so.

 

[ArkRoyal55]

My father was Ignacy Rowan, and he taught woodwork at Silvermere - I'm guessing about 1953 to 1956/7. He was originally Polish, and had qualified as a teacher in Vilnius (then part of Poland) in 1937. During WWII he served in the Polish Army until being imprisoned in Russian NKVD prisoner-of-war camps after Russia invaded Poland. After an armistice for Polish prisoners in 1941, he joined the Polish "Anders Army" to fight for Russia against Germany. In 1942 Anders Army left Russia for Palestine to defend the Middle-East oilfields. My father volunteered for the Polish Air Force in Britain and trained in Canada as a navigator. He then became an instructor and the adjutant at the Polish Apprentices School at RAF Halton. After being demobbed in 1947, he trained at Loughborough College to become a woodwork and metalwork teacher.


He left Silvermere to teach at Archbishop Illsley in Acocks Green. He died from leukaemia in 1959 at the age of 44.

The book "Trail of Hope" by Norman Davies is a fascinating account of the extraordinary hardships and tragic events which Anders Army experienced, and which provide a salutary lesson to anyone who imagines that Russia has any redeemable qualities, and can be trusted.

Chris Rowan

 

[jason whatcurve]

hello there everyone

before i start i would just like to say that i have tried to do my own reasearch on this but have just got nowhere on it. so i thought it was worth asking if someone here could maybe help me out.

i went to culey green school (previously silvermere school) in sheldon in 1982. it was leased from birmingham council by solihull council for ten years from 1978-1988.

there is a lot of information about silvermere school online but i can't find a single thing about culey green school at all except this reference here which doesn't tell you anything other than the address. https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/127181

the face book page for culey green is blank. even this website seems to not even heard of it when you search. though it does find 2 weirdly unconnected things. a google search yields nothing and to make matters worse the actual building has been demolished now and replaced with a housing estate.

if anyone could point me in the right direction on this i would be really grateful. thank you in advance.

jason

 

[Morturn]

Hello Jason, welcome to Birmingham History Forum. You have come to the right place.

The Face Book site has possibly been auto generated by FB, it a way of attracting click bate and engagement.

Looking at the address and postcode on the Gov site there was what looks like it could have been school buildings opposite on the site of the new development. The flats opposite have the look of social housing from the late 40’s – 50’s.

I also know that Birmingham council did some transferring of housing and infrastructure stock in the late 70’s - 80’s. That fits with your leasing research.

Looking at historic satellite imaging on google earth you can see there were buildings that could have been a school until 2012. By 2013 the site was partially demolished to make way for the new development.

Do let us know if we can help further.

 

[jason whatcurve]

hey morturn

thank you for getting back to me. i'm a bit dyslexic so please excuse any errors i make. i should have worded my first message better sorry about that.

so my question is this. how normal is it to find a school on the .gov site with no information about it? not even the headmasters name or pupil count? i can't find it on solihull or birmingham council schools lists also. it was a really modern equipped school for those days. for example the computer room was way ahead of it's time for 1983. you would think it would be mentioned somewhere. the headmasters name was mr neil and the deputy head was mr lloyd. the cartakers name was mr williams. if anyone can find anymore information about the school or teachers that would be awesome.

thanks again in advance. jason

ps i have enclosed some photos of what it looked like before it was demolished

 

[Pedrocut]

I can only find 2 mentions in the Press, both advertising for Music teachers in 1984, with no other info bar the address.

(Edit, there are more)

 

[pjmburns]

There are articles about a 10 year reunion in 1998 - marking 10 years after the closure.
I think for a school which has closed an one presence depends on past pupils setting up websites or pages. If no-one does that then there is little to find - sad as that sounds.

I searched .gov.uk for another closed school and although listed (like Culey Green) there was no information. Think it only holds data on active establishments.

 

[Pedrocut]

"November 1987 only 5th year pupils remain at the school which is set to shut when its lease expires in July next year."

 

[jason whatcurve]

I can only find 2 mentions in the Press, both advertising for Music teachers in 1984, with no other info bar the address.

(Edit there are more)

haha that makes sense. i was in the 2nd year then and our music teacher had a nervous breakdown in class because we were been so cruel to him i remember the headmaster having to come in and stand at the back of the classs for music lessons. he was replaced by another teacher very shortly after if i remember correctly.

thanks for looking for me though pedrocut. respect

 

[jason whatcurve]

There are articles about a 10 year reunion in 1998 - marking 10 years after the closure.
I think for a school which has closed an one presence depends on past pupils setting up websites or pages. If no-one does that then there is little to find - sad as that sounds.

I searched .gov.uk for another losed school and although listed (like Culey Green) there was no information. Think it only holds data on active establishments.

thank you. janice

 

[jason whatcurve]

"November 1987 only 5th year pupils remain at the school which is set to shut when its lease expires in July next year."

yeah i left the year before leaving just the year below me left pedrocut

 

[Morturn]

hey morturn

thank you for getting back to me. i'm a bit dyslexic so please excuse any errors i make. i should have worded my first message better sorry about that.

so my question is this. how normal is it to find a school on the .gov site with no information about it? not even the headmasters name or pupil count? i can't find it on solihull or birmingham council schools lists also. it was a really modern equipped school for those days. for example the computer room was way ahead of it's time for 1983. you would think it would be mentioned somewhere. the headmasters name was mr neil and the deputy head was mr lloyd. the cartakers name was mr williams. if anyone can find anymore information about the school or teachers that would be awesome.

thanks again in advance. jason

ps i have enclosed some photos of what it looked like before it was demolished

Its sound like you may have to think about your question in another way. Treat it as an exception, are there other closed schools that have not retained detailed information?

One the Gov site there is very little about another couple of closed schools I know of. This may be government policy

 

[AnnS]

Culey Green school was originally Silvermere school, as far i recall the only thing that changed was the badge
on the front of the main hall building.

It was in effect the same school as previously, and as an ex pupil i never new why it was changed, still don't!

 

[jason whatcurve]

Its sound like you may have to think about your question in another way. Treat it as an exception, are there other closed schools that have not retained detailed information?

One the Gov site there is very little about another couple of closed schools I know of. This may be government policy

thanks again for your rep

Culey Green school was originally Silvermere school, as far i recall the only thing that changed was the badge
on the front of the main hall building.

It was in effect the same school as previously, and as an ex pupil i never new why it was changed, still don't!

thanks for your response ann. this is what i have learnt so far. sorry if it seems a bit long i have tried to keep it as short as possible.

- in 1945, silvermere functioned as a junior and infant school.

- it opened as silvermere secondary around 1952 and closed in 1967

- Post-closure, it served as an annex to the Birmingham Teacher Training College

- small heath school occupied the premises until 1976

- solihull council leases silvermere school from birmingham council in 1978 for ten years. locals are very unhappy because their children are excluded from attending the school. questions are asked in the house of commons. this is a brief excerpt that adds a little context.

"In April of this year the Birmingham authority decided to lease Silvermere School to the Solihull authority for 10 years. That decision by the Birmingham authority caused an uproar in the locality and local residents mounted a strong campaign against it. They were backed by the local residents' associations, local councillors and myself. A petition was circulated and signed by hundreds of residents.

As early as September 1977, when the negotiations for the lease began, a public meeting was held on the issue and several hundred residents attended, as did the chairman of the Birmingham education authority. At that stage the residents were convinced that the decision had already been made by the local education authority and that the meeting was merely a public relations exercise. They also believed that real consultation never took place and that Silvermere School would not become part of the parental choice process in the education of their children."

- the school reopens as culey green in 1978 . throughout it 10 year life approximately 1000 pupils went through the school they were all brought on private coaches every morning. only 4 people from the local area got to attend as far as i am aware. i know this because i was one of them.

- if you are interested in this and want full context it is important to read the whole house of commons transcript here. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1978/jun/19/silvermere-school-sheldon#column_176

 

[AnnS]

Interesting, i wonder why they chose to change the name.
I do wonder if it was something to do with local council finances or to qualify for government dept of education funding?

 

[pjmburns]

Would think it was because Silvermere (a Birmingham school) had closed and so no longer existed.
A brand new school was being created AND by a different Council (Sihull).

 

[robert]

hello there everyone

before i start i would just like to say that i have tried to do my own reasearch on this but have just got nowhere on it. so i thought it was worth asking if someone here could maybe help me out.

i went to culey green school (previously silvermere school) in sheldon in 1982. it was leased from birmingham council by solihull council for ten years from 1978-1988.

there is a lot of information about silvermere school online but i can't find a single thing about culey green school at all except this reference here which doesn't tell you anything other than the address. https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/127181

the face book page for culey green is blank. even this website seems to not even heard of it when you search. though it does find 2 weirdly unconnected things. a google search yields nothing and to make matters worse the actual building has been demolished now and replaced with a housing estate.

if anyone could point me in the right direction on this i would be really grateful. thank you in advance.

jason

The name Culey is linked to Marston Green which is a ten minute walk from Silvermere road. See Marston Green Gates thread.

 

[mikejee]

Two threads merged

 

[pjmburns]

Two threads merged

Perhaps the thread title could be amended with "/Culey Green"?
The two schools were in the same building but were completely separate schools - with more than 10 years between the closure of Silvermere and opening of Culey Green.

 

[jason whatcurve]

I am the son of Leonard Bennett the Metalwork teacher. My father went on a cruise to the Mediterranean with the school on the Nevassa from 10th November to 26thNovember 1965.
I am about to throw out nearly 280 sides of the trip. Would anyone like them?

hello gordon

do you know if any of the teachers from silvermere returned after it became culey green?

 

[Vivienne14]

For info, the official listing in British history online:

SILVERMERE COUNTY MODERN SCHOOL, Sheldon. Silvermere Council Sch. opened 1939 by Birm. C.B.C. Accom. 600 SM. Damaged by enemy action and closed 1941. Ground floor used 1943–4 for classes from Stanville Rd. Council Sch. Reopened 1945 for JI. Building repaired and M secondary modern sch. opened in it 1950. JI classes remained in building as part of Mapledene Cty. Primary Sch. until 1951 when whole building, with enlargements, used by modern sch. N.o.b. 1961: 570.

 

[Ken Robbins]

Hi neville, I have heard the same. The school now stands empty after social services left early last year. I attended from 1963 untill 1967.


Regards Robert.

I am the son of Leonard Bennett the Metalwork teacher. My father went on a cruise to the Mediterranean with the school on the Nevassa from 10th November to 26thNovember 1965.
I am about to throw out nearly 280 sides of the trip. Would anyone like them?

Mr Bennett was a great teacher his lessons have helped me all my working life.Time spent with him was the only part of school I enjoyed.

 

[Medtech]

thanks again for your rep

thanks for your response ann. this is what i have learnt so far. sorry if it seems a bit long i have tried to keep it as short as possible.

- in 1945, silvermere functioned as a junior and infant school.

- it opened as silvermere secondary around 1952 and closed in 1967

- Post-closure, it served as an annex to the Birmingham Teacher Training College

- small heath school occupied the premises until 1976

- solihull council leases silvermere school from birmingham council in 1978 for ten years. locals are very unhappy because their children are excluded from attending the school. questions are asked in the house of commons. this is a brief excerpt that adds a little context.

"In April of this year the Birmingham authority decided to lease Silvermere School to the Solihull authority for 10 years. That decision by the Birmingham authority caused an uproar in the locality and local residents mounted a strong campaign against it. They were backed by the local residents' associations, local councillors and myself. A petition was circulated and signed by hundreds of residents.

As early as September 1977, when the negotiations for the lease began, a public meeting was held on the issue and several hundred residents attended, as did the chairman of the Birmingham education authority. At that stage the residents were convinced that the decision had already been made by the local education authority and that the meeting was merely a public relations exercise. They also believed that real consultation never took place and that Silvermere School would not become part of the parental choice process in the education of their children."

- the school reopens as culey green in 1978 . throughout it 10 year life approximately 1000 pupils went through the school they were all brought on private coaches every morning. only 4 people from the local area got to attend as far as i am aware. i know this because i was one of them.

- if you are interested in this and want full context it is important to read the whole house of commons transcript here. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1978/jun/19/silvermere-school-sheldon#column_176

Hi there

I know it is a long time since the last post in this thread, but might be able to throw a bit of light on the subject.

In the late 70's (from memory) it became apparent that there was a lack of facilities/ school places in the North of the Borough of Solihull, particularly on the Marston Green side. Also, from memory one of the school blocks had burnt down, contributing to the lack of facilities and space for pupils.

The decision was made by Solihull Council to lease the former site of Silvermede School from Birmingham City Council. It was also close to the then Whitesmore Comprehensive School, which is where the students on the 4 coaches were collected from.

Due to it's proximity to Marston Green, the name chosen (got a vague feeling various options went out to public consultation - but I could be wrong) was Culey (former name associated with Marston Green) Green.

I attended Whitesmore from Sept 1974 - June 79, apologies for my somewhat hazey memories, but it's a long time ago.

I can't remember exactly what School Year it was, but we had to do a period of work experience/ placement or it may have been a day/ morning or afternoon over a period of weeks, I can't quite remember.

But I certainly did at least part of mine at Culey Green. I also went to Marston Green Infants School. Think that may have been a prior or subsequent year. I think I knew I wanted to go into some sort of medical profession, but not nursing. Placements in this field were not available, so think these options were offered.

As the years progressed the lack of facilities/ school places was alleviated and there was no longer the need for the extra space so the lease was not renewed.

 

[Ken Robbins]

Roy Polard ,Alan. Some teacher names, Mrs Bell maths, Mr Brettle maths and PE, Mrs Brettle english , Mr Gregory Dep Head, Mr Evans geography, Mr Redgrave english, Miss Lacy drama, Mr Knight art, Miss Trumper PE and Mr Bennet metal work.