St Phillip's Infant School and St Barts junior school

[Eagle]

As far as I am aware no one actually got thrashed. Mild punishment was administered and the school ran very smoothly with zero trouble makers disrupting the ones who want to learn.

My main point was one teacher to 40 children , with no teachers assistants , special needs people etc etc .

[14BradfordRoad]

As far as I am aware no one actually got thrashed. Mild punishment was administered and the school ran very smoothly with zero trouble makers disrupting the ones who want to learn.

My main point was one teacher to 40 children , with no teachers assistants , special needs people etc etc .

I should have realised that my sense of humour (A sound thrashing!) might have provoked a PC response!
It was meant in jest - although with some element of realism behind it too!
The fact is I was actually caned at St Barts around 1966. Also got the slipper a few times too! I have no
problem or mental scars with any of it and bear no grudge towards anyone but this did happen!
Obviously by todays standards this would definitely not have been viewed as administering mild punishment
but was simply viewed as discipline at that time! Maybe you didn't mis-behave Eagle?

I still have fond memories of St Barts although life was different back then, standards were very different too.
My teachers were mainly older people who 'I believe' were doing their best to teach us. I agree with Eagle that
'Mental arithmetic' was practised more than it is today and worked for me (not sure about all the others)..
We used to coax Mr Howlett into telling us yet more of his war stories, I always enjoyed the tale of how he got
his treasured watch from a sleeping german soldier (funny because I didn't realise that Timex watches were
standard German army issue ). When we got to year 6 in Mr Timms class we used to get a weekly excerpt/
recital from Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' courtesy of Mr Bleasdale, always slept well that night.

[Eagle]

Bradford

This is the first time I have been accused of being PC. Strange experience.
I do appreciate there was caning at St B's , but what I was trying to say that it was not horrific caning , but not nice all the same.
Miss Coggin used to what the hands with a long ruler if you could not spell a word or got a sum wrong. But her country dancing classes were something else.

[14BradfordRoad]

Eagle, I didn't mean you were being pc (t'was the other post ). Like myself Eagle - in fact not very pc at all!

I wasn't in Miss Coggin's class down at the annex opposite Cobbs for some reason, although we were marched down
there for country dancing once a week. I always liked the look of the field at the back of the annex and would have
loved to have played out there, probably would have ended up getting a taste of Miss Coggins ruler too!
My sister (a couple of years older than me) was in Miss Coggin's class around 1963/64. Did you also have your lunch
served in the annex? I remember marching over to Jews Walk, also the Church hall in Syd Pk Rd for dinners which
although fairly basic I quite enjoyed (apart from the spaghetti). My mates mum and his nan were both dinner ladies
so we got looked after with 2nd helpings!
I left there in 1967 to go to Dacres Road - Forest hill boys like most of the lads in my last class (Mr Timms). There
were a few who went on to Grammar Schools. Forest Hill was quite strict and after a couple of punishments I learnt
to behave myself! My biggest problem was that I was always attracted to the naughtier children rather than the more
studious ones..

Does anyone remember Miss Partridge by any chance? She would have been coming up for retirement in the 60's.

[Eagle]

Yes I do recall Miss Partridge. She was the sanest of the teachers in the senior part of the school.

Funny cannot recall walking to lunch from the church hall annex with Miss C , but guess we must have done.

Yes I recall the cane used often at Dacres Road , also slipper as well. I was there from 60 to 66.

In my time the prime offenders with the cane were Dr Babcock and Mr Blackman.

[14BradfordRoad]

Yes I do recall Miss Partridge. She was the sanest of the teachers in the senior part of the school.
Funny cannot recall walking to lunch from the church hall annex with Miss C , but guess we must have done.

Yes I recall the cane used often at Dacres Road , also slipper as well. I was there from 60 to 66.
In my time the prime offenders with the cane were Dr Babcock and Mr Blackman.

Dacres Road (deviation):
By the time I got to Dacres Rd these prime offenders must have retired or left due possibly to repeatative strain
injury from too much caning! Although BIF (Brian Ian Francis - Sir to us) could dish it out too - mainly with his
hand, he had very big hands, big guy, very scarey, Eek!
(Mr Potter was the head when I started there).. Maybe a thread on Dacres Road is needed now!

Back to St Barts:
I often think of Miss Partridge whenever Miss Marple comes on TV. A very well spoken, older but very elegant lady. Impeccably smartly dressed without a crease in sight. She would pull us up if we pronounced our words incorrectly
and hated the use of slang in any shape or form. An older fashioned Miss Brodie-like character who left a lasting impression on those she taught! I remember everyone in her class having to stand up and read aloud to the rest
of the class using perfect grammar and pronounciation (something I struggled with)..!!

After Miss Coggins came a Miss/Mrs Cowle (Australian Lady) in the annex, do you remember her too?

[Eagle]

You must have been in Harvey House.

Despite 6 houses Harvey seemed to win most sports events because they were in fear of Mr Francis.

I was in Drake , no such pressure.

[Bobbo]

Hello all,
I lived in Sydenham from 1961 to 1983 and attended St Barts junior from about 1967 to 1972.
I've read many of these threads and recognise many of the names.
I started at the annex near Kirkdale corner at the rear of St Barts church. We were led there every morning by Mrs. Watson, and we were taught by the Australian teacher Mrs. Cowle. The vicars' wife, Mrs. Garton used to come in and play the piano for us each day. I remember the poor old lady only had half a jaw. I think she had suffered from cancer of the jaw and had it removed.

Later I went to the main school on Kirkdale and was taught by Mrs. Mahar who was a great favourite of Mr. Bleasdale. I remember him being rotund and walking with a limp; a war wound I believe. Other teachers were Mr. Timms, Mr. Howlett, Mrs. Shuttler, Mrs. Redmain, Mrs. King, Mrs. Bull.

Billy Bleasdale as we called him, was a bit gruff to say the least. I remember him shouting at a girl after he told her to pull her socks up, and she took it literally.

In about 1970 we all attended the laying of the foundation stone at the new site and I finished at the new site in 1972.

Was anyone in my class ?

[anishine]

I have just discovered this forum due to a friend, who also went to St Barts, sending me the link!

I went to both schools and can remember most of the teachers: Miss Nash, Mrs Cowel from St Philip's and Miss Crummey, Miss Coggin (yes, she was a bully), Miss Partridge, Mr Timms, and headmaster Mr Bleasdale at St. Bart's (on the old site). So many memories come flooding back by just typing those names!

Miss Nash, and feeding the dog being a 'treat'!
Miss Crummy, who introduced me to the literature of C S Lewis for which I thank her.
Miss Partridge, and her fiercely determined way of playing the piano.
Miss Coggin -- well, the less said the better imho.
Mr Timms, a bit of a misogynist in his way I think.
Mr Bleasdale & Shakespeare lessons, I can still remember him quoting from 'The Merchant of Venice'.

It was an education the like of which it would be hard to replicate these days, especially the winter of 1963 when the outdoor toilets froze and we had sandwiches for school dinners for about a month as they were afraid of a gas leak in the kitchens. That was the time my sister started school and so she associated the snow with school and was disappointed that she still had to go when it all thawed.

[anishine]

To Bobbo

I remember Mrs Garton very well as I also went to St Barts church and so got to know her and her husband, the Vicar, quite well. She didn't have cancer of the jaw, her disfigurement came about as they were on missions service in China and attacked by the Communist bandits who slashed part of her face away with a machete.

[Charleville]

I too remember Miss Coggins. She made me stand in the corner because I forgot my 7 times table. I still have trouble with it today and I'm a teacher myself! My mum came up to the school to tell her off for bullying me. Do you remember collecting and swapping buttons and/or American civil war cards in her class? We used to play battles out in the playground but the girls were only allowed to be horses not soldiers!!

"American Civil War Cards" wow that triggered a memory deeply buried in my brain cells.

I did a quick Google search and found info at: https://sixtiescity.net/Lifestyle/civilwarcards.htm

The site mentions that these cards were published in the UK in 1965. That tallies as I left St. Philip's primary school in 1966 when we moved away. I remember thinking at the time that images on the cards were quite brutal but I still recall the sweet smell of bubble gum when you opened the pack. I had also forgotten but this site reminded me, that there was a fake Confederate Dollar bill in the pack too.

Another recollection that suddenly comes to mind was rhyme we used to chant whilst marching around the playground. It went 'we won the war in 1964' ...what was that all about?

[mikej]

I left my primary school in 1961, we used to sing "We won the war in 1944"
slightly bizarre

[Charleville]

I took a couple of photos of my first school when my 'future' wife and I did a 'back-to-our-roots' tour during the summer of 2003. She a girl from Kilburn and me a Sydenham boy.

As a young 7-8 year old I remember on the Wells Park Road side of the playground, sitting perched on the narrow concrete wall with my arms bent back holding on to the railings. In a game we were playing I was a throne with young girl sitting on my lap as a queen. Funny the things you remember – been treated like a piece of furniture ever since!

[Charleville]

Another view of the school in much earlier and busier times.

Picture taken from an old postcard: