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Cockshut Hill School

Hi Chrissie
I bought a house in 85, that backed on to the "Yellow Block" the house was next door to the back entracne to the school in Billengsley road. Only had it for just over 2 years but was strange seeing my old classroom every day.
Just get going with the art stuff yor never too mold to have a go
 
Hi,

I was at Cockshut Hill from about '57 to '63.
My teachers were: 1st Year, Miss Pratt, 2nd Year, Mrs Goodall, 3rd Year, Miss Beryl Davies, 4th Year, Mrs Davies, 5th Year, Mrs Witkowska, 6th Year, Mr Evans. I also remember: Miss Orme, (who I think became Mrs Davenport) Literature, Miss Jackson (Art) Miss Poyster (Shorthand) Mrs Rollason (Typing), Mr Bartlett (Science) Miss Richards (Dep. Head and Needlework), Mrs Bradley (Cookery), Mrs Lawley (Cookery) Miss Halls (RE). Miss C Marjorie Smith was the Headmistress. She wouldn't allow anyone to cough in assembly. I can still remember the smell of the varnished wooden floor in assembly and Canon Crowson, the Vicar of Yardley, occasionally visiting the school.
 
Hi,

I was at Cockshut Hill from about '57 to '63.
My teachers were: 1st Year, Miss Pratt, 2nd Year, Mrs Goodall, 3rd Year, Miss Beryl Davies, 4th Year, Mrs Davies, 5th Year, Mrs Witkowska, 6th Year, Mr Evans. I also remember: Miss Orme, (who I think became Mrs Davenport) Literature, Miss Jackson (Art) Miss Poyster (Shorthand) Mrs Rollason (Typing), Mr Bartlett (Science) Miss Richards (Dep. Head and Needlework), Mrs Bradley (Cookery), Mrs Lawley (Cookery) Miss Halls (RE). Miss C Marjorie Smith was the Headmistress. She wouldn't allow anyone to cough in assembly. I can still remember the smell of the varnished wooden floor in assembly and Canon Crowson, the Vicar of Yardley, occasionally visiting the school.

Hi Sarah

I was there the same time as you and have a feeling we may have even been in the same class in the 1st year as Miss Pratt was my teacher then. In the 3rd year I had Miss Richards & 4th year part Mrs Davies (liked her). Not sure about the other years but I have still got my school reports so will dig them out & check. I remember all the other teachers so well. I did get a prize at speeches 2 years running for my Project Folders, remember that School Project much better than seperate history & Geography. I left school in June 63 so didnt do any of the shorthand / typing classes & spent most of my last year with Mrs Davies in the Art classes. Also in my class in the 4th year was Jennifer Everall, & we spent most of the time together painting. Oh Miss Jackson in the yellow block doing weaving....... I did make a nice school scarf tho!!! Mr Bartlett science, funny you knew how far you could play him up before he threw the blackboard rubber down the class.
I did enjoy my school days and I still think Cockshut Hill was a good school.
My full name is Shirley Freeman and I now live in Cyprus having moved here just over 3 years ago
Any more memories??????????

Shirls
 
Hi Shirls,

Sounds like we could have been in the same class, at least in our first year. Do you remember the Pageant to celebrate the millennium? of Yardley Church. I still have the programme. I also have all my Speech Day programmes, so will dig them out to see if I can find you. Was Freeman your surname at school?

Yes, I agree. It was a great school and considering it was a "secondary", I have never felt my education lacked much, except languages, which would have been nice. Do I have any more memories? Yes, lots. I could write for ever. My best friends, for most of the time, were Lynne Moffat (who shocked the whole school by turning up at a Speech Day, after she had left, wearing a black leather mini-skirt!), Susan Monk, Judith Brown, Christine Powell, Diane Thomas. I was born in November '46.

Let me have some of your memories. I think the only Shirley I remember was a Shirley Balmer. I now live in Warwick so I guess I am feeling a little bit colder than you at the moment!

Sarah
 
hi everyone
i went to cockshut hill school form 1969 to 1974. i clearly remember it all. the long long road ( well seemed it) to walk up to and so much green grass. i dare say it would look so much smaller now i havent been back since i left. i remember the " yellow" block we were in i was in one alpha 2 alpha and so on, mrs pargeter was my first teacher , i remember " greswold" block and a cookery teacher called miss churchill. a very strict science teacher called mrs roxborough who would constantley send everyone out of the classroom if they spoke , and im sure more were out in the corridor than in the classroom. miss Richards was the head mistress and mrs davis deputy, miss allen for PE and miss jackson for art. mrs white for sewing and one teacher i cannot recall her name but she used to fall asleep in assemblys!much to the amusement of us all. miss cage was our accounts teacher and mrs clarke whom everyone feared tought maths. anyone else around in the year i was there? or perhaps even same class? all the alphas til 4c and 5 c that was c for cage.
name i am trying to research is all ADAMS in birmingham area or lived there.
 
Hi Everyone

I went to Cockshut Hill School 1975-1980
Mr Jolly was the headmaster at the time

Mr leeson i think was head of the lower School?

Teachers i remember were

Mrs Coghlan English
Mr Price History
Mrs Bell History
Mrs Hartfield Games,sport
Mr Enderby Geography
Mr Leeson Maths There were two mr leesons and no relation as far as i know

my brains getting rusty now must go and oil it!! LOL
 
re cockshut hill school
i remember mrs pargeter from the alpha forms remember the teeth,but she was a nice teacher. remember the project folders, the passion play,tutenkarmun, bad english i know,mrs davies what did she do.
 
I was there from 1976 to 1983 and remeber Mrs Clarke. She used to play opera in lessons and lock the door so you couldn't get in if you were late. I was useless at maths so was 'deliberately late' a lot but I do now love opera!
 
Hi Bouncytigger, you must have been in the year above me as I started in 76. The other Mr Leeson was deputy head of lower school or something. I actually met up with a lot of them a few years back when Mr Price (Biology) retired. They were all great teachers - especially Mrs Coghlan (who actually drove me up to Lancaster Uni so I could have a look at it) and Derek Price - who was probably responsible for turning me from a horrible little kid into an A level student! What house were you in?? I was in Kenilworth. (Didn't we have merit cards or something?) I also remember the dance club and the shows we used to put on. Oh, and for some reason, you couldn't wear black tights - only ecru ones! Would love to hear any more of your memories! Karenanne
 
Hi Bouncytigger, you must have been in the year above me as I started in 76. The other Mr Leeson was deputy head of lower school or something. I actually met up with a lot of them a few years back when Mr Price (Biology) retired. They were all great teachers - especially Mrs Coghlan (who actually drove me up to Lancaster Uni so I could have a look at it) and Derek Price - who was probably responsible for turning me from a horrible little kid into an A level student! What house were you in?? I was in Kenilworth. (Didn't we have merit cards or something?) I also remember the dance club and the shows we used to put on. Oh, and for some reason, you couldn't wear black tights - only ecru ones! Would love to hear any more of your memories! Karenanne

Hi Karenanne

Yes i remember the House system well and lI was i Dudley the green badge , The Red was Maxstoke and Yellow was Kenilworth i think and maybe Blue was Warwick? LOL
Not likely to forget those damn castles are we?

The dance club and all the concerts,choir and band etc i remember well
Miss Parkes played the french horn at one of the concerts if i remember right

Miss Derby was my Hockey teacher do you remember her?
I was only ever good at anything arty or sporty! LOL My brain always switched of for anything remotely science orientated!

Miss Parkes for music , Miss Cook for RE Mr Croucher i think for biology
I remember us having a lecture one assembly about the length of our skirts!!!! which seems ridicuolus these days when you look around at the skirts are wearing!!!

just off to have another think now
 
Yes, I had the skirt lecture too! But it was Warick that was Yellow and Kenilworth that was blue. (Warwick seemed to win everything - they had Sharon Bush who seemed to be brilliant at anything sporty!) Mr Croucher was my first year form teacher - I think he was physics, not biology. Unfortunately, like you I was useless at science. They had that weird alphabet streaming system too - P and Q at the top, then R, then the middfe band, S, W, E and N and then A and B - known (in a very non PC age) as the 'remedial band'. (How all that has stayed in my head - who knows!) I think, from your year, I can even remember some names - Stephen Sale, Mark Hanson, Geoff Busby, Andy Pyke ... Ring any bells?
Karenanne
 
Strange wasn't it that streaming system. You just reminded me what the the top band letters were P Q and R Its been such a long time!!!
I started off in 1N which was a pretty notorious class at the time as we had what would have been classed then as few naughty boys!!! which by todays standards would probably be classed as complete angels! but after the first set of exams i thinks i came 5th overall in the class which just about qualified me to go up to 2R i think it was, would need to find my old school report to be sure. Non of those names ring any bells I'm afraid. I do remember us all trooping out to the grassy slope at the front of the school to have a professional picture taken of the whole of the lower school plus all the teachers and Mr Jolly the headmaster and that was taken April 1976 so did you just miss that or did they take any more pictures at a later date?
 
I went to Cockshut hill in the 40s then to Moseley School of art I am now 77yrs young lived on Maot Lane Yardley, John Crump
 
Hi oldbrit, I was at Cockshut Hill girls from1948 to 1952.There was a girl in my class from Moat Lane called Joan Crump. Could she have been your sister ? My name then was Margaret Wilson.
 
Yes she is STILL my sister, now Joan Ashton,lives in Pedmore near Stourbridge. I will contact her son Neil Ashton to tell her about you. Did you live in Yardley? I now live in Parker,Co USA
 
It should be remembered that there were two Cockshut Hill schools, one for girls and one for boys. I was at the girls school for about a year and a half before I went to boarding school. Headmistress was Miss Smith, Maths was Miss Allen (Uggh), Gym teacher Miss Stone, and there was another Smith, Miss Beryl Smith, who became Mrs Elliott.

Not good memories for me, I am afraid, especially of Miss Allen, she was a bully, but only when no-one was looking, which is typical of a bully of course.
 
That is quite a walk. Did you pass my home at 126 Moat Lane, across from Digbeth in the field had tennis courts in my day. #17?bus stopped in front of our house, John Crump
 
I did John,would walk home up Moat Lane,then Rowlands Rd on way home from school.It was quicker to go via Ollerton Rd and garretts green lane in the morning though! Margaret.
 
Margaret, My sister is interested in contacting you, Joan does not have a computer, You could ring her up. She lives in Pedmore, Joan Ashton. Regards John Crump
 
J ohn, I got to speak to your sister Joan last night.She could not remember me or any of my school friends so think she was not in my class after all,just my year. The only girl we both remembered also lived in Moat Lane. Margaret
 
I was there in 1943 and I did not see any soldiers, the army camp was alongside Garrets green lane on the Outmore road side from the Tech( that was) to the Meadway, Len Copsey was there at the same time.


Dave Edwards
 
So Was John Crump (ME) I do remember Aircraft baloons and guns on Church road in the park, John Crump OldBritParker, Co USA
 
Hi margret
i just like to say yes ; you have previuosly beaten to it as i was going to say to our good frinds on the forum
whom does not know that the name is still associated and used by the kids today
cockshut hill is named prison on the hill by kids today and as done for some years
even thou its taken over by an american guy as head teacher and now known as cockshut accadamy its doing very well and been turned around by this guy and disaplinned pupils to the holt and the main gates are locked at a certain time of the morning so kid is leaving in or out and do not open until lunch time and like wise at the end of the day
so yes its still known by todays kids as prison on the hill ; sadly;
happy new year to you , astojnian
 
My work friend went to Cockshut Hill, I would think she would have been there 1966-71 ish, her name waws Yvonne Pearson (i think). Will ask her what she remembers!
Sue
 
I left in July 1948 but I do not remember a George Wheeler. I say that because I was the School Captain for the last 18 months of my schooling and I got to know many of the lads,the reason the for the long time as Captain was they put the school leaving age up to 15 Many of these names you might remember, as you said Mr Humphries,Miss phillips(A devil for using the cane) Mr Turner,Mr Barnes Mr Welford Mr Moss,Mr Hancock Mr Ayto, Mr Welbank Mr Birch,Mr Gregory, Mr Kerswell and Mr Sheppard ( good at Cricket). Do any of them ring a bell.

Dave Edwards
 
My cousins Barbara and Brian Wadsworth went to Cockshut school in the late 40s and early 50s, anyone remember them?.
 
My wife was a teacher of domestic science at Cockshut Hill School in 1954-56. Any one remember Mrs. Joyce Bennett. Geff
 
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