Wallace Hayton remembers the old days
I had been teaching at New Brancepeth since 1951 when the big change came about.I transferred to Ushaw Moor with Mrs E Barlow, Mrs E Wilson and Mr G Hill [who became Deputy Headmaster] on 7th of April 1959,together with senior pupils from the school. Among those pupils were Edith Smith, Gillian Cruddace, Hazel Dickinson, Ann Mountain, Ann Dowson, Audrey Thompson, Pauline Newman, Jean Metcalfe, Malcolm Gibb and Thomas Patterson. Another I recall was Peter Barella who became a senior police officer in Northumberland. I quite frequently bump into Ann Mountain and Ann Dowson and always enjoy having a little chat with them.
At first I think that all pupils and staff of the new school were wary as to how we'd all settle but we need not have worried because everything seemed to go well with no great problems, despite the upheaval. I didn't notice any signs of rivalry between pupils from the three contributory schools.
As far as I can remember [42 years on] we had no great discipline problems - maybe because we had certain simple rules. Do you remember?
1. Walk [don't run] on the left in the corridors.
2. Line up in classes in the schoolyard with one hand on the shoulder of the pupil in front - drop hands on the word of command, then walk quietly into the school.
Lunchtimes involved two 'sittings' in the dining room that was opposite Mr Gibbon's office. Pupils went table by table to the hatch to be served. Do you remember that Grace was said at the beginning and end of each sitting? Times change - schools are so big these days that they don't seem to have time for that!
The boys may remember the school gardens by the side of the wood. A number of staff took classes there - notably Mr Turnbull.
A number of staff also shared PE untill specialists took over years later. I believe that Mrs Barlow and Mrs Wilson did girls PE. Mr Barlow, myself and later a young teacher called Mr Grimshaw looked after the boys.I enjoyed these lessons because I had the change from the classroom and it also helped me keep fit.On wet days we had mixed PE - you may remember such relays as tunnel ball. We got a new trampoline with which everyone was newfangled. We also had a game called Padler tennis. Some pupils will remember Mr and Mrs Barlow, Mr Grimshaw and I playing the game in the schoolyard at lunchtimes.
As a member of staff I saw many changes in my twenty four and a half years at the school - from Sec. Mod. to Comprehensive, but I must say I enjoyed the earlier years most. In fact they were some of the best of my teaching career, which ended in early retirement in 1983.
May I finish by wishing all pupils from the past every happiness in the future.
Note- this article is reproduced form Wilf Bell's magazine '4A and Friends' which was distributed in 2001.Mr Hayton was contacted a month or so ago to get permission for it to be reproduced on this site and he cheerfully gave it.Any typing errors in the article are down to me. Thank you Malcolm [Gibb] for providing a photocopy of the article.
Wilf Bell.
Iattended NEW BRANCEPETH SCHOOL until 1946,and well
remember the teaching staff of the time,
they were MR Trotter,Miss Trotter, MR G Hill [ woodwork]
MR Rotherham, MR White MR KIDD Miss paxton [cookery]
the caretaker was MR HARDY and the attendance officer
was MR JOHN AYRE and last but not least the
head teacher MR AITCHESON.ALL WONDERFUL AND DEDICATED
PEOPLE.
REGARDS,
GEOFF, TURNER. (Comment this)
My Aunt also remembered Mr John Ayre and thinks that he might have been Raymond Ayre's father.She also felt that he probably played cricket for the same team as Dickie Hope. (Comment this)
Re. comm no 1,
Wilf, two names i omitted from my list
of New Brancepeth teachers were MR, Kirtley and Miss,
Wilkinson, she married before i left school but i cannot
recall her married name,maybe your aunt Doreen can
remember these two also?
regards to all,
Geoff, Turner. (Comment this)
When I went to Ushaw Moor Secondary Modern school (as it was then) my maths teacher was Mr Harry Barlow. He nickname was 'Black Harry' and his reputation was terrifying. I was a bit of a rebel in those days, but I had a lot of respect for Mr Barlow and the Head Mr Gibbon. I also remember Mr Hayton although he didn't teach me, Mrs Barlow who taught me PE and RE, Mrs Wilson who taught art, Mr Grimshaw, Physics. Miss Thompson who tried her best to teach us history and took us swimming at Durham Baths each week. All of these people had some influence on me at some time in my life and I do remember them all. I didn't do perticularly well at school although I went back to college as a mature student graduated and then gained an Hons. Degree in Podiatric Medicine.
Karen (Robinson)
PS Geoff - are you the same Geoffrey Turned who was a friend of my Dad George Robinson from Alum Waters. (Comment this)