Back row: Paul Moore, Paul Ballinger, Neil Taylor, Chris England, Kurt Calder, Graham Coleman, Steven Laxton, Stephen Carrington-Porter, John Chilton
Centre row: Philip Butcher, Nicholas Horton, David Holmes, David Taylor, Paul Keate, Alan Botham, Stephen Holmes, Andrew Reavill, Peter Earp, M10
Front row: Duncan Andrew,  Anthony Warner, Tim Murphy, Roger Yates, Brian Harris (Headmaster), Bernard Crump, Malcolm Yates, Paul Campion; David Setford

Back Row: Philip Lynch, Michael Ball, Alastair MacVicar, Trevor Wright, John Lomas, Alan Matkin, Colin Ball, Steven Booth, Steven Neal, Kelvin Russell
Front Row: Adrian Leese, Anthony Anderson, Stephen Smith, Keith Large, Chris Shepard (Form master), Michael Gipson, Robert Melville, Stephen Johnson, Robert Large.

Absent: Brian Gee, Paul Lewis, Martin Scanlon, Ian Waterson.

So, would you pass for the Grammar School now ?!

Here is the Maths entry test, there are also two more 11+ papers to complete; ‘Verbal Reasoning’ and ‘Non-verbal Reasoning’. Good luck – but remember, they were designed to assess eleven year olds!!

There was no English test as such; the second of the three papers was ‘Verbal Reasoning’.

The final paper of the three was ‘Non-verbal Reasoning‘. This was my favourite because, to this day, I love puzzles and these felt little more than that. I can remember my first priority being to try to leave the class first, which seemed far more important than using any remaining time to check my answers, but I still managed to scrape through somehow.

In 1915, while the First World War was raging, George Herbert Cooper joined Burton Grammar School as one of a small number of Scholarship boys who had performed sufficiently well in an application test to avoid having to pay the then relatively hefty fees.

He performed very well at the school and was known for being methodically hard working which awarded him excellent examination results. After completing his Higher School Certificates in the sixth form, he left in 1921 for a place at Sheffield University to read Chemistry. In 1924, he gained a B.Sc and went on to take an M.Sc and Diploma in Education, again, both at Sheffield University.

George was extremely pleased at being able to secure a teaching post back at Burton Grammar School. He was appointed by the headmaster of the time, R.T.Robinson, who was very familiar with him having been the headmaster there for the whole of his time there as a pupil. I think even Mr Cooper would have been amazed to know at the time that he would go on to spend the next 42 years at the school in a career that would span no less than seven different headmasters. After a short probationary period from September 1925, he was formally appointed in January 1926. Despite his main speciality being Chemistry, staff requirements required him to initially teach a combination of Mathematics, Latin and English. As the teaching staff grew, his sole teaching subject became Maths.

George was interested in Drama whilst a pupil and, after the founding of the Burton Grammar School Dramatics Society in 1920, he appeared as one of the cast of its very first production, ‘Jedbury Junior’, where he played ‘Whimper’, manservant to the Jedburys. On his return as a master, he keenly became involved again and became assistant director to Mr E.C. Nicholson, and later took over the business management of the society as well as taking on a number of roles in its productions over the years.

Mr Cooper became known as ‘Black Hawk’ because of his stooped demeanour and rather jerky walk, usually in his robes, that characterized him. In the transition from the Bond Street to Winshill schools, for some reason, he instead became known as ‘Judder’.

In 1950, George became ‘Second Master’ to Horace Pitchford, qualifying by virtue of intimate and long experience of the running of the School. He was hold this position until his retirement some 18 years later whereupon, Geoffrey Henton took over and the post was changed to ‘Deputy Headmaster’.

Although still a member of staff, George was appointed President of the Old Boys’ Association for 1952/3.

When Bill Gillion, a Cambridge Graduate of Mathematics and strong advocate of academic excellence, joined the school as Headmaster, he had plans of improving academic success of the most talented students and, in particular, to prepare them for scholarships for Oxford, Cambridge and other Universities of Excellence. It was his opinion that the Mathematics Department at the school, headed by a methodical but not particularly dynamic or progressive thinking George Cooper, did not offer sufficient provision so he took the tough decision in 1958 to re-appoint Harry ‘Brab’ Smith to take over. George was to retain a position as a Maths teacher to the lower forms but also retained the position of ‘Second Master’.

Outside of the school, George was very involved with the Methodist Church where, among other things, he was organist. He was also an enthusiastic member of the Burton Historical and Archaeological Society.

George H. Cooper lived for Burton Grammar School. He was rather unobtrusive meaning that much of his effect on the School went largely unnoticed. He worked quietly away without getting or seeking much acknowledgement. After his eventual retirement in 1968, he maintained his association with the School through his continued membership of the Old Boys’ Association.

Retirement Dinner, Newton Park Hotel 1969

Standing: Percy Barratt, Geoff Henton, Jack Playll, Robin Langton, Hugh Wood, Richard Inwood, Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Read, Harry Smith, Frank Read, Jack Adams, K.T. Harris, David Davies, David Shrubbs, Norman Roe, John Redmond, Alan White
Seated: Horace Pitchford, George Cooper, Mrs. Cooper, Bill Gillion, Frances Gillion

Entry in Staff Book

The complete Burton Grammar School staff in 1900 was as follows:

Rev. T.W. Beckett (Spongy) – Headmaster
Taught Maths and History. He was sometimes assisted by a Mr Cole who left at the same time as Mr Beckett.
“Awe inspiring with a very strong presence”.

W.T. Jeffcott (Piggy) – Second Master
Taught Latin, French and Shakespeare (yes, a subject on its own!). He also took ‘New Testament Gospel’ for the first half hour on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
“A good teacher but very sarcastic. Prone to dozing off in his chair at the end of the afternoon”.

H.T. Walker (HT)
Taught English, History and Geography. An Oxford M.A. and a gentleman but clearly disliked being a teacher.
“A very nice man and good sort but very poor teacher”.

W.H. Walker (Blue-blood)
Taught English, and covered for a number of other subjects. He left in 1902.
“Known for wearing disproportionately large collars and cuffs. Very prententious and artificial. Not very popular”.

J.W. Mackay (Black Devil)
Taught Form II (second year) for most subjects and also took Elementary Latin.
“Very severe and dour. First formers dreaded becoming second formers”.

J. Mills (Nitty)
Taught Middle-School Maths and History. He also took ‘Old Testament Religion’, alternating with Mr Jeffcott, first thing on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
“Very conscientious, a good teacher and very precise”.

G.H. Storer (Strongy)
Taught Chemistry and occasionally, Nature Study lessons.
“A keen teacher and very interested in spending time with pupils”.

Stevenson (Tommy)
Took Form I (first year) for all subjects.
“Very easy going and kind with his first formers”.

R.T. Robinson (Dickie)
Succeeded Mr Beckett as Headmaster in July of 1900 and he took over the teaching of Maths and History.
“Excellent mathematician and maths teacher with a number of characteristic mannerisms. Keen on History of old monasteries. Very sharp and very admirable”.

W.H. Robinson (Taffy)
Soon after R.T. Robinson joined in 1900, Mr Mackay left and was replaced by Mr Robinson’s brother. In addition to taking over Form II (second year), also taught more advanced Latin and helped some of the senior boys going to Cambridge with their compulsory Greek.
“Very loud, and so were his classes, but very willing to help pupils”.

Imminent changes
In 1902, Classroom ‘E’ was extended to make a Physics Laboratory about the same size as the existing Chemistry Lab. and J.W. Ramshaw joined as Physics master. He issued the introductory textbook, Edser’s ‘Heat for Advanced Students’, with a title that scared the life out of pupils at the time.

In 1904, J.W. Ramshaw left and was succeeded by A. Rigby who came from Leeds University. Around the same time, Mssr. A. Pecquinot arrived from France to teach French and introduced the very first French Oral examination.

J.W. Ranshaw
Slightly feared with a new subject (Physics)
“A good and interesing teacher. Very energetic and hard working”.

A. Rigby (Theta)
Arthur replaced Mr Ramshaw to teach Physics.
“Very keen but not at all inspiring and not as good as Mr Ramshaw who he replaced”.

A. Pecquinot (Pecky)
Came from France close to the Swiss border.
“A good teacher and very friendly”.