Robert James was a member of staff at the time of transition from Burton Grammar School to Abbot Beyne Comprehensive:

The dreaded ‘C’ word (comprehensive) wasn’t heard a great deal in 1970-71.  Teachers knew that there were plans for re-organisation, but Ted Heath’s victory in the June 1970 general election, contrary to the predictions of every opinion poll, meant that they were unlikely to go ahead.  Burton, it is often forgotten, was then a County Borough, not administratively part of Staffordshire. But local government re-organisation meant that this independence was soon to be lost, and coupled with a change in the political climate locally and nationally, it became clear that comprehensive re-organisation was inevitable.

The Headmaster, Bill Gillion, announced his retirement in 1973, no doubt seeing the writing on the wall, and after a term when Geoff Henton was acting head, Brian Harris took over the reins in January 1974.  He was a man of high principles, as his decision to go into the church five years late clearly showed.  He was approachable whilst at the same time having considerable presence.  It is often forgotten that he had taught at one of the leading grammar schools in the North of England, Stockport G.S., and managed BGS as a grammar school very effectively.

By this time, numbers in the school were falling.  Pupils who had previously come from outlying villages in both Derbyshire and Staffordshire now were directed to their nearest secondary school.  In 1974, the intake was only 2 forms instead of the usual 3.  Another nail was being driven into the coffin.

Before Mr Harris’ arrival, the governors had sought Direct Grant status from the Minister of Education.  There were many Direct Grant Schools in the country, prestigious grammar schools such as Loughborough GS, Nottingham High School, King Henry’s Coventry.  These schools were not funded by the local authority but by a grant from central government, hence the name.  This gave them much more independence than the voluntary controlled schools such as BGS.

The Secretary of State for Education at the time however, refused to re-open the direct grant list. Given that person’s later education policies, this may seem surprising – it was none other than Margaret Thatcher. Fifteen years or so later, her government’s Education Reform Act set up Grant Maintained Schools to free schools, if they so wished, from the dead hand of local authority control.  By that time, the old Direct Grant Schools had been forced by the previous administration to choose either to go totally independent or be subsumed into the local authority system.

The irony of the setting up of Grant Maintained Schools by the Thatcher government was not lost on those of us still at Abbot Beyne and charged with implementing the 1988 Act.  However, there was considerable opposition and pressure from the local authority and the governors not to seek Grant Maintained Status, and the school’s management got on with the job of implementing the other major initiatives started by the Act – local financial management and the National Curriculum.

It was the elections of 1974 which made re-organisation inevitable.  Few amongst the staff would have argued that the selection process at age 11 was ideal, but there were many who considered that just as flawed was a total, rushed and inadequately funded upheaval of the secondary education of the town based on two split-site schools at the former grammar schools and single site schools at the two remaining secondary moderns.

However, inevitably the plans went ahead and there was to be new school based on the old Girls’ High School, BGS and the Ada Chadwick School.

It was a stressful time for the staff of all three schools.  In the summer of 1975, staff had to apply for the new posts in the new school.  Some kept their status, some were promoted, some moved into new posts and others lost their status, even if salaries were safeguarded.

Everything happened at break-neck speed.  The new school had to be up and running within months.  There was no investment in facilities apart from botched-up conversions of toilets.  One group of parents attempted to halt the re-organisation by seeking an injunction.  It was the middle of August when a judge in chambers ruled that to unpick the re-organisation at that stage would have been more harmful than to let it go ahead.  Until then, we didn’t know for certain what awaited us at the start of the autumn term.

Much bitterness had been generated, with the opinions of many becoming totally polarised.  They were difficult times, and there is little point now in opening old wounds and resurrecting the acrimony of 1975.

Brian Harris, as Head of the new Abbot Beyne School, was inevitably regarded by some of the defenders of the old regime with suspicion, but he showed enormous reserves of resilience as well as sincerity, and did his utmost to bring the staff together and make the new school work.  He did an excellent job in the most trying of conditions, as did the senior staff of all the schools.

Staff opinions at BGS varied.  All were naturally apprehensive.  What many found galling was the fact that some of the more vociferous proponents of the Comprehensive System had left shortly before, leaving the rest of us to pick up the pieces.  Many staff were not opposed to the principle of a comprehensive system, but had well-founded fears about its imposition on three schools without the appropriate investment in new building and resources.  This was, after all, the era in which Denis Healey, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, had to go cap in hand to the International Monetary Fund, such was the state of the nation’s finances.

Split-site schools are difficult to manage.  Travelling between sites leads to stress and fatigue, as well as making timetabling and supervision inordinately difficult.  Gone were the old days when you walked a few yards from the staffroom to your class. Now, for many, it was a dash to the car-park, often carrying a pile of books or resources, and a journey along Bearwood Hill Road to be in time for the next lesson.

The vast majority of staff, especially the younger ones, were pragmatic.  If they wished to teach in a grammar school, then they had to look towards the independent sector.  This was not appealing to many of those who had been educated and had taught in the state system.  Staff had to do their utmost, for the sake of all pupils, to make the slit-site system, imperfect though it was, work.

New ways of working had to be adapted whilst at the same time trying to maintain the best features and traditions of the school.  The object was always to provide the best education possible.  Whether this can be judged to be successful or not, it was certainly not for lack of trying by those involved at the time.

Deus Nobiscum

Paul Leedham was one of the pupils at the time of transition from Burton Grammar School to Abbot Beyne Comprehensive:

As far as the transition from Grammar to Comprehensive was concerned – the whole subject was full of mixed emotions. Many pupils lived in denial that it would ever happen. The cynics amongst us, always filled with awe at the legacy of Mr Gillion, believed that Bomber Harris was brought in because of his left-wing tendancies!! (it never occurred to us that perhaps, just maybe, Mr Gillion was at retirement age by then!!) Nonetheless, the idea of the school becoming comprehensive was something we could never contemplate, despite the fact that several masters told us “this will happen in Sept ’75″ and tried to convince us that converting to a Comprehensive was a much better prospect… as if it were just a game of politics… it became apparent just who the “yes” men were amongst the staff. We were all very proud to ware our Deus Nobiscum badge and accompanying uniform, and what it stood for. Who could possible take the fact that we were Burton Boys Grammar pupils away from us? Well the system couldn’t – the vast majority of us continued to wear our uniform, badge and tie until we left school and moved on, despite being encouraged to hang up our uniform and don the new badge with the motto “Onward Together”.

When the transition arrived in September 1975, the effect ranged from submission to the new regime, to what verged on anarchy. I can clearly remember the first morning, when the doors opened. Where coat hooks had stood at the end of summer term, there now stood horrible, tall metal lockers! Our beautiful wooden lockers, which were built into the walls along the corridors (I’m sure you’ll remember them) were all closed, and were kept that way be means of 4-inch nails through the doors and into the frames. Now we understood why we were asked to empty our lockers at the end of the summer term. Enter the anarchists! A small number of pupils, (suprisingly they were probably the brightest amongst us) borrowed claw hammers and removed as many of the 4-inch nails as possible, and then transferred their belongs back to the wooden lockers. This was followed by a ritual kicking of the new metal lockers, until they were dented and severly damaged. When faced by staff, the anarchists were abusive, disrespectful and downright obnoxious. They’re previous respectful approach to authority was nowhere to be found. Needless to say, the anarchists were dealt with via statutory means at the time, the cane, plus letters to parents. Suprisingly, none were suspended.

Despite the demise of Burton Boys Grammar in name at least, the merger of the three schools caused a number of different emotions. Certain pupils could see the benefits: access to girls from the High School would be much easier, and justified; after all, we were one school now with some mixed classes. However, there was a downside: Ada Chadwick. The girls from there were considered to be “not of suitable standing” to be seen with Grammar School boys, and were avoided at all costs on this basis. The Ada Chadwick boys were another problem all together. They treated us with contempt and regularly called us “Grammar School poofs”, “Nice Boys” or “Snobs”. This led to many bloody scenes, one of which I was involved in; I sustained more damage than any rugby match had inflicted ever on me. Then there was the organised battles on the bank between the rugby field and the ex-Ada Chadwich Building, involving missiles of all shapes and sizes. They were frightening times.

Eventually, I think we came to accept what had happened, but a streak of rebellion always remained. Right to the point where I left the school in 1978, there would be a small contingent that refused to sing the new school song (myself included), and would manage to sing “Deus Nobiscum, God With Us” at the same time as the new song.

At the end of the day, we were all proud to have been pupils at Burton Boys Grammar. Its legacy lives on in all of us. Whenever asked, I’m sure most say “I was at Burton Boys Grammer School” -never- “Abbot Beyne”; I know I do, and always will.

Back Row: Bill Myshrall, Bernie Prior, Ray Cross, David Patrick, Hamilton, Paul Arnold, Mick Peace, Bridges, Ian Gray
Middle Row: Harvey, Tim Hollis, Hunt, Philip Hutchinson, Paul Ratcliff, Oliver Plecan, Michael Aspley, Paul Aston, McKinnon
Front Row: Mick Barrett, Hugh Jones, Tim Watson, John Goodhall, Leslie Roe, Roy Sutton, Philip Mann, Andrew Bexon, Ian Bell

By now, Mr. Robinson had been replaced by Sydney Wilson as headmaster. The school had ceased to be independent and was now a state run school but had a good name for sound, solid work.

The number of boys at the school had now reached three hundred. Pupils now sat for ‘School Certificates’ and ‘Higher School Certificates’ which had been introduced a few years prior. In 1933, twenty-eight School Certificates were awarded together with ten Higher School Certificates. Bearing in mind that a year would have consisted of around fifty boys, this will give some idea of the national success rate, Burton having well above average performance.

Typical Classroom

Art Room

By 1912, the school had become well established. From an initial sixty-seven pupils and five staff, the numbers had risen steadily to one hundred and sixty-eight pupils, headmaster, eight teaching masters and two part-time staff.

The headmaster was Mr. Robinson who had taken the helm in 1900 and the school was enjoying results that gave it a high placing within the country’s result table. Generally, things were running smoothly; no-one could have forseen that war was just around the corner or have conceived that a number of pupils would soon be lost in the war effort.

Headmaster’s House (which caused much controversy)

Main Entrance in Bond Street (also including some later additions)

West view of school facing Lichfield Street

Art-Room (up in the ‘Attic’)

Woodwork Workshop

1912 Cricket Team

1912 Rugby Team

Many years later than originally expected, in 1877, Burton Grammar School was at last transferred to the newly erected Bond Street School.

The above picture was taken just prior to the opening of the new school and shows the school staff and their wives. 

Fortunately for us, Mr Tripp had the foresight to have the above picture taken which shows the entire school, pupils and staff, at the time of transfer. This included the grand total of sixty-seven, all boy, pupils.

The majority of students at this time still had to pay a £8 per annum fee. Scholarships were available from the Local Education Authority to boys who had passed a satisfactory examination, although only four such scholarships were available each year.

Subjects on opening included: Mathematics, Geography (political and physical), English (grammar, composition and literature), History (ancient and modern), Natural Science, Latin, Economics, Art and Drawing, Vocal Music and one foreign, European language.

When Bond Street school opened in 1877, there were sixty-seven pupils. By 1953, there were five hundred and six. The ATC headquarters had long since been absorbed into the school to provide more space, a hut now contained two classrooms, the main hall served at least four different roles; the congestion and inconvenience within the school was described by the headmaster as deplorable. The preparatory forms were discontinued because there was no room to accommodate them. Probably even more significantly, more than twenty-five percent of students that achieved the required entry standard had to be denied and the sixth form was becoming very constrained. A new school had passed becoming desirable, it was now a necessity.

In 1918, 1931 and 1938, plans for a new school had looked close to coming to fruition but had eventually fallen through. A new school might have succeeded earlier had it not been for the outbreak of the second world war shortly afterwards.

Finally, in 1952, plans for a new school were accepted. A deal was worked out to exchange the land currently belonging to the school for a new four acre site in Winshill. Final plans were completed on time for March 31st 1953. By 1955, building was very well on the way and it was expected that occupancy of the new school would begin after the school holidays in September, 1956. The school buildings would belong to the Governors, chaired by Mrs Evershed; all equipment would belong to the Town.

Click here to view large image

To commemorate the end of the school, it was decided that a complete picture of the school should be prepared by Panora Limited, London, which was achieved with a mechanism that panned the camera from left to right. Famously, the picture had to be retaken after pupil, David Orme, jumped from the top left and ran to the other end so as to appear twice.

Occasionally, and I suppose inevitably, there is a ‘Story to Tell’ about Burton Grammar School; sometimes positive, sometimes negative. I have decided to feature these in a seperate section.

Select item to view:

• Class 5X
• John Jervis
• Harold Moodey
• Anthony Hardy

One of the most tragic events in Burton Grammar School’s history was the case of Mr Harold Moodey, headmaster from 1941-1950.

Harold Moodey was educated at Chatham House Public school where, aside from being an outstanding scholar, he was senior prefect, captain of cricket and captain of football.

He gained an Open Scholarship to Oxford and took first class honours degrees in Natural Science and Chemistry. He entered Jesus College, Oxford and was there were war broke out. He then ‘enjoyed’ distinguished service in the Royal Air Force. Back in Jesus College after the war, he gained college colours for football and rowing and became president of a number of societies including Oxford Colleges Scientific Club.

As a post-graduate, he wrote a number of papers and textbooks and had a distinguished teaching career as second master of Chemistry at the esteemed Liverpool Collegiate School and Head of All Sciences at Hampton-on-Thames Grammar School.

… and so it goes on. Colleagues had nothing but good to say about him before he suffered some kind of mental illness and some unsuccessful procedure that had a very negative effect on his mental well-being. He went off sick just before Christmas, 1949, and was reported to be seriously ill.

One morning in May, 1950, to the shock of the school, he went to Burton Railway Station and committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving train. When the police visited his Stapenhill home, they discovered the true extent of the tragedy. His wife and teenage son and daughter were all found dead as the result of head injuries.

The newspaper reported:

TRAGIC FATE OF BURTON FAMILY

HEADMASTER, WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN FOUND DEAD

Mr. H. S. Moodey Killed on Railway

POLICE FIND FAMILY DEAD AT HOME

A DISTRESSING FOUR-FOLD TRAGEDY, IN WHICH THE WHOLE OF A BURTON FAMILY DIED, WAS REVEALED TO-DAY.
Mr. Harold Stephen Moodey, Headmaster of Burton Grammar School, was killed at Burton Railway Station this morning, when he was struck by the engine of the Derby to Birmingham train which arrives at Burton at 7:20 a.m.

When police officers visited his home at 8, Clay Street, Stapenhill, later in the morning, they there found his wife, Mrs. Marjorie M. Moodey, and two children, Richard Stephen, aged 15 years, and Hilary Jane, aged 12 years, also dead with head injuries.

It is understood that shortly after seven o’clock this morning Mr. Moodey bought a return railway ticket for Tamworth and was apparently waiting for the 7.20 a.m. train to Birmingham which stops at Tamworth.

At Burton station to-day a Burton Daily Mail reporter was told that as the train approached the platform the driver of the engine, Mr. Oakell of 528, Kings Road, longstanding, saw a man. standing on the permanent way between the track and a stationary coach.

A split second after that he felt a bump at the front of the locomotive and applied his brakes, pulling up the train within a matter of yards. Mr. Moodey’s body was recovered from under the fourth coach of the train.

Police officers investigating the tragedy found the railway ticket in a pocket, and also a piece of paper bearing the name “Moodey”. In order to establish identity, police officers visited Mr, Moodey’s home at Clay Street, and on entering discovered the bodies of Mrs. Moodey and the two children, all dead, with head injuries. Members of the C.I.D. were immediately called to the scene and continued their investigations throughout the morning.

Mr. Moodey’s son, Richard was a pupil at Repton School and his daughter Hilary was a pupil at Burton Girls’ High School.

A DISTINGUISHED CAREER
Mr. Moodey, who was 52, accepted the headmastership of Burton Grammar School on March 3rd, 1942, when living at East Court Cottage, Finchhampstead, Berkshire. There were 165 applications for the post, which was rendered vacant by the death of Mr. W. Fraser, who came to Burton in 1935.

Educated at Chatham House School, Ramsgate, where he was appointed assistant master in 1916, he won an open science scholarship at Oxford two years earlier. At Jesus College he gained his M.A, (Oxon.), and first-class honours in Natural Science Chemistry in 1921.

From 1921 to 1924 he was second chemistry master at Liverpool Collegiate School, and from then until coming to Burton he was head of the science department and sixth form master at Hampton-on-Thames Endowed School (founded in 1556).
He served with the R.F.C. and R.A.F. during the first World War.

He was a keen sportsman, and obtained his college colours for football and for rowing, and was captain of the college second cricket XI. As a master at Hampton school before coming to Burton, he was in charge of the school football and cricket teams, and was Scoutmaster of the school troop of 70 boys.

In 1935 he was District Commissioner of the Hampton and District Scouts’ Association.

He was keenly interested in dramatic art, and his wife shared in this enthusiasm and held the degrees of A.L.A.M. A.T.C.L., Eloc. Mr. Moodey was a member of the Joint National Committee of I.A.A.M. and S.M.A. which compiled a memorandum on science teaching and of the conpultative panel of I.A.A.M., for chemistry and general science.
He was physics representative of the Middlesex branch of I.A.A.M., and author of a text-book “Qualatitive Analysis.”
In 1942, when Mr, Moodey came to Burton, the Hampton school had 550 boys, compared with Burton’s 350.

During the last few days of the school Christmas holiday in January this year, it was reported that Mr. Moodey was seriously ill, and he had not been able to resume his duties since that time.

On March 31st, the occasion of the Grammar School’s speech day, Mr. H. Pitchford, who has been deputising in his absence, said he was glad to report that Mr. Moodey had taken a distinct turn for the better.

An inquest will be opened tomorrow by the Burton borough coroner, Major T. H. Bishop.