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Perry Beeches Secondary School

Hi MARYD is that the same Mr EDGE who was at ALDRIDGE RD as assistant head of the boys school,if it was my first meeting with him was rather painful .i had just gone into the senior school 2nd day and he caught me running IN the school .(which was forbidden)after quite a long lecture on the dangers of running indoors because of all the glass windows of the classrooms, after he gave me the cane (to help me remember)he asked me my name when I told him he replied have you got a sister who attends my evening English class ? I said yes ,he replied mmm bright girl youve got a lot to live up to my lad .Igot on with him o.k after that cheers
33bus tom
 
I went to Beeches for a couple of years untill 1972 and Mr Edge was there then, my favorite teacher was Mister Evans (science) I was in class 4L. I know everyone says it but I do so much miss those days .

My dad used to go to Perry Beeches too , when the huts were first used, he's 79 now.
 
Hi thanks for the replies. I don't think Mr Edge was at Aldridge, at least I was at Perry Beeches 1962-67 and he was there all that time. Carrot haired, red faced, and a caliper on his leg as I remember. Didn't like him much. I was in classes 1A,2A,3A, and 4 something or other.

Mr Evans I remember fondly, one of the several Welsh teachers there for some reason- Miss Lloyd Music, Mr Jones Physics. But my particular favourite was Scottish, my English teacher Mr P J McShane. He was brilliant and very fair, always wore a chocolate brown 3 piece suit and looked ancient, but probably only in his late 50's. I hope he knew what a good teacher he was.

Years later I met a teacher from after my time and she said it was well known as being one of the worst schools in Birmingham at the time.
Regards
Maryd
 
Hi thanks for the replies. I don't think Mr Edge was at Aldridge, at least I was at Perry Beeches 1962-67 and he was there all that time. Carrot haired, red faced, and a caliper on his leg as I remember. Didn't like him much. I was in classes 1A,2A,3A, and 4 something or other.

Mr Evans I remember fondly, one of the several Welsh teachers there for some reason- Miss Lloyd Music, Mr Jones Physics. But my particular favourite was Scottish, my English teacher Mr P J McShane. He was brilliant and very fair, always wore a chocolate brown 3 piece suit and looked ancient, but probably only in his late 50's. I hope he knew what a good teacher he was.

Years later I met a teacher from after my time and she said it was well known as being one of the worst schools in Birmingham at the time.
Regards
Maryd

I remember Mr Edge wearing tweed jackets, and those cold lessons in the afore mentioned huts.
 
Yes i was there between 1956 to 1960. Mr Edge was the head during this time and feared by all. He had a Standard Vangaurd car which one of the boys in my class used to service for him during School time (his Brother used to own one of the local garages). I was one of the unfortunate visitors to his study where he was very skilled at administering six of the best with great pleasure. You had to wait outside his study, shaking with terror, until the light changed to green before punishment began. He was also great friends with our Teacher, Miss Lloyd, and would spend a considerable time sitting in on our lessons with Miss Lloyd. As you may be able to tell these were not the best days of my Llife and i am very grateful that things greatly improved for me after i left. I understand that the School was later burnt down, shame.
 
Hi Nick,
No, he wasn't liked. Even one or two of the teachers made no secret that they weren't keen. Mr McShane, Mr Caldicott, Deputy Head, nothing unprofessional, just the odd raised eyebrow...

I remember on my last day, when he was announcing everyone's exam results, he omitted to mention that I had gained a Grade I CSE and he called me to him afterwards, bent over, and invited me to kick him.......Now if it had been yourself it might have had a different ending I suspect!!! But I'm afraid I didn't do it....

Don't know if you remember two of the other good teachers, Mr Everleigh, History and Mr Linnell, Geography - they both escaped to teach in South Africa in '63 I think. Mr Everleigh, when he was clearing out his office, invited one of us to cane him on the hand, don't know why, chance to get our own back on Authority I suppose, and Leslie Randle did.---I was always sorry he had done that, it would have been better not to, he was a nice man.

I was grateful that it was only when I had Art that I had to attend lessons in the wooden huts. Well, wooden prefabs I suppose you'd call them. Freezing...

Nice to talk to you, hopefully we mostly went on to better things.
Best regards
Maryd
 
Hello Maryd

I can remember quite a few evil things that Mr Edge did, the worst was when our Headgirl (Pam i think) became pregnant. He stood her up in front of the School assembly and told us all how she had let him and the whole School down. She was, of course, demoted from being Headgirl. If you were one of his favourites your were fine, if not then look out, as you can guess i was not one of his favourites.

Kind regards
Nick
 
Alan Linnell was my form teacher in 1953. Long after I left school I became very friendly with Harold Edge. He was the secretary of an organisation that I was a member of, out of school he was one of the nicest people you could wish to meet.
 
Alan Linnell was my form teacher in 1953. Long after I left school I became very friendly with Harold Edge. He was the secretary of an organisation that I was a member of, out of school he was one of the nicest people you could wish to meet.
It must certainly be nice to be able to seperate your professional life from your private. As a part time bus driver, after my retirement, i know what monsters children can be. I just hope that my two daughters were not treated as badly as i was by their Head teacher, but who knows.
 
Hi,
Mr Edge was at Aldridge Rd school in the late 40's. If you look in the Schools and School Friend's thread you will see a picture of him in a group who visited London Zoo. When I went to Beeches Rd school a Miss Pogson was headmistress, she was pretty fearsome, but a Miss Doogood was worse. I remember the huts, and a big sports field - probably a car park now !

A picture of Beeches Rd - the huts can be seen - kerbs have black and white stripes to aid visibility in the black-out
The_Huts_Beeches_Rd__School_WW2.jpg
 
He looks very different from what I remember, but it was 20 years later. ooh, the name Miss Doogood rings a nasty bell actually...
 
Reading all the talk about Mr Edge's prowess with the cane, slightly off thread but only up Sandy Lane at Aldridge Rd school, there was a Mr Derry whose favourite punishment was 'the pump' ! As new boys to the school in Assembly he threatened anyone not paying attention would get the pump. My mate was wondering what the pump was and didn't pay attention so he had to bend over and got hit 6 times with a rubber running pump. It looked very painful. How did we survive ?
Back down to Beeches Rd, a name that has come to mind was Mr Mullins the school caretaker who lived in a flat roofed house near the gate.
 
hi all. reading your posts with great interest. just thought you may like to know that the last of the wooden huts only went about 5 years ago. all my four children attended perry beeches and my youngest leaves next year. my eldest went through all his years at the school with the huts and my 2nd eldest went through most of her years attending a mud pit as it took about 5 years to complete the changes. you wouldnt recognise it now.
 
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Hello again,

Well I didn't think we'd meet again on the site so soon..

Just thought I'd make my parting shot against how this school was run in the 1960's - I've needed to have a moan about this for ages...

When I was in 3A, supposedly the most promising stream of kids of our age, we were given a Pakistani English Teacher to teach us POETRY. A Mr Siddiqui.

I remember one day we were reading aloud some nonsense poem or other and the lines had the words

Hippopotomus
Cradle
Ladle

Someone was reading it aloud and he corrected her....(Here you must change in your mind to a Pakistani accent)

"No no no no, you must pronounce it Hippopotaaaahmus, And later,
"No no no no, it is CRADDEL to rhyme with LADDEL"

He left the school very soon after. I expect someone noticed something wrong. :(

Oh thanks very much for letting me get that off my chest, I feel much better now!!!! Thank God for Mr P J McShane. our teacher in the 4th and 5th year.

Bye

Maryd
 
My wife attended Perry Beeches and walked from Spouthouse Lane each day with her sister. Rosemarie and Sheila Bishop.
 
bet your glad to get that lot off your chest after all this time mary. i was very luckly with the 2 schools i attended. very happy times ttfn lyn
 
I am appalled the way this Mr. Edge treated that poor girl who was pregnant, what a humilation for her, I could cry for her, it is something that she will never forget. How cruel can someone be. I left school the end of 1952 and only ever heard of one girl getting pregnant but it was very hush hush and she just left quickly and discreetly. We didn't find out about it at school, but by someone who lived near her.
 
My brother Billy Hancox went there and was unfortunate to have Mr Edge as his headmaster along with that welsh gargole Ms Lloyde (became Mrs Every when I was there in the late 70's).
 
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