St Beghs RC School where next?

[Mccrorj2512]

Hi, my mum went to St Beghs in the 40’s what school would she have gone to next? It is unlikely that she would have attended the local Grammar so what where her other options. Mum was Anita Boylan, George street.

[Joney]

Where was St Begh's, please ? Was it in Whitehaven ?  After the 1944 Education Act,, the previous 'Elementary' schools which took ages 5 to 14 yrs  the school leaving age, were gradually replaced by Grammar /Technichal/  Secondary Modern schools. Very few technichal schools were built, so the 11 plus exam generally assigned the higher-scoring children to Grammar School. The local Education Authority ran the system, organised the exam and assigned places. That's a very rough description.
The previous Elementary schools usually became Secondary Modern schools, often in the same building to start with. 

Before 1945, it was possible to take a 'Scholarship' exam, which if you passed,  would get you a grammar school place funded by the Local Authority, I believe, This exam was optional,  so otherwise you would continue to attend an elementary school from age 11 onwards.  I have the paperwork relating to my uncle taking the Scholarship exam in 1931 in Liverpool. The Local Authority agreed to pay his tram fare, his books were to  be provided by the school and his mother, who was a widow, received a cash grant to assist with his maintenance.

[Mccrorj2512]

Joney, thanks for your information and apologies, it was St Beghs, Whitehaven. Mum was born in 42 so subject to the 1944 Act. Is it still possible that her education took place in one school? I suspect mum didn’t go to a grammar nor do I think she would have taken the Scholarship exam.

[Jebber]

It would have helped if you had given her birth year earlier, she would have started school around 1946/7 so secondary education would have been in the fifties not 30/40s. It's possible she remained at the same school right through, if the school had a secondary section. I was born the same year and all my education was in  one school, I didn't take the 11 Plus, my school was a private one.

[Joney]

No need to apologise. In any town, all the elementary schools would have generally become Secondary Moderns as I said. To children already attending them in 1945, nothing would really have changed. Parents were generally given a preferences form to fill in. This allowed for a number of schools to be listed in order of preference;  in Liverpool in 1965 it was five possibles when I did the 11 plus. Something similar would have existed elsewhere. If you only listed one school on the list and it was a non-selective school, that would generally  be where you went.

[Mccrorj2512]

Joney, thanks. Not sure what non selective schools existed when she came of secondary age. Will have a look through Whitehaven archives. Always difficult, I find, when you’re researching a town which was never your home.

[Joney]

Yes, I had the advantage of my 94 year old mother's memory and knowledge until a couple of years ago. She went to a Catholic Elementary school in Liverpool, so told me quite a bit about it. They generally had two entrances - one for girls, one for boys - and the two lots of children were taught seperately, even having separate playgrounds. Over time, the original Elementary school buildings were replaced with ones more suitable for a Secondary Modern dating from the 1950s or 60s, but they generally had fewer facilities than Grammar schools and no labs for Chemistry, Physics etc. The quality of these secondary schools varied quite a bit. In some you could do 'O'  levels, in others the standards were lower and it was not a possibility.

[clearly]

I would presume that your mum would stay at St Begh's until she was 15. There is now a senior RC School in Whitehaven, St Benedict's, but it was not opened until 1971. About 20 odd years ago I had reason to call at St Begh's School and I am sure I went in the Senior School entrance which was not being used and didn't seem to have a physical connection to the junior school side. Hope this helps.

[Mccrorj2512]

Thank you, mum never spoke about anywhere else so you confirm what I suspected. Thanks Jim