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Kent Completed Lookup Requests / Re: Kent Schools Completed!
« on: Saturday 21 March 15 22:49 GMT (UK) »
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
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