Pershore High School

History – a current student’s view

James Manning

Where did it all start?

• Pershore High School began its life as Pershore County Senior School. It first opened its doors on Tuesday 12th January 1932. It could accommodate a maximum of 480 children, all of whom had to be aged 11 years and over. The new school should have welcomed its first pupils in the previous September, but there were problems with builders and so it opened a term later than was scheduled.

Staff at this point.• At this point the Headmaster of the school was Mr. M.L. Pardoe who led 13

teachers. These were as follows...• Miss Mary Ismay (Salisbury – 2 years; Senior Assistant Mistress)• Mr. Harold Robinson (Leeds – 2 years)• Mr. Jack Rolfe Pointer B.A. (Bristol – 4 years)• Mr. Arthur Thomas (Exeter – 2 years)• Mr. Albert James (Shoreditch – 2 years)• Miss Beatrice May Skinner B.Sc (Liverpool – 4 years)• Miss Irene Chambers (Sheffield – 2 years)• Miss Mary Mabel Kite (Southampton – 2 years)• Miss Catherine Alice Jefferies B.A. (Bristol – 4 years)• Miss Winifred Mary Holder (Hereford – 2 years)• Miss Diane Elizabeth Lee (National Training College of Domestic Subjects – 3

years)• Miss Winifred Margaret Powell (Whitelands – 1 year)• Mr. Robert Edward Harford (Springfield, Birmingham – 1 year)

Life at Pershore County Senior School Of course in 1932, the school was physically

much smaller than today. The school centred around the quad with what are currently rooms 50 to 65, along with the studio, which was also used as a dining room and a school hall. The different thing about Pershore was that it served school dinners this was quite a new thing in these days.

At the back of the studio in those days were the kitchens and storerooms and on the first day Mr Pardoe carved the meat for 352 children. (That is a lot of meat to carve!)

Life at Pershore County Senior School• Pershore County Senior School was also known for

being very strict. Mr Pardoe used to walk down the corridors looking into classrooms to see if anyone was misbehaving. If so, an appropriate punishment would be issued (and it would not have been a green slip, I can assure you) There was no school uniform at this time and everyone left school at the age of 14 (the end of Year 9 nowadays).

Work in the classroom• In this day and age most of us use ball point

pens and biros, but back then students would have used scratchy, steel nibbed pens that often splattered ink over work or ripped it, if not used properly. The ink used was a powder that had to be dissolved into water and put into inkwells round the classroom. Students sat on hard, straight, uncomfortable chairs and worked in silence. Likewise they had to travel around the school in silence.

Form 3A1 – 1936Back row: Derrick Little, John Morgan, John Orchard, Alan Gale, Walter

Hussey, Dennis ?,John Smith, ? , ? Champken

Front row: Doreen Russell, Joyce Payne, Margaret Osborne, Daphne Shepherd, ? , Gladys Smith

The forties

World War II

World War II

Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last a thousand years, men will still say;“This was their finest hour.”

WINSTON CHURCHILL

The school and World War II!

• The school took a large part in World War II. With help from the community, the school was camouflaged and blast walls were built. Outside the dining room, two air raid shelters were built and drills were held to make sure that everyone could get to the shelters quickly and safely.

Identity cards and food in World War II

Everyone had to carry an identity card. Most things were rationed during the war, and could only be purchased by handing over coupons from a ration book. Food was rationed, and the rations per person per week were: one egg, 2ounces of butter, 2ounces of tea, 4ounces of bacon and ham, 12ounces of sugar, 4ounces of margarine, and 2ounces of cooking fat.

The Roll of Honour

At Pershore High School today, the re-dedication of the roll of honour is a ceremony that is held every year. It marks the staff and students who gave their lives during World War II. At the service, students, staff and guests remember those gave up their lives to save us....

The Roll of Honour – November 2009

The fifties

Goodbye Mr PardoeMr. Pardoe was head for the first 25 years of the school. He was awarded the OBEin January 1947 for outstanding work in the development of a SecondaryModern School in a rural area. On 21st March, the school assembled in the hallto congratulate him on the honour, and to present him with a silver cigarettecase. In March 1956, Mr. Pardoe was given special permission by the LEA towork an extra year beyond the age of retirement – this was to allow him tocomplete 25 years in post. His eventual departure was marked by a specialgathering in school on 18th July 1957 – the details are recorded in the log. On25th July he gave way to a new Headmaster, Mr. Johnston, after 45 years servicewith the authority.

The sixties

• The new head, Mr Johnston, was looked up to by members of staff and children alike and under his guidance the school shot off to a great start in the ‘swinging sixties’. The old rooms were far too small now and so the school was expanded to include new science and metalwork rooms, the hall, rooms 45, 46 and 47, needlework rooms and another classroom for maths, which later became a suite of offices and the headmaster’s study.

The new house point system.

Mr Johnston decided people needed more recognition for their work and so made a house point system... There were four houses Grafton, Avon, Abbey and Charlton. House points were given for co-operation and general help. Miss James, then Deputy Head, introduced the school uniform. This was not quite as it is now, it was royal blue and grey.

Holidays abroad!

• It was around this time (the sixties) that staff began taking foreign holidays with parties of pupils and the cost compared with today seems tiny! For example, in 1964 a holiday to Belgium cost £16, including £3 pocket money!

Pershore School in the 1960s

THE SEVENTIES & EIGHTIES

New headmaster

• After Mr Johnston retired, Mr. Jeacock took over as head of the school and during his time in office, a Fifth Year (Year 11) block was built as the school swelled with 820 pupils. The leaving age was raised in 1973 to 16 to give pupils a better education.

Good news for the school

• In 1973 the school became a comprehensive and the new ‘Pershore high school’ was opened! The school was officially open by Lord Boyle on 27th September 1973. The school then expanded needing to make way for new subjects and so an art block, sports hall and a technical block were built.

More changes over time

• In 1976 the middle schools in Pinvin, Abbey Park and Drakes Broughton were established and so entrance to Pershore High School changed to age 12. With the expansion of the school the Sixth Form grew, and soon Sixth formers were sitting the first A level examinations.

Aerial view of the school in the 1970s

Present day• Although much has changed over the years at

Pershore High School, the foundations of the school remain. A wide range of activities to offer and excellent teaching styles make Pershore High one of the best schools around. The current head teacher Mr Corbett has followed on from the work of Mr Krier (1990 – 2002) and allowed the school to flourish and grow. Like the headmasters before him, he has put his heart and soul into making Pershore High a better place. I think we can all agree that Pershore High will continue to grow and improve for many years to come.

My take on Pershore High SchoolJames Manning

There are times when some of us find ourselves faced with things that seem impossibly hard, or challenges that we think we cannot defeat. All of us at some point have to face our fears, and sometimes it is hard to remember that people are there for us in these difficult times. I see Pershore High School as being like a star because when we need help or assistance most and things seem dark, that is when a star shines brightest.