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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Kent Lookup Requests => Kent => England => Kent Completed Lookup Requests => Topic started by: a chesters on Wednesday 12 January 11 05:56 GMT (UK)
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Seeking any information about two schools I attended in the 1950's!
The information from the memory banks is that I attended Sheerness Technical High School 1954 to 1957, and Canterbury Technical High School in 1958.
I have tried to find information from Canterbury High and they have no knowledge of a technical high, nor do Hadlow College.
Please help because if I cannot find any information I will have think my memory is not what I though it was.
A Cheaters
in Australia
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The Kent History Forum http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php has several threads regarding Sheerness Tech (see the Education part of the forum). Something there may jog your memory.
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Hi Down under,
Dont worry mate your memory,s OK . There certainly was a Sheerness Tech School 1954.57. I was at Rochester Tech and then Gillingham Tech same years as you were at Sheerness. We used to wait at Sittingbourne Train station for our train to school at the same times as Sheerness Tech boys from Sittingbourne and Faversham were waiting for the Sheerness Train.
I dont know whenthe Tech schools were discontinued under education reforms but it was a long time ago.
Regards Rog :D ;D
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Friends Reunited is a good place for finding more recent schools
This one ??? http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/School.page/Canterbury_Technical_High_School_For_Boys/30897/Details
Casalguidi :)
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Hi there,
I live just outside Canterbury and I know that Canterbury College at the Longport site was in fact the old Canterbury technical college. If you look at their website it has a comprehensive section on the history of the college. Teresa.
By the way, Canterbury High used to be the Frank Hooker school. You must remember that one! They changed the name many years ago as the girl pupils got fed up with being called Hookers!!!
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Thanks to the three of you for the information.
To scintilla:
I checked the history website, and although I was a little before the posts there, a couple of the names rang bells
Rog:
It is quite possible that you might have passed my brother, "the brainy one", as he had the "good" luck of ending up at the grammar school at Sittingbourne.
Casalguidi:
Thanks for the website. It was interesting, but none of the members who have their names on it have any mention in my memory banks. Not that I did not know them, just that they did not sink in. As Canterbury was my second High school, and I had been to three primary schools, such details tended to flow through.
Theresa:
Thanks for that. as I was there for one and my final year, I was only interested in getting through it. I think I might have paid more attention if I had realised the girls were hookers!!!!
Ahh, the memories.
Thanks very much for putting my mind at ease
A Chesters
on Australia Day!
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Hi
I have just come upon your question and can assure you that both Sheerness and Canterbury had Technical Schools back then.I attended Canterbury Technical High School For Boys from 1964-70. The headmaster during 1958 was still there when I arrived A J Parrot ('Polly) a lovely fellow with a wooden leg. His deputy was George Lissenden (very short). The senior teachers were Ray Greenstreet (Maths), 'Taffy' Davies (English), Lew Gladwell (History), 'Lofty' Davis (English/French). The school was an old Hospital Building in the Longport just a 200 yards from the prison. We moved up to a new school Spring Lane in 1966/67, - the physical move (ie desks and chairs) being undertaken by the students because surprise, surprise money was tight. A Labour Government sometime in the 1970's pushed for the abolition of selection and the Tech School was renamed the Geofrey Chaucer School when it went comprehensive at that time - hence your difficulties in finding much about it and the Sheerness Tech. There was also a Canterbury Technical High School For Girls located opposite the prison - I believe this is now called Barton Court Grammar. I know you received a few replies but the names of the teachers might just stir some additional memories even though you were only at Canterbury for a year. Somewhere I have a picture taken at the entrance of the Longport school which is of a football team and the Games/PE teacher a Mr Van de Peer. Amazingly, I still have my old school tie from the 6th form because it has a very fine design of Canterbury Crosses on it and I still have a set of Technical Drawing instruments that 'Polly' gave me when he retired.
My wife Paula went to Canterbury Technical College and by strange coincidence she also studied in the Longport building, since the college used it for a short while after the Tech School ceased using it. Incidentally, the view out of the rear of the Longport building was straight down onto St Augustines Abbey which is a World Heritage Site. Paula and I shall be visiting Melbourne and Sydney and staying with our son in Perth in December 2015, so if you are close to any of these places we will happily tell you more in person should circumstances permit. Regards Barney
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I too went to Canterbury Tech High in the early to mid 60's along with my 2 brothers Richard and Peter Brown. We lived in Faversham and took the train to get to school.
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Hi Barney, just stumbled across this site and saw your name, hopefully you remember me!
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I also started at Canterbury Technical High School for Boys in 1958 having taken the 13+ exam in the Archbishop's School Canterbury. The form teacher for that first class was Peter van de Peer who also played football for Sittingbourne. In those days the school offered a range of subjects based on engineering, building or agriculture but soon extended the curriculum and established a sixth form.
A J Parrott was an inspirational headmaster, A Hills (Physics & Maths), Page (Physics), Greaves (Chemistry), Marsh (Biology), R Greenstreet (Maths & Tech Drawing), Nichols (Geography), L Gladwell (History & Music), T Davies & PR Davis (English & French), P van de Peer (Games), Edwards? (Metalwork), Eliot (Woodwork), E Bumstead (Tech Drawing).
It was a character-forming school that attained a lot of creditable achievements.
The building was the old Canterbury Hospital that was shared with the Technical College. Assembly each morning was in the canteen. Gym was done in the Baptist Church Hall and we often walked to the Barracks to use their football pitch. The annual school cross-country run took us out of Canterbury and through Little Barton Farm. The end of year prize-giving was held in the Cathedral Chapter House. Sixth formers attended ballroom dancing lessons in the girls' school opposite and could then confidently take to the floor in the annual Old Boys Reunion. Happy days!
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Thank you for that information. It was a long time ago, and trying to remember is not always easy :P
Also, welcome to Rootschat, I think you will find it, and the Rootschatters very helpful.
A Chesters