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Erdington National School High Street Erdington

S

sjjones

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I’m an Erdington lad and lived in New Street in the 50’s & 60’s. Does anyone remember the National School on the High Street? I guess it was somewhere near the Palace Picture House, or at least on that side of the road and think it lay back a little way off the road, behind some iron railings.
Does anyone know what the National School was? I seem to think it wasn’t the normal state school for some reason.
 
sjjones said:
I’m an Erdington lad and lived in New Street in the 50’s & 60’s. Does anyone remember the National School on the High Street? I guess it was somewhere near the Palace Picture House, or at least on that side of the road and think it lay back a little way off the road, behind some iron railings.
Does anyone know what the National School was? I seem to think it wasn’t the normal state school for some reason.
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I remember the snotty nosed little urchins playing in the playground.
I think the school was more by where the Roebuck is now
 
Yes Frothy, that would be closer. My brother attended Sunday School at the National School and a friend of mine actually attended regular school there. It was as if time had stood still when you entered the place in the early l950's. I went to some Sunday School classes there myself at the same time as my brother. I believe that Osborne Road School was one of the first Junior and Infants School to be built in Erdington and the National School was the second. I have books with lots of photos of Erdington in them but there is no photo of the National School in the High Street. The Erdington Library may have some photos.
 
A bit of clarification on the above info. It looks from the following that the National School was built before Osborne Road Junior as the National School opened in 1813. Looks like it was very small to begin with and then added on to over the years.


ERDINGTON C. OF E. PRIMARY SCHOOL, High Street.(27) Erdington National Sch. opened 1813. N.o.b. 1814: 70 B, 52 G. In 1824 the sch. was said to accom. only 25 G. It was enlarged 1824 or 1825, (29) for 120 B, 120 G in 2 rooms.(38) Income 1827 included 8s. 3d. for the girls' 'work'.(44) In 1846 there were 3 schoolrooms (B, G, I) and 3 teachers. (30) Enlarged 1851. Received annual grants from 1877. Fees 1d. (22) Depts. united 1888.(31) Fees retained until 1903. Reorganized for M, I by 1905. (1) Bd. of Ed. condemned premises 1912. Reorganized 1935 for 310 JI.(21) Became an aided sch. 1952. Accom. 1961: 7 classrooms, hall.(28)

From British History online
 
I went to Osborne Rd. Infant & Junior School and remember a number of children there who were from the cottage homes, so why de we think the children at the National School were different?
Was it a special school of some sort?
 
sjjones said:
I went to Osborne Rd. Infant & Junior School and remember a number of children there who were from the cottage homes, so why de we think the children at the National School were different?
Was it a special school of some sort?
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I always thought they were under privileged Kids.
Their were Cottage Homes kids at my school ( Moor End Lane ) they were the ones wearing the uniforms
 
Frothblower said:
I always thought they were under privileged Kids.
Their were Cottage Homes kids at my school ( Moor End Lane ) they were the ones wearing the uniforms
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frothblower, I went to the national school in Erdington, from the Erdington cottage homes, we were not underprivileged children, but in most cases children who's mother was in hospital,and had no one to look after them. because there Father was away in the war. but I never considered that I was underprivileged.
 
coopbill7 said:
frothblower, I went to the national school in Erdington, from the Erdington cottage homes, we were not underprivileged children, but in most cases children who's mother was in hospital,and had no one to look after them. because there Father was away in the war. but I never considered that I was underprivileged.
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Please accept my apologies coopbill7. sorry to offend you.
I never said the Cottage Homes children were underprivileged, I wrongly assumed that National schools were for underprivileged children, Sorry
 
Hi sijones:
I can't remember that the kids that went to the National School were "different". It looks like most of the Junior and Infant schools close to the main part of Erdington took in children from the Orphanage and Cottage Homes and I wouldn't call those children "different". Their circumstances in life may have been different to children who lived in a regular home. Many of them were in the Children's homes and Orphanages for a short period of
time and were not always without a family due to illness, loss of work and lack of money, fighting for their country, etc.

I have just read Coopbill's post and he is saying what I have written.

Anyway, I have e-mailed Erdington Library (they have been very kind in the past to help if they can with local subjects) and asked them if they have a photo of the school and also if it was a regular school or a special school at any time. I don't remember there being any schools in the vicinity for children who were academically challenged. I certainly do remember C streams in schools where children were put because they did not fit into even the B streams. We now know that many of these children were academically challenged due to undiagnosed conditions unknown at the time. For instance, children who were simply slow learners but needed special help to keep up, children with dyslexia, completely unknown about years ago, children who were frail and missed a lot of school due to illness. I imagine there were other categories as well.
 
Thanks coopbill7 that's answered my question but here's a couple more.
Do you know who the National School was run by?
Was it the council, or some other organization and were there other National Schools other than the one in Erdington?
 
Hi Jennyann thanks for your reply in which you said.

"I can't remember that the kids that went to the National School were "different". It looks like most of the Junior and Infant schools close to the main part of Erdington took in children from the Orphanage and Cottage Homes and I wouldn't call those children "different". Their circumstances in life may have been different to children who lived in a regular home."

I had many good friends from the Cottage Homes at Osborne Road and certainly didn't think they were different, but our perception, wrongly it seems, was that the children who went to the National Schools were. I suppose it was because we didn't know anyone who went there and children very often get the wrong idea, don't they?
I certainly didn't mean to suggest the children there were different in a bad way, but my brothers and I believed it wasn't a state school, that's all.
 
Re. National School in Erdington.
This was situated near to the Erdington Parish Church (St. Barnabus). It was a church of England school. My Dad attended there in 1898. No child left school then without knowing how to read and write. In those days there was things called 'respect' and 'dicipline'.
 
I am not very good at remembering Erdington in those days but my sister who still lives there remembers nearly every inch of the High street.
She says that when you walked up Barnabas road you could see the railings in front of the National school across the Street almost where the precinct is now.
 
Your sister has a very good memory of Erdington Alberta. I do as well but like many places it is changing and it's hard to remember everything along both sides of the High Street all the way from Six Ways to Orphanage Road.

In March before I departed on my trip I sent an e-mail to Erdington Library
regarding a photo of the National School that used to be in the High Street.
I received an e-mail back stating that the Erdington Historical Society may have one or two. I received another e-mail the other day from Erdington Library stating that one of the members had a photo of the National School but since he didn't know who took it felt that it should not be displayed on the Birmingham Forum. I respect that decision since that is the wish of the owner of the photo.

I have, however, sent an e-mail to Bill Dargue and asked him
if he happens to have a photo of the school. There are so many photos of Erdington High Street around but none that I have seen with the
National School on. Hopefully, something will turn up.

Just thought I would bring you up to date on this.
 
I am an Erdington girl living on the main High Street between 1950 and 1958 I remember going to school on the main high street and remember only too well the iron railings and the outside toilets. I only remember one persons name and that was Colin Clements I remember standing at the bottom of the entry for ages usually ending up talking to the local policeman, and never afraid that any harm would come to me.
 
Hello Janet; Welcome to the forum. There is quite a lot of photos of Erdington on the site but it was very difficult to find one of the National School which was so prominent in the High Street for so many years.I didn't
attend day school there but did go to a few Sunday School classes there when the Church House across from St. Barnabas was unavailable. My brother also attended Sunday School there as well. The school was open on Sunday afternoons for the Sunday school and I remember even back in the early l950's it being very old.

I received a photo from the Erdington Library of the National School and it was sent with a promise that I would not post it on the Forum. The reason being is that they don't know who took the photo and felt it should not be displayed without knowing who took the photo. Quite frankly, the photo was taken so many years ago I doubt if the person who took it is still around. However, I made the very good people at Erdington a promise and wouldn't like to break it. Actually, come to think of it there are two photographs and the one shows the old Roebuck Inn which was a great pub back in the day.

If anyone would like the photos for their own use I will send them to you
if you send me a message via Instant Messaging
 
I would like a photo of the Erdington National School for personal use.
My Dad, born 1903 went there and I have a photo (not very flattering) of his class.
He used to walk to school from Bleak Hill and got frost bite which left his hands
subject to cracking every winter.
Peter
 
Hi all,
I have been off line for ages...laptop went up in smoke...very unnerving...anyway,I cant believe that there isnt a photo of the National school somewhere in somebody's file. I vaguely remember playing them at sports when I was at Birches Green school,then it was closed and demolished. Dont remember what year...is there not even a photo of it being demolished?
 
hi i was a pupil at the national schools in the early 50s all i remember is the head master his name was i think mr bateman a very caring man


dave
 
Peter John said:
I would like a photo of the Erdington National School for personal use.
My Dad, born 1903 went there and I have a photo (not very flattering) of his class.
He used to walk to school from Bleak Hill and got frost bite which left his hands
subject to cracking every winter.
Peter
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Hi, do you think you might be able to scan the photo and put it on this site? I am sure people will be interested
 
I have two great photos of the National School in Erdington High Street. These were given to me by the Erdington Library with a proviso that they niot be posted on . This because they say they don't know who took them and there might be copyright restraints involved. I have mentioned on this thread that if anyone would like a copy of these photos then send me an Instant Message with an e-mail address and I will be happy to send the photos to you.
 
Hi jennyann I know this is a long shot eight years since your posting but I would be so grateful for copies of the photos of the National school , I attended this school in the early 1950s. I cannot say that my own personal memories were good ie.. at the age of seven years old one winters day, the dinner bell rang and as I ran across the playground to the assembly line I clash with a boy running from the opposite direction, our heads clashed, him being shorter than I his forehead knocked a tooth out and loosened the rest of my front teeth top and bottom, when I got in the dinner hall, I tried to explain to the female teacher that the pain was so bad that I could not eat my dinner which must have been obvious to her because my mouth was still bleeding, totally disregarding the anguish I was in, she stood over me making sure I ate every bit of my dinner and pudding. That was just one miserable memory of the national School.
Kind Regards Ron Davis
 
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Hi Ron: What an awful memory at the National School in Erdington. That women was a monster to act that way and unfortunately we never forget incidences like that from our school days. I hope that you have some good memories of being at the school. I will send you the photos very soon Ron. I have made a note of your e-mail. I have removed your e-mail from your post for safety reasons. We don't want you receiving unnecessary spam, etc.
 
jennyann said:
I have two great photos of the National School in Erdington High Street. These were given to me by the Erdington Library with a proviso that they niot be posted on . This because they say they don't know who took them and there might be copyright restraints involved. I have mentioned on this thread that if anyone would like a copy of these photos then send me an Instant Message with an e-mail address and I will be happy to send the photos to you.
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Hi Jennyann...I would love to see the photos but dont know how to send an instant message.Could you let me know please
 
hi folks i wonder if anyone remembers this school and also if anyone has a pic of it please...
i was talking to someone who said the school was in front of you as you walked up barnabas road...

many thanks for any help

lyn
 
Hi Sue: I have two photographs in my possession of the National School in Erdington High Street. Of all the photos on line and in books of Erdington I and others have never been able to find any photos of the National School. I eventually contacted Erdington Library a few years ago and they told me that they knew a person that had some photos of the school and they would get back to me when they asked them about posting them on BHF. They got back to me and gave me permission to see the photos but not post them on BHF. The reason being that the person who actually took the photos was unknownn. I have sent the photos several times privately to members who want to see them and the Library had no objection to this. These photos are several decades old and the person that took them may not be living now. I sent the photos to Lyn yesterday.
Hopefully, one day more photos of the National School will turn up.
 
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hi jenny and many thanks for the pics of the national school..its strange how its very hard to find pics of certain buildings..ive only been able to find one of my old school lozells girls and that came from the library and i had to pay for a good copy of it...well worth it to me though
cheers

lyn
 
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