Did you go to a Secondary Modern?

[SarzWix]

The poet Michael Rosen is compiling a history of Secondary Modern education - of people's memories, in a blog. This is something that has never been done before, and should be! Contributions are being invited here: Sec Mod: This blog

What I've read so far is really interesting.

[Florence Fennel]

This is interesting Sarz, thanks I went to Secondary Modern which changed to Comprehensive while I was there.

[Newton]

Ours was a newly built comprehensive in 1974. Great times. Decent learning but looking back there was nor real aspiration instilled in us. It was a mixed school. We had both clever an challenged pupils. I remember one anti social maths genius. A natural. We learned. They taught. Some well. Some not at all. Teachers and pupils alike.

I got nine olevels and 2a levels. A degree followed later on. We played poker at breaks and football sometimes. I could and should have done better in exams. They should have guided us as to the meaning of life. Showed us the choices we have and the consequences of those choices.

Good times though.........quite a good school really........Wouldn't send my children there today though. Ironically they are in grammar school here and now.

[Aberdeenplotter]

The poet Michael Rosen is compiling a history of Secondary Modern education - of people's memories, in a blog. This is something that has never been done before, and should be! Contributions are being invited here: Sec Mod: This blog

What I've read so far is really interesting.

Why ever you considering this in the middle of the night? My court case is keeping me awake (I don't think I'm worried about it and am very confident about the outcome) as I think things through. Hope you don't have anything keeping you from your z'ds

[northepaul]

Went to a comprehensive school - we didnt have any choice in those days as to which school we were sent to (not that my Mum would have bothered anyway.) Before I went there I was classed as thick and uneducatable - they realised that I was severely dyslexic - so I suppose I have them to thank for that.
Not much else though!

[SarzWix]

Why ever you considering this in the middle of the night? My court case is keeping me awake (I don't think I'm worried about it and am very confident about the outcome) as I think things through. Hope you don't have anything keeping you from your z'ds

I'd just finished and submitted an assignment, so had to 'wind down' a bit before I retired

[Florence Fennel]

I thought there was a difference between a secondary modern and a comprehensive. When I was 11, if you passed your eleven plus with high marks, you went to a grammar, medium to low marks a comprehensive, and secondary modern was for those who didn't take or failed their exam. Secondary modern schools only had four years, leaving after fourth form and there were no facilities to take GCEs. Although my school changed to become known as a comprehensive, there was no form above the fourth year and I had to go on to further education for 2 years at a City College to get my GCEs and other qualifications.

[Potstubsdustbins]

My secondary school was a strange one by all accounts a Bilateral School with two streams. Having done reasonably well in the 11+ but not well enough to go to grammer school I entered the A stream in 1961.

The expectation was that I would leave after 4 years and go on to higher education. I failed the end of year exams miserably and so was down graded to the B stream.

This was for boys who would become labourers, craftsmen, enginneers and so on. I loved it with a capital L. Metal workshop two mornings a week, learning to operate lathes, working on the forge. All the stuff that would now be banned as to dangerous.

The science, maths , tech drawing etc were all subject based and because of this very interesting. Flew through my second year exams winning a prize for maths. I had to beg my dad not to let them put me back in the A stream and so stayed where I was until I left at 15.

I find these days to much is made of going to Uni not everyone is capable or indeed wants to go. I am certainly glad I didn't, I couldn't afford to live on what some graduates get paid.

Colin

[Hilary B]

No, I Passed the 11+, so I got the Grammar School. I don't think comprehensives existed then, it was Grammar for those who were good at exams, and Sec Mod for the rest (they didn't realise that exams, in SOME subjects, were ALL I was good at!)

[SarzWix]

Metalworking, learning to operate a lathe, bench saws, drills etc., all still occurs today Potty. My #1 son made a bloody brilliant flat-head screwdriver in his lessons, a big chunky handled one that we use for all sorts

I was under the impression that in some place there were 3 levels/schools - Grammar, Tech., and Sec. Mod.? Comprehensive was an amalgamation of Tech & Sec.Mod. usually. Grammar schools often carried on as they were - they did here anyway.

[singleseeder]

Grammar school for me - but I rather wasted it. I spent too much time at the riding school at the weekend (one of those girls who helped out ) and in the 5th year I missed some lessons for the same reason I then left school, and home, on my 16th birthday to take up a horsey job where I lived in. The pay was 3s (15p) per hour. I think my parents despaired of me.

[julesapple]

I sat my 11+ at nine, because of a mix up by the town hall they thought I was older as I had completed my last year of primary school on the old three tier system then moved to Cheshire where they only had two tiers. Passed the 11+, then it was discovered that I was only nine and couldn't go to the Girls' Grammar. I was shoved into our local primary school for two years, where it became impressed on me that only swotty, snotty 'orrible girls went to the grammar and I didn't like those girls who knew they were heading there so the second time around I failed it on purpose. Parents were pretty cross but blamed the cruddy primary where I'd been shoved in with the 'thick' kids because the top stream class was full..............ended up at Sale Moor Secondary Modern.

I loved it, the work was a breeze. And then we moved because of my Dad's job, to Glasgow and I attended an Academy (just a comp, but sounds posh) and all of the kids in my year had started secondary a year later than me but were streets ahead educationally....that was a nasty shock! Pull the socks up PDQ, or you won't be going anywhere in life lassie! Living in a teeny tiny village there wasn't anything else to do, so I buckled down and was moved forward into a class of kids two years older than me. Educationally a huge challenge, socially it was the worst thing ever for a shy kid.

Worked hard, got 11 O Grades and seven Highers and decided to go to Glasgow Uni to do English and Social History. And then, because I was only 16, my Dad said no. And that was it, end of. I had no idea I could've gone against him and gone to Uni anyway, you didn't do that then. I ended up doing Nursery Nursing at the local college, but by this time I had met the BH again at one of Dad's RAF reunion do's (he was the son of Dad's WO and we'd met years before) and we decided to get engaged within a few months and married a few months after that. The BH was a chef, so whilst he was working anti-social hours I did my degree through the OU.

I do laugh now when I think of Sale Moor Secondary - it was positively antiquated in the late 70s. Teaching girls how to look nice for their husbands, how to set the table for all manner of functions....H.E. was like something from a 1950s Woman's Weekly and girls didn't get looked at in Science. It was incredibly backwards compared to other schools.

Jules

PS Blimey...got a bit carried away there....!

[Potstubsdustbins]

Sarz,

You do surprise me, my son 36 years old now went to a local comp and between friends we have knowledge of two other comps from the area. None had a purpose built metal work shop and the wood working shops was very basic (hand tools only). The son's school did have potters wheels, though how many kids went on to take up pottery I am not sure.

Your son is a lucky lad to have the chance to improve his hand skills.

Colin

[binley100]

I went to an all girls grammar which changed into a comprehensive when i was in the 5th year. So second year upwards were all girls grammar and the first year was a mixed comprehensive ....

[veggiechicken]

As someone of a similar age to Pots, we sat 11plus - you passed or you failed. No grading - no near misses. I passed, my brother didn't. I went to High School, he went to a Secondary modern. I did O levels and couldn't wait to get out of school - my first job and so easy to get into - Civil Service. He enjoyed himself at school, did a plumbing apprenticeship and ended up much better paid than I did.
BTW when I did my O levels - again you passed or you failed - you had to have over 50%. Grading did not exist.