Trev White’s education

Great Barr Junior School

My second school which was next door to Delhurst Road Infants and also the Great Barr Comprehensive.

Two playgrounds, seperated by wooden classrooms, which sloped and encouraged us boys to have races with our Corgi’s or other toy cars. I remember some of the craft classes where we created lino cuts (a Health & Safety issue, no doubt, today) , wicker baskets and stuffed, sewn animals (not real animals). One of my attempts still survives - see the photo above.

Mrs Page (Headmistress) had the Golden Book into which the achievers would be listed - quite an incentive in those days. Miss Sergeant (?) had several Trevors in her class and I became known as ‘Clive’. She got married and  moved to New Zealand - a bit much just to avoid me.

I remember art and reading but not much in the way of teaching. The teachers must have pounded it into our heads though - I can still cope with fractions.

I did reach the giddy height of Milk Monitor. Milk was supplied in 1/3 pint bottles with a foil top which was pushed off when the milk froze in the winter. We were given it to help our diet.

We didn’t have the mind numbing decimal system then so we had to do written and mental arithmetic using proper maths with proper coins: farthing, haypenny, penny, thrupenny bit, sixpence (tanner), shilling (bob), two bob bit (florin), half crown (2/6), ten bob note, pound note and five pound note. 12d = 1/- and 20/- = £1
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Then there was Inches, feet, yards etc. It certainly improved our maths skills.

We had to learn how to do joined up writing & use an ink pen - you know, the ones you had to dip into ink wells.

We also had books read to us by the teacher. One I remember well was “Cheaper by the Dozen” and we also took it in turns to read stories/books.

In the final year we had the 11+ exam to decide if we were suitable for a grammar school or a comprehensive school

I moved on to the comp next door.

Great Barr Primary School
Aldridge Road, Great Barr, Birmingham,
West Midlands B44 8NT  England