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Ilmington road school weoley castle

I remember winning a Christmas card competion.which was sent around to the elderly local.i designed with a girl.called tracy.which I was brought up in a children's home.in Bartley green.
 
I went to ilmo between 1971 and 1975 Mrs Quereshi was my teacher. does any one remember. I lived in Bentley Grove. My mom was Deaf and my dad was deaf and couldn't speak. I left Birmingham at 18. Had quite a few characters in my class.
 
For anyone interested there is now a facebook group for Weoley Castle, lots of info on there inc school photo's of Ilmington Rd School, I posted a thread about Oxley grove where I lived from about 1955 to 1962 and had masses of replies from people who lived there at the same time as me.
 
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I was at Ilmington from about the beginning of December 1955 until the end of the year. After the Christmas hols I moved to a school in Erdington. Whilst at Ilmington I was a “cottage homer.”
I was 13, very nearly 14 yrs old and in a class taught by Mr Roberts who had been in Burma during WW2 and who read us a book about the battle of Kohima. He drove a Vauxhall and sang in the City of Birmingham Choir. He asked if anyone was interested in attending a full rehearsal of a sung Mass (I can’t remember which one) but I expressed and interest and he picked me up from Shenley Fields. The auditorium was empty and I had the best seat in the Town Hall. I remember that we did algebra in maths. I didn’t really understand it. Strangely, I could get some problems right without understanding how I did so. I liked metalwork and made a planished tea caddy spoon. Lessons were very practical and oriented towards learning life skills.
I also taught at Ilmington for a period during 1961, as an unqualified teacher, mentored by Mr Webb. I took geography, 4th year civic studies and boy’s games lessons. I used to cycle to the school from Hockley, books for marking in my saddlebag.
I liked the school and the staff.
Reg VERNON
 
ciscoagent said:
I was at Ilmington from about the beginning of December 1955 until the end of the year. After the Christmas hols I moved to a school in Erdington. Whilst at Ilmington I was a “cottage homer.”
I was 13, very nearly 14 yrs old and in a class taught by Mr Roberts who had been in Burma during WW2 and who read us a book about the battle of Kohima. He drove a Vauxhall and sang in the City of Birmingham Choir. He asked if anyone was interested in attending a full rehearsal of a sung Mass (I can’t remember which one) but I expressed and interest and he picked me up from Shenley Fields. The auditorium was empty and I had the best seat in the Town Hall. I remember that we did algebra in maths. I didn’t really understand it. Strangely, I could get some problems right without understanding how I did so. I liked metalwork and made a planished tea caddy spoon. Lessons were very practical and oriented towards learning life skills.
I also taught at Ilmington for a period during 1961, as an unqualified teacher, mentored by Mr Webb. I took geography, 4th year civic studies and boy’s games lessons. I used to cycle to the school from Hockley, books for marking in my saddlebag.
I liked the school and the staff.
Reg VERNON
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I went to Ilmington from 1961 to 1965. Although there were one or two nice teachers there were twice as many very bad. Belting the kids was the first and last resort for some. I remember not getting a phrase right in English, the teacher was angry and stood over me, he quoted the phrase while hitting me across the head with a book for each word said. It didn’t do much for my confidence, stopped me getting involved in any activity at school in case I got something wrong. Shame really as it really ruined my schooling.
 
I was in the "Technical Drawing", class and "edit ", through a blackboard wiper, heavy wooden one, and hit me on the head, was under the Dr for about a month, was talking in assembly, and Mr Roberts came through the class and smacked me hard round the head, saw stars, I would have been about 12/13 years old, Sammy Small would have a queue outside his office for the can everyday.
 
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paul stacey said:
I was in the "Technical Drawing", class and "edit", through a blackboard wiper, heavy wooden one, and hit me on the head, was under the Dr for about a month, was talking in assembly, and Mr Roberts came through the class and smacked me hard round the head, saw stars, I would have been about 12/13 years old, Sammy Small would have a queue outside his office for the can everyday.
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There were some thugs as teachers. A couple of lads were talking in science class. No person would own up to who it was. So we were made to stand in a circle and hold hands. Two lads were separated and given a piece of metal to hold, the science teacher then proceeded to turn a handle, which we soon found out was a generator. He sent a shock through all of us, one lad passed out and cracked his head on a desk. So called the happiest days of your life.
 
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Grea said:
I went to Ilmington from 1961 to 1965. Although there were one or two nice teachers there were twice as many very bad. Belting the kids was the first and last resort for some. I remember not getting a phrase right in English, the teacher was angry and stood over me, he quoted the phrase while hitting me across the head with a book for each word said. It didn’t do much for my confidence, stopped me getting involved in any activity at school in case I got something wrong. Shame really as it really ruined my schooling.
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I hated most of my time there, teachers could get away with just about any form of punishment, on my very first day it was home time and a group of kids were trying to peek through a classroom window. It was a kid bent over a table and teacher edit .... taking a run up and slamming a cane across the kids bottom. Edit... looked up and saw us and threw a book at the window and we all ran off. It really upset me seeing that, I have no idea what the boy had done to get such punishment. A few years back I had a letter from the police asking if I would consent to an interview about a certain teacher at Ilmington school. I agreed and a plain clothes man came to our house. It was about ...edit..... the police had seen me mention on this actual forum that edit was a sadist. He used to run his hands over naked boys coming out of the showers on the pretence to check they were dry. Apparently he had been abusing boys even after I left in 1961. After appearing at B'ham crown court he ended up in jail, the UK's oldest ever prisoner, jailed for 9 years aged 91
 
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I’m not sure when I started teaching at Ilmington. It could have either January or after Easter 1961. I taught some lessons to Mr Webb’s class. I think Mr Webb took either a 1st or 2nd year class. Do you remember if he was your first class teacher? The only advice the headteacher (Mr Small) gave me was to start hard (on discipline) and take no nonsense. He said that if I did that I could ease off later, but if I started soft I wouldn’t recover control. I slippered one lad a little too hard. His mother came to the school to complain. I caned another for leaving the school too early. I wasn’t happy about doing so. I’ve since learned ...edit...., in particular, was a sadistic edit but I had little to do with him and recall no criticism of him in the staff room. Mr Roberts and Mr Webb were good teachers and Webb was supportive. I was at Ilmington until the end of the summer term. However, of all the boys, the only one I remember is Bonehill.
 
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This thread was closed to remove certain named teachers who employed punishments and actions which, today, would be totally unacceptable and, in some instances, regarded as cruel. We are saddened for those members who received such treatment.

However, the named teachers have families and friends, and it is with this in mind and out of respect for them, that we have removed the naming of such teachers.

Admin Team.
 
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Vivienne14 said:
This thread was closed to remove certain named teachers who employed punishments and actions which, today, would be totally unacceptable and, in some instances, regarded as cruel. We are saddened for those members who received such treatment.

However, the named teachers have families and friends, and it is with this in mind and out of respect for them, that we have removed the naming of such teachers.

Admin Team.
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This very forum led to the downfall of the evil person I named in my above post because it was viewed by police researchers. One of his victims tried to take his own life & this led to the naming of the teacher who abused him and a search for witnesses.

How many other evil doers would escape justice if names were not permitted on forums such as this ? Is it not wrong to hide the names of sadistic teachers simply because it might upset a modern day relative.

I think there was little point in removing the name of the person I posted as it appeared in national newspapers and the BBC news as per the link that I posted, any relatives of the person I named would probably have disowned him anyway.
 
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hi izzy your point about how yourself and this forum helped bring to justice a very sadistic teacher is commendable in my view people like this should not be allowed to walk this planet and would think most people agree with that however everything is not as black and white as it may seem regarding this forum...


we have a duty to protect this forum from any possible liable/slander court cases bought by either the accused or indeed any of their relatives who dont forget would most likely not even be aware of their evil deeds especially if they are unsubstantiated accusations such court cases could finish this forum.... we really do not want to cause any distress to the family members of these people as its not their fault what their rellies were up to even before they themselves were born..this is why we say yes put down your bad experiences but please say mr b or miss d rather than posting their full names then if the police do pick up on anything of interest they can contact the member via private message

hope this explains a little about how the forum must stand on this...may i also say that moderating the schools threads takes up a lot of the mods time and careful editing of certain posts but we do try to be as fair as we can by leaving as much as the original post as we feel we can

lyn
 
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Not all was bad at Ilmington. My teacher, Doc Jennings would sometimes say let’s not work today let’s have a chat. We were invited to ask questions on any subject, he would give the answer with a full explanation. I must have learned more from this kind of teaching than any other method.
 
Izzy, I remember when Doc gave you the slipper or should I say the sole of an old pump. He’d say bend over and tell me when to stop. He would just start to tap you that’s all, you didn’t want to be a cissy and ask him to stop so he just kept tapping your backside and eventually it began to sting. It went on till you couldn’t take any more and said stop. He’d be laughing as would the kid who had just been on the end of it. I think us lads wanted to be the hero and last longer than anyone else. I recall his dream was to retire to Old Colwyn, I hope he achieved this.
 
paul stacey said:
I was in the "Technical Drawing", class and "edit ", through a blackboard wiper, heavy wooden one, and hit me on the head, was under the Dr for about a month, was talking in assembly, and Mr Roberts came through the class and smacked me hard round the head, saw stars, I would have been about 12/13 years old, Sammy Small would have a queue outside his office for the can everyday.
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"Technical Drawing" teacher, sounds like Mr. Duffield. Mr. Roberts, same for me, but when I got home my mum asked why
I could not move my head? she went to the school. Mr Roberts was called into Mr Small's office. She told me after she could not believe what a big bloke he was. She gave him a real telling off and after that he ignored me completely, which
was great but I felt so sorry for the kids from the Shenley Fields Homes. They had no one to complain and defend them
and Mr. Roberts would beat them so bad!
 
It’s strange how differently we see our old teachers. I always saw Mr Roberts a decent man, fair and quite understanding. If I remember correctly he was a prisoner of the Japanese Army and saw cruelty beyond belief so I’m surprised that he has been described as a child beater. Shame he’s not able to defend himself.
 
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Quite often there was an amount of inconstancy in the treatment school children, as there can be in other institutions and workplaces. Inconsistency of treatment or standards can and often will leave different people with different experiences and different memories of their past and the stories they tell future generations.

Its quit common to hear different accounts of events by people who were in the same class at the same time. Depending on the prospective of the people experiencing these accounts, both versions can be right.
 
My technical Drawing teacher was "Doc Jennings", it would have been 1960/61, Mr Roberts told us that he was in the Parachute Regiment and Jumped into "Arnhem", so not in Far East, as far as I was aware, after the assembly incident my mom 5' 2" did the same, and came in assembly and shouted him out, was always nice to me afterwards.
 
paul stacey said:
My technical Drawing teacher was "Doc Jennings", it would have been 1960/61, Mr Roberts told us that he was in the Parachute Regiment and Jumped into "Arnhem", so not in Far East, as far as I was aware, after the assembly incident my mom 5' 2" did the same, and came in assembly and shouted him out, was always nice to me afterwards.
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I stand corrected Paul, however he was definitely in Burma in WW2.
 
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Hi Grea, who knows after so long, and memories do vary, really nice for me to speak on line to those of you like me went to "The cow Sheds", as it was known in the 50's, I did go back sometime in the 90's I believe and found a great hole in the ground, with just the green fence and gates, felt some how (lost), as a large part of our young lives was sort of discarded.
 
paul stacey said:
Hi Grea, who knows after so long, and memories do vary, really nice for me to speak on line to those of you like me went to "The cow Sheds", as it was known in the 50's, I did go back sometime in the 90's I believe and found a great hole in the ground, with just the green fence and gates, felt some how (lost), as a large part of our young lives was sort of discarded.
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I can’t say I enjoyed Ilmington that much Paul but it was a great area to grow up in. I lived by Bartley Green Resa but spent much of leisure my time in the Weoley Castle area where a lot of my pals lived.
 
No , can't say I enjoyed it that much either, but it was a large part of my growing up, so will always be in those memory's, I lived in Bartley Green before Weoley Castle, Hasbury Road, and Adams Hill, loved it there. Have a Great Christmas if we are allowed this year, and healthy and Happy New Year.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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