From Park Road School Log Book 1941-64

PARK ROAD SCHOOL SOME EVENTS FROM LOG BOOK JANUARY 1941- JUL 1964

(NOTE that pupil's full names cannot be written if information is personal. A very small number of children are mentioned by name but information could cause upset)

Throughout 1941 most entries,apart from when staff left, joined or were absent were of air raid ‘alerts’ and ‘all clear’ and these were almost daily.

Apr 5^th 1941  Long overnight raid and attendance today only 48 %

May 5^th 1941 Long overnight raid and attendance 47.7 %

Aug 29^th Mr S Lowe left to join Military Service

Jul 21^st 1942  Park Road School which has been occupied by HM Forces since Jan 1940, reopened today. Staff and children of the Protestant section of St Cuthbert’s returned.

Aug 24^th School re-opened as Park Road Senior Mixed School.

Oct 12^th-16^th School opened as a  recreational centre for children of Park Rd, Newburn, St Joseph’s and Ward Jackson schools.

Oct 23^rd 47 boys and 7 girls granted exemption from school for employment in agriculture.

Oct 30^th Low attendance potato picking ..( this becomes yearly occurrence)

Nov 16^th During weekend school broken into. Headteacher’s room and teachers’ desks ransacked. A Red Cross box, a sum of money and a number of War Savings stamps taken.

Dec 1^st New school times morning 9.30- 11.45 and afternoons 1.15-3.30

Dec 3^rd Head (Mr W Turner) attended Police Court concerning the entry of Nov 16^th .One boy probation 12 months and another sent to a home.

Mar 12^th 1943 Joan Thompson passed examination for Commercial Day School and Roland Longstaff & Norman Watts qualified for Technical Day School

Nov 12^th Verina Stephenson claimed to be 13 years of age although on entry to school showed her to be 12. Birth certificate shows signs of being tampered with.

Nov 22^nd Attendance for month 79.6%. More than 1000 attendances lost by children exempt for agricultural employment and a large number of girls being kept at home as mothers working. Many children are making ‘ bad boots’ an excuse for absence.

Dec 2^nd  A large number of soft toys have been made by Miss Lacy’s class for Grantully Wartime Nursery

Jan 10^th 1944 Twelve children performing at Empire Theatre admitted

Feb 1^st Police Officer visited school to talk to children about ‘ Butterfly Bombs’

Feb 22^nd On instructions from Education Office Freda …… removed from school as certified an imbecile. (NAME NOT WRITTEN HERE 100 year rule)

Apr 3^rd Jessica ……. returned to school and was insolent and abusive to teacher. She was sent to head but left school. This girl is very backward and has caused much trouble in school.

Jun 20^th The mother of Margaret……… an abusive and threatening woman came to complain that her child had been punished. Investigation showed she had been correctly punished, one stroke of the cane for being defiantly disobedient after a warning.

Aug 28^th  Eight London evacuees admitted.

Mar 20^th 1945 Campaign Officer of Ministry of Supply addressed children for their part in paper salvage drive.

Oct 10^th 1945 Several boys- Amerigo, Brown, Corbett, Ferguson, Jones, Welsh, Rhymer & Mann are persistent truanters. Five of these boys have been admitted from other schools where they had bad records. In most cases parents make false statements to cover truanting.

Dec 20^th  Eighteen girls appearing at Empire admitted for the week

Jun 26^th 1946 Party of 17 girls soon to leave school visited Price’s Clothing Factory (thereafter regular entry)

Nov 1^st 1946  George C Crosby became head teacher

Nov 6^th Mr Wildgoose dental inspection (many entries follow re. Mr Wildgoose's visits)

Dec 13^th Max Lock, Town Planning expert examined the school building in connection with his re-planning of Hartlepool

Feb 7^th School without fuel. Heavy snowfall and fuel shortages. This continued throughout Feb and into March

Feb 27^th Average classroom temperature 42 degrees F

Apr 1^st 1947 School leaving age raised to 15 years

Sep 1947  202 boys and 206 girls on roll

Sep 22^nd disruption created by demolition of brick shelters

Nov 6^th  20 4^th year boys visited Gray’s Shipyard  (thereafter regular entry)

Nov 20^th School closed marriage of Princess Elizabeth

Apr 7^th 1948 Death of Raymond Boddy aged 14 following appendix operation. A splendid boy.

Apr 21^st 1948  20 4^th year girls visited Laundry and Dye Works

May 12^th  12 girls visited Cerebos Salt Works  (thereafter regular entry)

Jun 2^nd  10 boys visited Head Wrightson (thereafter regular entry)

Jun 3^rd Squadron Leader Mason gave talk on Careers in Air Force

Oct 8^th  1948  1^st year boys have been in school now 6 weeks and it is obvious that they are backward. Most are B or C pupils, most of the A pupils having been transferred to another Senior School.

5^th Nov Mr Glover and Mrs Noble have organised a successful swimming club weekly at Hartlepool Bathing Pool in summer and Billingham Baths in winter

Dec 3^rd   15 boys visited Blackhall Colliery and made extensive tour underground and sampled pit head baths  ( thereafter regular entry)

14^th Feb 1949  20 boys visited Siemens Factory (thereafter regular entry)

Aug 29^th 1949 Pupil and member of Park Rd Swimming Club made a courageous but unsuccessful attempt to rescue Mr Lowcock, father of 9, as he went to assistance of a small boy who also lost his life.

7^th Feb  16 girls visited North of England Match Factory ( thereafter regular entry)

Miss Manley, chief school dentist arranged a saliva test for all puplis

7^th Jul 1950  25 boys week’s visit to Carlton Camp

14^th July   25 girls to Carlton Camp

4^th Sep 1950   472 on roll  228 boys, 244 girls

28^th Oct 1950 Boys’ Dept on fire reported at 5.15 pm. Head teacher writes with assistance of chief fire officer he removed this Log book, registers and important documents. Damage extensive and Boys’ Dept will be unfit for some time. Boys to attend  p.m. girls a.m.

Nov 13^th 1950 Arrangement made with Presbyterian church next door to use 4 rooms in the Sunday School.

11^th Jan 1951  16 girls visited Andrew’s Paper Bag works.

15^th Feb   12 girls visited Pyramid Plastics

7^th Mar 1951   16 boys taken to visit South Durham Steel and Iron

21^st May 1951 Work commenced on damaged Boys’ Dept

22^nd Oct 1951 Boys’ School now again occupied

16^th Jan 1952   18 boys visited Central Marine Engine Works

1^st Apr 1952 School bus to Grayfields ceased so children to use service buses

1^st Apr 1952 Persistent absentees, two Maw brothers and 2 Iddison brothers gathering and selling sea coal in school hours

30^th Jun 1953 Secondary Boys Swimming Gala, Park Road won shield and cup

31^st Aug 1953  393 children on roll, 73 fewer than last year. Families moving to new housing estates.

16^th Feb 1954 Valerie Gallagher, a pupil  received extensive burns when cookery apron caught fire. Was taken to Cameron Hospital and then Shotley Bridge

15^th July 1955  Ann Stevenson qualified for admission to Girls’ High school

16^th July 1956 Park Rd Senior League Cricket Team won Championship Shield which they last held in 1939

2^nd Sep 1957 Nearly 100 children have been transferred to Brierton School

25^th Jul 1958 Senior Cricket Team won Championship Shield for 3^rd year running. School has no playing field !

Sep 1^st 1958   299 on roll. School seriously understaffed

7^th Jan 1958  275 on roll.      Much absence, very heavy snow,biting winds. Poor footwear.

Apr 22^nd Dr Milligan vaccinated 95 children and 2 staff against poliomyelitis

May 11^th 1959 School Swimming Gala Seaton Baths . Park Rd won Alderman Hogg Trophy

27^th Oct 1959   Record number of pupils ,18, excluded after head examination

2^nd May 1960   226 on roll

Jun 1960  Headteacher drew attention to small number of children to be transferred from Ward Jackson and Newburn Junior Schools in Sep 1960

28^th Oct   Head says that school is getting difficult families who have bad records, several are from other schools and have been transferred ‘’at the parents’ request’’     (head often comments on the quality of the children sent to his school)

7^th Dec 1960 Proposed that the next door Education Offices be extended into the Boys’ Laboratory. Proposed to convert two rooms in the school to a new science room.

19^th May 1961  Two girls Jane Dinsdale and Brenda Boyd  qualified for Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award

Sep 4^th 1961 School roll further decreased to 208 and staff had to be reduced

Jan 8^th 1962 only 178 on roll as surrounding houses demolished and families move to new estates

22^nd Jan 1963  Discussion with Mr Dowsland Chief Education Officer that possibly Lister St be all girls and Park Rd all boys as both have small numbers

29^th Apr 1963  on roll 151 children

13^th Apr 1964  on roll 142  This will probably be the final term in the history  of this school

July 15^th 1964 Furniture and equipment from school offered to others with Lister St as priority

23^rd July Park Rd School closes tomorrow and completes 80 years of splendid and useful service in educating the young. The demolition of property in this part of town and the consequent movement of population has hastened the closure of this school. Also the site will shortly be required as part of the planned shopping centre. The pupils will be transferred to Lister Street.

I, George Crosby terminate my appointment at this school after 18 happy years as headmaster. I have, of course, indicated to the Education Committee my retirement from the teaching profession.

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