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Norfolk School, Arbourthorne


DaveH

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Seem to have missed these 2 shots out from post #1 mainly because they are 1979 collection not 1973.

Taken from the same viewpoint but with a 1937 Leica II rather than a 1948 Contax III.

The first shows the school field better than previously with some sporting activity taking place

The second shows more of the old part of the school (built 1936, demolished 1997) than previously

No doubt Stuart0742 and transit will comment on those cars

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Now these negatives just keep turning up. This particular viewpoint was clearly a favourite of mine for testing new cameras and lenses out.

These are from 1980 - 81, on what was clearly a sunny day.

The first goes over further to the left than previously without getting the side of the tower block in shot and shows a view down the full length of Spring Lane from its top corner with Northern avenue to its bottom junction with Park Grange Road.

The last one goes further to the right than previously looking up Northern Avenue almost as far as the Vulcan at its junction with Cradock Road, the changing rooms on Arbourthorne playing fields are now visible.

All of these photos have a degree of overlap making them ideal for one of my panoramic shots but the software I have for stitching the pictures together tends to object to having to handle black and white pictures and comes back with some sort of error code, - so no panorama yet.

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Now these negatives just keep turning up. This particular viewpoint was clearly a favourite of mine for testing new cameras and lenses out.

These are from 1980 - 81, on what was clearly a sunny day.

The first goes over further to the left than previously without getting the side of the tower block in shot and shows a view down the full length of Spring Lane from its top corner with Northern avenue to its bottom junction with Park Grange Road.

The last one goes further to the right than previously looking up Northern Avenue almost as far as the Vulcan at its junction with Cradock Road, the changing rooms on Arbourthorne playing fields are now visible.

All of these photos have a degree of overlap making them ideal for one of my panoramic shots but the software I have for stitching the pictures together tends to object to having to handle black and white pictures and comes back with some sort of error code, - so no panorama yet.

Here are the 1st two

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Here are the last 4

Now we can count and name cars lol

Thanks Stuart,

Serif Panorama Plus is excellent with colour pictures but doesn't seem to like B&W pictures, I think it must match up the edges using colour changes.

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MAN MATTHEWS aka "Moggy Matthews"

Man Matthews was our main science teacher.

My original comments on him on Friends Reunited were,

Mr Matthews taught science, mainly biology but he frequently taught all the lot. He took us on several trips to London and put me on the road to becoming ... a science teacher!

I really don’t know where to start on this one as he was head of science and science was to become the subject which we came to excel at. He taught us most of the time, and by that I mean in the final 2 years after a dispute with Man Whiham over subject options which had ended up with him saying “write your own timetable then!” it was about 8 lessons a week to replace all the subjects Man Whitham and Man Piercy wouldn’t let us do in case it was too much.

He took us to London twice, on field trips to Rivelin Valley and Ecclesall Woods. He took us for some of those Friday afternoon creative activities sessions which first got us interested in photography, electronics, amateur radio, engineering and all manner of other technical things.

We did science lessons in the prep room while he was teaching another class at the same time, we did all the demonstration experiments ourselves, including ones which would not be allowed today under health and safety or hazardous chemicals legislation. We did so much science, with his excellent teaching and guidance, that its hardly surprising we did so well at it.

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MAN BRIDSON

Man Bridson was our science teacher.

My original comments on him on Friends Reunited were,

Mr. Bridson taught chemistry, my favourite subject. I was told by Mr. Whitham in 1972 that I was the first student not just to pass O level chemistry but to actually take it in the previous 8 years!

Man Bridson started as a new teacher in September 1968 and left for promotion in 1973 so his time at Norfolk roughly coincided with ours. He replaced a previous female science teacher with connections to Israel but I can't for the life of me remember her name.

Man Bridson really didn't know how to deal with us as cocky, outspoken young upstarts who could confidently hold their own at the subject he was trying to teach. On a number of occasions we really upset him.

He didn't like it when I called him Arnold Palmer because he had volunteered to take golf for Friday afternoon creative activities in the summer term 1969 instead of some science activities with us.

He didn't like it when we returned from a biology field trip with tons of frog spawn, tadpoles and hundreds of frogs which we put in a large tank in his lab and they constantly croaked through all his lessons.

He certainly didn't like it when we found out about relationship with our second year French teacher Lass Curry and spread the gossip about it around the school before he could announce their forthcoming engagement. (Come to that I don't think Lass Curry was too pleased with us either!)

The reason I was the first person to pass O level chemistry for 8 years ( the previous person to pass was someone called Gordon Kind) came down to the schools very politically incorrect (by todays standards) system for option choices at the time which went something like this,-

Boys should do physics (they were going to grow up into engineers, mechanics and electricians)

Girls should do biology (they were going to grow up, marry, have children and become mothers)

Only those with exceptional scientific ability could do chemistry

Most years there was nobody to fill that description, - then along came me, Stuart0742 and another kid called "Frithy" all at the same time.

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MAN RILEY

Man Riley was our physics teacher.

My original comments on him on Friends Reunited were,

Mr Riley taught Physics and was one of several teachers to come from Wybourn school in 1969. He was a bit of a hard case and it was best not to get on the wrong side of him, - good teacher though!

When Man Riley first turned up he didn’t have a proper laboratory as there were only 2 science labs in the new building and these were taken by Man Matthews and Man Bridson, so for the first year Man Riley had a “portable laboratory”, a wheeled trolley stocked up with apparatus which he had to push around the corridors from room to room wherever he was timetabled. Moving it between lessons when the corridors were full of kids must have been a nightmare but he always seemed to make fun of it.

His lessons were very hands on practical work problem solving and very quickly paced and full of his sharp witty comments. In a week I remember measuring the speed of sound using just a ruler, a cardboard tube and a tuning fork, measuring the weight of a ruler using just the ruler itself, a 100g slotted weight and a triangular wooden block and measuring the refractive index of a glass block using just the glass block, 4 rather sharp and dangerous sewing needles and some technical drawing equipment. In the same week we laughed at loads of shared jokes and dry comments and got hit by him a couple of times into the bargain.

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MAN DICKSON aka "The great Dictator"

Man Dickson was our history teacher.

My original comments on him on Friends Reunited were,

Mr. Dickson was the history teacher. His lessons consisted of endless dictated note taking which had to be copied up in best for homework, no wonder many of us considered civics with Mr. Whitham to be a better option.

Man Dickson taught us history for most of our 3 years doing the subject before we dropped it in favour of Civics with Man Whitham. As we had done so well at history he was quite upset when we didn;'t chose to continue with it to CSE / O-level.

In almost every lesson he would walk up and down across the front of the classroom dictating historical notes like he was dictating a letter to a secretary. Occasionally to give our writers cramp a rest he would pause and add a bit of extra detail to the story before carrying on. This went on for a full hour and ten minutes lesson after lesson. the notes were dictated into our "history rough book" and for homework we were supposed to copy it up in "neat handwriting" into our "history best books". We very rarely did this as he very rarely checked our copying "homework", which meant that on the few occasions that he did check was an excuse for him to fall out with the entire class, give us a good telling off and of course cane a few for good measure. It was also rare for him to give us any tests to check progress and understanding other than the end of year exam.

Suprisingly both myself and Stuart0742, although we packed history in still had a keen interest in it which of course survives to this day and drives some of our involvement with Sheffield History.

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Guest davekowl

DaveH you've brought memories flooding back to me. I left Norfolk in 1963 which was before your time there and I've just found and read your thread . To see a picture of "Moggie Mathews" is a great thrill and to read of Man Gill, Man Piercy, Man Whitham(we used to call him Curly on account of him being bald) has made my day. Many thanks .

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DaveH you've brought memories flooding back to me. I left Norfolk in 1963 which was before your time there and I've just found and read your thread . To see a picture of "Moggie Mathews" is a great thrill and to read of Man Gill, Man Piercy, Man Whitham(we used to call him Curly on account of him being bald) has made my day. Many thanks .

Keep taking a look at the thread davekowl and feel free to post your own memories.

You are the 8th known member of Sheffield History to attend this school (so far more members on SH than any other school.

If you left in 1963 that means you would have started in the 1950's, possibly early 1950's if you went to the nursery, infant and junior school.

That would mean that between the 8 of us we have memories of the school from 1950's to its closure in 1992, as the school opened in the mid 1930's we can cover MOST of the history of the school, missing only its first 20 years or so.

I do have more staff pictures and stories to post (reeling them out a few at a time) but if you know of any teachers from before our time I would be very pleased to hear about them in this thread.

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Guest davekowl

I started in the infants around 1952 (I went to Heeley Bank first) and only have vague recollections of that time. In the juniors I can only remember Mr

Ellingham and Mr Sharpe but I do remember the canteen being built in the juniors play ground. We thought it was the Ritz.

In the senior school I remember Man Wright (english) and our sports teacher Man Green who was a football league linesman. He really thought he was a super star. Once saw him on the telly helping to get Dennis Law sent off. Our headteacher at that time was Man Thompson who was a real gent and a great guy. The woodwork teacher was Man Bland but I don't think he stayed long.Can't remember many more but I'll keep thinking hard.

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I started in the infants around 1952 (I went to Heeley Bank first) and only have vague recollections of that time. In the juniors I can only remember Mr

Ellingham and Mr Sharpe but I do remember the canteen being built in the juniors play ground. We thought it was the Ritz.

In the senior school I remember Man Wright (english) and our sports teacher Man Green who was a football league linesman. He really thought he was a super star. Once saw him on the telly helping to get Dennis Law sent off. Our headteacher at that time was Man Thompson who was a real gent and a great guy. The woodwork teacher was Man Bland but I don't think he stayed long.Can't remember many more but I'll keep thinking hard.

So the school canteen building was only built in the 1950's and not the 1930's like the rest of the school, even though it is made to look the same style and era by using those same orange - brown bricks.

Now that fits because my friend and one time technician at Norfolk School, Peter Harrison, went to the school in the 1940's leaving at around the time you started there (1951 - 52ish) and he has stories of school meals being delivered by a sort of meals on wheels service from somewhere miles away in town. The meals were supposed to be hot but had usually gone cold long before it was served, - a good reason for building a canteen on site. Once delivered the food was consumed in the main body of the school such as ordinary classrooms or the hall, - not particularly hygenic I suppose.

Peter Harrison also remembers Man Thompson being at the school teaching when he was there although I don't think he was the headmaster at the time. He must have had a very long career at the school.

Now although Pete isn't a member of Sheffield History with his help we could probably cover almost the entire history of the school from not long after it first opened to the day it finally closed which is what we are ultimately trying to do in this thread.

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Guest davekowl

I remember the school gym being built at the infants end of the playing field as well . I think this was in the late fiftys (probably 59) as I was in the first year of the seniors. P.E. teacher Man Green was in heaven as were we. It stopped us having P.E. in the school play ground when it was freezing cold or the hall when it was raining. I was told it cost £12,000 which seemed a fortune at the time. The showers were brill and we spent more time in them than doing P.E.

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I remember the school gym being built at the infants end of the playing field as well . I think this was in the late fiftys (probably 59) as I was in the first year of the seniors. P.E. teacher Man Green was in heaven as were we. It stopped us having P.E. in the school play ground when it was freezing cold or the hall when it was raining. I was told it cost £12,000 which seemed a fortune at the time. The showers were brill and we spent more time in them than doing P.E.

I seem to remember the showers in the gym were always cold when we had to use them, or perhaps it was just Man McDermott (PE teacher) who turned the temperature down on us if we had not done well in his lesson.

There were also 2 other changing rooms and showers which were actually in (or under) the infant / nursery school (boys), and symetrically opposite under the junior / special needs school (girls) accessible from the secondary school on the narrow path from the school yard to either the gym or the canteen. Now the showers in there were really cold.

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MAN PIERCY

Man Piercy was our technical drawing teacher.

My original comments on him on Friends Reunited were,

Mr Piercy taught "technical drawing", now known as graphics. It is a subject I would have liked to have done but he said I needed to do woodwork and metalwork as well

He was sort of the head of what would now be called CDT (Craft, Design and Technology). Although both myself and Stuart were OK with Woodwork, Metalwork and Tech. Drawing we found them very time consuming, in fact they were block timetabled in for whole mornings or afternoons in 2 hour blocks. At CSE / O-Level these subjects would have severely restricted the number of subjects we could choose, except that tech. drawing wasn't block timetabled it was just a normal lesson. We chose it but were then told that as it supported wood and metal works we should do one of those as well or choose something else instead which is what we did, - even more science! (It was at this point that Man Whitham, fed up with arguments about what we could and couldn't do for our exam courses told us to write our own timetables).

It was always assumed that there was "something going on" between Man Piercy and Lass Moore, but this was never proven and has to be one of the longest running rumours going round the school. It predates our time there and carried on after we left. - Any of our older or younger school graduates like to comment on this feel free.

In the famous incident in which I accidentally tore a section of corridor roof down I was so shocked at the time that I can't honestly remember if it was Man (woodwork) Smith or Man Piercy who threw me the keys to the woodwork room and told me to put it back before the bell went for the end of dinnertime.

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MAN COOKE

Man Cooke was our metalwork teacher.

My original comments on him on Friends Reunited were,

Mr. Cooke taught metalwork. Metalwork was an attractive subject to boys in a Sheffield secondary school back in the 1960's when the city had a steel and cutlery industry and there were jobs to be had. Makes you wonder what value the subject has today now that the industry it fed has gone!

Others have already commented on Man Cooke in this thread and it turns out he was a very long serving member of staff.

We made all sorts of metal objects, several of them to do with fishing ( a folding canvas topped stool and a rod rest) as well as a traditional coat hook, a copper spoon, a screwdriver, a hammer and a small steam turbine (basically a steam powered fan) none of which I still have today.

We frequently got on the wrong side of him for what can only be described as health and safety issues, such that there were in the 1960's, - not remembering to take the lathe chuck key out before switching it on, - that sort of thing. If he caught us doing anything daft he had the habit of grabbing you with the hair just in front of the ear (sideburns were in fashion at the time) and painfully lifting you off the floor with it while telling you what you were doing wrong. This habit he had inherited as all the school hard case teachers did it, - Man Everatt, Man Whitham, Lass Moore, Man Piercy, Man Cooke, Man (woodwork) Smith to name just the worst offenders, - not that they were doing anything wrong, - it was all considered "acceptable" in 1968. Lass Moore has since told me that they all developed this technique from Man Whitham, - now no one could do that to old "Curly" Whitham could they?

As in my original comments some of the lads who did do well at metalwork and went on to a local jobin steel or cutlery trades were very quickly redundant and out of a job when the industry went into decline.

When I was at the end of my time at school and had done my exams and was waiting to leave (so Stuart may have already left and not remember this) I was asked to join a trip with Man Cooke and some younger lads doing metalwork down for a tour of Sheffield Rolling Mills. Having been around the mill the old guy taking us round and doing the explaining took the group to one side clear of any danger, heat, noise or fumes and said in a strong Sheffield accent, -

"Or reight lads, nar when tha leaves schoal, thas ter remember 3 things abaht what ter duh

Doant mess abhart whi lasses an get thisen married

Doant gu causin bother an gerrin thisen int bother wit coppers

Doant gu workin in a place like dis (pointing to the rolling mill), work ard and git thisen a deesent job".

Almost 40 years later and me and Stuart0742 are still both scoring 2 out of 3 on those criteria.

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MAN COOKE

Man Cooke was our metalwork teacher.

My original comments on him on Friends Reunited were,

Mr. Cooke taught metalwork. Metalwork was an attractive subject to boys in a Sheffield secondary school back in the 1960's when the city had a steel and cutlery industry and there were jobs to be had. Makes you wonder what value the subject has today now that the industry it fed has gone!

Others have already commented on Man Cooke in this thread and it turns out he was a very long serving member of staff.

We made all sorts of metal objects, several of them to do with fishing ( a folding canvas topped stool and a rod rest) as well as a traditional coat hook, a copper spoon, a screwdriver, a hammer and a small steam turbine (basically a steam powered fan) none of which I still have today.

We frequently got on the wrong side of him for what can only be described as health and safety issues, such that there were in the 1960's, - not remembering to take the lathe chuck key out before switching it on, - that sort of thing. If he caught us doing anything daft he had the habit of grabbing you with the hair just in front of the ear (sideburns were in fashion at the time) and painfully lifting you off the floor with it while telling you what you were doing wrong. This habit he had inherited as all the school hard case teachers did it, - Man Everatt, Man Whitham, Lass Moore, Man Piercy, Man Cooke, Man (woodwork) Smith to name just the worst offenders, - not that they were doing anything wrong, - it was all considered "acceptable" in 1968. Lass Moore has since told me that they all developed this technique from Man Whitham, - now no one could do that to old "Curly" Whitham could they?

As in my original comments some of the lads who did do well at metalwork and went on to a local jobin steel or cutlery trades were very quickly redundant and out of a job when the industry went into decline.

When I was at the end of my time at school and had done my exams and was waiting to leave (so Stuart may have already left and not remember this) I was asked to join a trip with Man Cooke and some younger lads doing metalwork down for a tour of Sheffield Rolling Mills. Having been around the mill the old guy taking us round and doing the explaining took the group to one side clear of any danger, heat, noise or fumes and said in a strong Sheffield accent, -

"Or reight lads, nar when tha leaves schoal, thas ter remember 3 things abaht what ter duh

Doant mess abhart whi lasses an get thisen married

Doant gu causin bother an gerrin thisen int bother wit coppers

Doant gu workin in a place like dis (pointing to the rolling mill), work ard and git thisen a deesent job".

Almost 40 years later and me and Stuart0742 are still both scoring 2 out of 3 on those criteria.

Still looking for a decent job lol

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Still looking for a decent job lol

So your only on 1 out of 2 then :o

Now you've reminded me, perhaps I am as well <_<

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MAN LONGLAND and MAN SMITH aka "Woodwork Smith"

Man Longland was another general boys crafts teacher.

Man "woodwork" Smith rather unsuprisingly taught woodwork.

My original comments on them on Friends Reunited were,

Mr Longland (left) and Mr. J. Smith (right) were craft teachers, Mr Smith taught us woodwork. You could always tell the lads who did woodwork because they were the ones at the end of term walking home carrying a coffee table or something that they had made.

Sorry girls but I never got a picture of the domestic science teachers Mrs. Bagnall (cookery) and Miss Hughes (needlework) because in those days boys were not allowed to take those subjects, - and I never got invited to that housecraft flat either!

Man Longland only taught us in the second year for technical drawing in Man Piercy's drawing office at the corner of the corridor on Brimmesfield Road. I canremember having to go home and measure all the rooms up in our house for homework and then draw a detailed architects plan using the measurements next lesson. He had a thing about sharp pencils, it could never be sharp enough. Even with a 2H pencil after just sharpening it if you drew more than about 3 lines he could detect the deterioration in sharpness.

Man (woodwork) Smith turns out to be another very long serving member of staff and he has already been commented on by other members from before and after our time there. His punishments, in keeping with Man Cooke consisted off the hair raising trick, the size 13 "double whack" plimsole with a partially detached sole ( hence the double whack) and the block of wood. Frithy once got the double whack slipper but I can't remember what for (I think he could have swore at him as he once did that to Man Dickson and got caned for it), neither can I remember what Stuart got when he decided to make his mortice hole a bit deeper and hit the chisel just a bit too hard, driving it clean through the piece of wood.

We made small items in class such as a pencil case, money box, coat hanger, book rack and a stool with a woven rafia top. My auntie who worked in the school kitchens and knew Man Smith taught me woodwork liked my stool so much she asked him to get me to make second one for her. I still have my original stool and my book rack is still in use 40 years after it was made.

It was the lads who did CSE / O-level woodwork that ended up walking home on the last day of term carrying coffee tables, cabinets and sideboards that they had made. Fortunately at the time wood was a much cheaper commodity than it is today otherwise some of these articles would have cost a fortune.

Lass Bagnall taught cookery. It was a girls only subject and she was very protective of the girls, - didn't like boys around them. In the fourth year, which was then the last year for many students (school leaving age was 15) small groups of girls were invited to spend a week in the "Housecraft Flat" which was symetrically opposite Man Smiths woodwork room. It was strictly out of bounds and off limits to boys and the only time I ever got to see inside it was on school open days when it became something of a showpiece. Inside it was like a complete flat with its own lounge, kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom, toilet etc. The girls who spent a week in there had to do all the housework, washing, cleaning, dusting, ironing to a set plan and rota and had to prepare 2 meals per day, one for themselves to to eat at lunchtime and a bigger one to share with invited members of staff (who would of course be assessing them).

I have no doubt that this was an excellent form of training in domestic skills for young girls who are going to go on to have children of their own and raise families, but I also think looking back it seems to assume that most girls are going to have no more aspirations in life than to be just good housewives.

Lass Hughes taught needlework, or textiles as it would be today. I thought I had no photograph of her but I am pretty sure that she is the one in the rowing boat on Peasholme Park boating lake in the colour picture in one of my earlier posts, along with Man Cooke, Man Bridson and Man McDermott.

The needlework rooms were for some reason on the top floor of the new tower block. These were big rooms and were also used for house meetings because you could get a full "house" (about 200 kids) in to each one. The room between the two was the dress fitting room, a sort of changing room where the girls could try on items of clothing they had made. This room also had a door which went out onto the roof of the school bridge which had a walkway on the top giving access to the schools flat roofs. when we were helping the technician Peter Harrison put the school internal telephone system in we went up there to get on the roof to run phone cables. we asked Lass Hughes if we could go through to get on the roof and she said yes, bnot realising that there were still some girls in the fitting room, so in we went, OOOPS!! Fortunately although shocked by our intrusion they were not in a state of undress so no harm was done. Good job it was Lass Hughes, Lass Bagnall would have gone mad.

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Guest davekowl

Great to see a photo of Man Piercy. Just as I remember him. He was always one of my favorite teachers and gave me lots of help in my tech

drawing. He once told me that his brother was a scientist and I was awe struck. Fancy having a scientist in the family! As for him and Lass Moore

having a bit of a thing going, that rumour was around in my time to but I'm afraid I can't confirm it . If he was then good luck to him.

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Great to see a photo of Man Piercy. Just as I remember him. He was always one of my favorite teachers and gave me lots of help in my tech

drawing. He once told me that his brother was a scientist and I was awe struck. Fancy having a scientist in the family! As for him and Lass Moore

having a bit of a thing going, that rumour was around in my time to but I'm afraid I can't confirm it . If he was then good luck to him.

Was talking to Lass Moore last November at the Eric Smith film showing and she told us (me and Stuart0742) that Man Piercy was still alive and well and he now lives in retirement in Australia

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Hope pidd finds this thread after starting another one asking if anyone went to Norfolk School "about 50 years ago"

Were we called "Norfolk School" in the 1950's?

Or was it something like "Arbourthorne North Secondary School"?

Over to you pidd and DaveKowl

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OK ex-students its time for a test.

I have long since lost my old school tie and although I can remember the colours I can't remember which way around they were.

Look at the pictures below, was the old school tie design 1 or design 2 ?

The Junior school tie was much simpler, it didn't have any white and consisted of alternate equal width stripes of black and gold, - still got that one!

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Guest davekowl

Hope pidd finds this thread after starting another one asking if anyone went to Norfolk School "about 50 years ago"

Were we called "Norfolk School" in the 1950's?

Or was it something like "Arbourthorne North Secondary School"?

Over to you pidd and DaveKowl

I always remember the name as Norfolk Secondary Modern but I would stand corrected if I was proved wrong. I know that was the name in my last few

years at the school. I think Arbourthorne North was thhe name of the junior school.

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