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Riland Bedford High School for Girls and Boys.

Brenda

master brummie
Hi,

Is there anyone on this forum who used to go to Riland Bedford High School for Girls (now Plantsbrook School) in Sutton Coldfield?
I went there from 1959 until 1963 and would love to hear from anyone who attended those years and a few beyond.
 
Hi Brenda,
I went to Riland Bedford...... but long before you did;) (I left Dec.1955)

i recall, affection, Mrs Havelock-Davies, our form mistress and MISS Davis the science mistress.

Throw a few names at me as I seem to have forgotten any other
names:p (it's me age you know:biggrin:)
 
Riland Bedford School

Hi Rowan,

The names that I remember are Miss Lemon, headmistress who commited suicide in the 60s
Miss James-Science
Mrs Barber- arts and crafts
Mrs Gardener-needlework and arithmetic
Mrs Trelfa-History
Miss Smart-English
I had 3 French Teachers: Miss Hewlett, Miss Wier, Mr Thomas
Miss Robinson also taught arithmetic and her father taught music
Mrs Harber-Geography
Miss Shepherd-P.E
Ms Steadman and Miss Dean- Commercial Studies
Mrs Weedan-Cookery also Mrs Lindop for cookery
Miss Gittings-music
Mrs Payne
Mrs Outhwaite
Mrs Simms
Miss Broadbent- Secretary (?)

Did you know any of them, although some started after you left?

I managed to get a small re-union together about 5 years ago for 6 of us, one even came over from Canada for it.

I took a tour round the school about 10 years ago and such a lot had changed with a super new gym with coffee bar! The front of the school still looks much the same with all the glass and corridor behind with the Science Labs. I believe the school sports field was sold off quite recently for housing land.
 
Hi Brenda, sorry for the delay in replying to you.

sadly no these names are known to me and my memory of the teachers there when I was has gone into the recess of the brain :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :D
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

I went to the boys half at the same time. Whoa betide any boy caught looking into the canteen when the girls were using it, or at their gym. The corridor between the two halves was I swear, mined. You came out a few minutes earlier than us in order that you could be well away before the animals were let out. I think Miss Lemon believed immaculate conception was the only way to go. Our Head at one time, a real oafish bully called McGinn said in assembly that he had "noticed that boys liked girls" ,catcalls from us 5th formers at the back, "good old Jim, nothing gets past him"
I always thought your school uniform colour, a sort of washed out red was about as unflattering as possible but many of you made even that attractive, Lyn Cleve where are you? Mind you the Girls Grammar sludge Brown was pretty dire too. happy days!
Some names, Jennie Senior, Sue Wilson, Janet Strathdee, Lyn Cleeve,Rosemary Bird
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

I also went to the boys school the first year it opened you could hardly call it a mixed school i think they buillt the first Berlin wall between us there. Dek
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

My brothers John and Robert Jennings went to Riland Bedford.
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

Yes that's the same one.
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

Yes that's the same one.
I worked there with
Bob for a while, we spoke via friends Reunited, knew him in school and he was always a nice laid back bloke. Can't recall John, was he older? Bob was, I think, 1 or 2 years older than me. I don't know if bob would agree but there was more than a touch of Are you being Served about the millinery dept at W&R
The head of the dept ,a Mr Phillips was Captain Peacock, Smart double breasted suit, flower in button hole,handkerchief in sleeve, very tall, upright and would deal with only the most important customers. There was a long serving nice old boy as his deputy, a young eager whippersnapper in the most awful brown suit as his toady,and two old bags who bitched all day ( I think they had a pot over a fire somewhere in the back where they made dolls and stuck pins in them). Phillips would order people forward just like Peacock, who the customer got depended on his view of their status. Phillips would fawn over his important customers like a love struck puppy. Bob and I at that stage were round the back making up orders or unpacking, very much lower beings under the Sun.I got out and Bob went on to better things but it certainly was an education.
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

I also went to the boys school the first year it opened you could hardly call it a mixed school i think they buillt the first Berlin wall between us there. Dek
Yeah, it was mixed like a Monastery and a Nunnery are mixed. I'm sure the girls head thought you could get pregnant if a boy looked at you. I understand she killed herself when it was going mixed. The poor girls got a very bad deal under her stewardship. The boys half went on to have a 6th form do A levels and was little different to Vesey or Willmott in achievment whereas the girls had to leave at 16 and go to Sutton College which in those days was more technical than academic in its courses. Nothing wrong with that but it was a restricted choice just because Miss Lemon wanted to turn out wifes, secretaries and shopgirls, regardless of what the girls wanted. That part of the school exemplified what was worst in the 11 plus system.
Town County Junior under Miss Henry was even worse, she decided on the basis of like or dislike who would pass the 11 plus when you first joined and then rigged it so it came out how she wanted it.
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

Pipmk That statement on the 11plus is interesting i was one of the brainiest boys in the class now i know why i failed. Dek
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

I worked there with
Bob for a while, we spoke via friends Reunited, knew him in school and he was always a nice laid back bloke. Can't recall John, was he older? Bob was, I think, 1 or 2 years older than me. I don't know if bob would agree but there was more than a touch of Are you being Served about the millinery dept at W&R
The head of the dept ,a Mr Phillips was Captain Peacock, Smart double breasted suit, flower in button hole,handkerchief in sleeve, very tall, upright and would deal with only the most important customers. There was a long serving nice old boy as his deputy, a young eager whippersnapper in the most awful brown suit as his toady,and two old bags who bitched all day ( I think they had a pot over a fire somewhere in the back where they made dolls and stuck pins in them). Phillips would order people forward just like Peacock, who the customer got depended on his view of their status. Phillips would fawn over his important customers like a love struck puppy. Bob and I at that stage were round the back making up orders or unpacking, very much lower beings under the Sun.I got out and Bob went on to better things but it certainly was an education.

Yes John is 3 years older than Bob. It's quite funny we were watching Are You Being Served over Christmas. Bob John and their lovely wives stayed for a couple of days. We laughed when captain Peacock came on Bob shouted oh look it's Jimmy Phillips.I am glad you made contact with Bob.
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

Yes John is 3 years older than Bob. It's quite funny we were watching Are You Being Served over Christmas. Bob John and their lovely wives stayed for a couple of days. We laughed when captain Peacock came on Bob shouted oh look it's Jimmy Phillips.I am glad you made contact with Bob.
Glad it wasn't just me, please give Bob my best,
Pip
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

Pipmk That statement on the 11plus is interesting i was one of the brainiest boys in the class now i know why i failed. Dek
Yes, if your face fitted you got coaching in the 11plus until a dog could have passed,if not you were consigned to the nether regions. The IQ requirement for the 11 plus was 120 (although with coaching you could pass at about 100.) I have had to have mine measured a number of times in my career inorder to follow certain courses and it is well above either but I was a questioning little devil so didn't fit in her world of polished compliant children. She was even vindictive enough to disqualify me for cheating because I threw a cricket ball futher than the school pet. Tell me, from a standing throw, how do you cheat?
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

Plpmk do you remember Top Of The Form we used to travel round to different Schools i was one of the team members always asking questions nosy little blighter really. Dek
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

I remember the TV program and Sutton Girls Grammar winning it, but Im sorry I don't remember a roadshow. No wonder you didn't get on too well at school,asking questions. You were there to gratefully receive both the knowledge and opinion which was handed down to you. Whatever next, you will be thinking for yourself and having an opinion that isn't fed to you via the media. It could mean the end of civilisation as we know it!
It makes me laugh when the right say it was trendy education in the 60's that started the rot. It certainly wasn't trendy and barely an education as far as I was concerned at TC or Bedford.We wore uniforms out of the 30's, we were beaten for small transgressions, the teachers came in, gave their set script and then went. If you learned well and good if you didn't, too bad.
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

I can remember one occasion in maths i think the teacher was Mr Roberts i was day dreaming he noticed walked down the aisle and lifted me off the chair with his right hand never daydreamed in his class again though. Dek
 
Re: Riland Bedford High School for Girls

Yes I went to Riland Bedford 1954/57 The Headmaster when I was there was Bill Roberts ex-navel and a strict disciplinarian and his deputy Bert Hicken another disciplinarian never a day went by in that school that some poor boy was being thrashed for some minor indiscretion. The Schools were a mirror image but never the twain would meet. One day a Kid in our class(Punch Brown,s) was spotted talking to a damsel as Bill referred to them, He came flying into our classroom with deputy Bert And demanded to know was they had been discussing "We were talking about what we were having for tea Sir she's my sister" Bill looked at Bert quizzically and said "They have sisters what are we to do" to which we all burst out laughing. Wrong move we all got detention.
I can still here him now shouting across the quadrange "Get me my Kipling boy!!" a book about poetry.
 
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