Open Air Schools

[Guest nijafe]

Hi nijafe, and welcome. No, Cottage Lane. From Ringinglow Road heading towards Ringinglow turn right down Common Lane, then left down Cottage Lane. Where the road goes sharp right there are buildings on the left, looking a bit like a chapel. That's the school, now a private house.

The school is circled

This is the school from Cottage Lane. There's a public footpath on the right as you look at the picture, and you can see the rear of the building from there, but not on Google! Ignore the building on the right, it's a recent addition.

Thanks for such prompt replies!!

After searching picturesheffield.com further I found these pics titled Whiteley Woods School, Ivy Cottage Lane. I spotted a building on google (satalite view, no street vie available) that looks a similar shape. I'm going to take a drive & see if it matches. Maybe the school started on Ivy Cottage Lane then out grew the building & moved to Cottage Lane?

http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s06614&pos=8&action=zoom&id=9918

[Bayleaf]

The former school on Ivy Cottage Lane (also now a house) is not connected with the open air school. There's no Street View on account of the access as you'll find. Shank's pony I'm afraid!

[jellio]

i used to go to Whitley wood school. I went there from about 1971 and left in 1976. The idea having lessons outside had thankfully gone, The school had a focus of none stress and we weren't expected to achieve much. The subjects taught were very basic and a lack of opportunity to progress,

The teachers were all kind and the pupils had all struggled with main stream school.

[Guest lebourg]

After the school closed the site was used as a outdoor activities centre.

They used to store canoes and climbing equipment that was then used with the staff at other schools.

[Bayleaf]

There's a recent publication of oral history by the Friends of the Porter Valley which includes a couple of pieces about this school in the 1930's.

"I was sent to Whiteley Wood Open Air School, and I stayed there until I was 14.For weakly children, poorly children. I walked from Fulwood. A lot of the children from the other end of town came on buses that was laid on for the school from Leopold street. But because I was from this end they wouldn't let me ride the bus...So I used to walk up. When we got there we had breakfast in the big hall, with the headmistress at her desk at the bottom overseeing us. We sat down , long table, porridge or bread and butter, nothing fancy. After that we went to us classrooms. There was 4 classrooms...And we used to have lessons, play around in the yard, few more lessons, dinner time in the hall. Then there was a short play time, ten minutes, enough time for toilet that sort of thing. Then we had to get out us deckchairs, and lay down for an hour. We had to keep us eyes closed. We put the chairs away when we were told. We had the afternoon lessons, whatever they were, reading, normal lessons. At four o'clock the buses come to take us home, and i had to walk back down Fulwood."

"Sheffield's smoke in that era caused tuberculosis, and I was one of the lucky few that benefitted from the fresh air and good food. Sheffield was then one of the largest industrial cities in Britain, and increased production once the second World war began added to what already was a cause of outbreaks of tuberculosis. Also, prior to the War many children were suffering from malnutrition because of high unemployment, as was the case with my father, who was unemployed until the War started in 1939. Our doctor gave my mother a note for the local clinic which, after examining me, got me a place at Whiteley Wood Open-air School. Some children were separated at meal times, and used plates with blue edging, and they, I think, were called Dr. Rennie's - I think they had the same food, but we were separated. (DR Rennie was the Tuberculosis Officer for Sheffield, so I suspect that these children, separated at mealtimes, may have been suffering from tuberculosis, and therefore quarantined.) After lunch we had an hour's rest on either a deckchair with an extending footrest, (they were for the younger children), or stretchers. We had 3 R's in the mornings, and after lunch a play time then for some outdoor activities such as gardening."

[KevinB]

If you lived on Lonsdale Road, Walkley and needed an open air school in the early 1920's which would be the nearest one, for some one who was 'chesty'?