Norfolk School, Arbourthorne

[Guest wayneybabes]

You could go back and draw it again

But perhaps not, - theres only half of it there now , - you probably sketched the secondary school and glass tower.

hmmmm, thats got me thinking, wonder if i could sketch the school again but this time from the angle of the photo you took from spring lane?

lets see if i can remember all the missing bits lol

[DaveH]

yep, what a tool

also, if he had carried on up spring lane he could have cut down the path at the side of the flats and towards arbourthorne road

if this site had been up and running, he could have come on here before doing the deed and he'd have got away

Or he could have gone up Spring Lane, cut across Arbourthorne Playing Fields to loose the cops, nipped across Eastern Avenue and dumped the bike in the pond to dispose of the evidence and then legged it to take cover in the Arbourthorne Hotel.

Perhaps WE should have written the script for them <_<

[DaveH]

hmmmm, thats got me thinking, wonder if i could sketch the school again but this time from the angle of the photo you took from spring lane?

lets see if i can remember all the missing bits

Yeah, like the glass tower and the entire secondary school

..and if its a wide angle panorama the entire nursery / infant school as well

Without a good memory there's not a lot left to draw is there? :(

[Guest wayneybabes]

Yeah, like the glass tower and the entire secondary school

..and if its a wide angle panorama the entire nursery / infant school as well

Without a good memory there's not a lot left to draw is there?

Yes, i will try to fit it all on. May get off the tram one day and take a photo from the tram stop which may be better for fitting all three schools on. Will include the annexe as well

[DaveH]

Yes, i will try to fit it all on. May get off the tram one day and take a photo from the tram stop which may be better for fitting all three schools on. Will include the annexe as well

OK, you do the outside sketch and I'll attempt a not quite to scale plan of the junior school

Still having technical problems with it though, the building is symetrical from the outside but not on the inside making it difficult to see how it all fits together. :unsure:

[RichardB]

I spent ages working on and making my Robin Hood costume and got it to perfection ...

... and you call me for my Taffetta ballgown with chiffon-wrist-arrays and knee-high leopard skin bootees ... lol

[DaveH]

... and you call me for my Taffetta ballgown with chiffon-wrist-arrays and knee-high leopard skin bootees ...

Never got to wear it though Richard

The fancy dress theme that year, Christmas 1966 - 67 was "characters from history".

Spent ages on the costume and getting ready for the party, but was taken ill in early December just before the fancy dress and missed all the end of term Christmas fun. Didn't get back to school until the new year

It was our last year in the Junior School so the opportunity could never be repeated.

[DaveH]

They seem to be working on the roof of the old building now, and there is an awful lot of scaffolding around it

Are we sure that they are renovating the old building and not altering it beyond all recognition? :unsure:

[DaveH]

That extension in the top yard is also coming along nicely.

Now that the foundations are down it looks as though its going to be a big extension, - it seems to cover over half the top yard!

[DaveH]

As a bit of a digression here are some other "Norfolk Schools" which have in their time been confused with ours.

This one is Arbourthorne Junior School on Eastern Avenue. It has been knocked down and rebuilt and is now Arbourthorne Community School

Before it was rebuilt it looked very similar to Norfolk School, made in that same orange redbrick and in exactly the same style even down to the outer wall and railings. All very different now.

The confusion came about not because of the similarity in appearance of the 2 schools but because of their names.

This school was Arbourthorne Junior School and our school, in the days before it was called Norfolk School, was also called Arbourthorne School. This was OK for the Secondary School and the Infants or Nursery, - but the Junior School (at Norfolk) ended up with the same name as this school less than a mile away with which we had no connection.

It caused endless problems for the postman and delivery men even though one school was on Eastern Avenue and the other on Brimmesfield Road.

At Norfolk Juniors we regularly got post and deliveries intended for "the other Arbourthorne school" and I suppose, they got ours!

The solution seemed to be for our school to become known as ARBOURTHORNE NORTH JUNIOR SCHOOL

While the other one was called either ARBOURTHORNE CENTRAL JUNIOR SCHOOL or sometimes ARBOURTHORNE E. A. SCHOOL

(E.A. = Eastern Avenue, there was also a local football Sunday team called "Arbourthorne E.A." which played on Arbourthorne playing fields)

When our school officially became NORFOLK all the confusion disappeared as our junior school was simply called NORFOLK JUNIOR SCHOOL, while the other one then just kept the name of ARBOURTHORNE JUNIOR SCHOOL.

[DaveH]

There should be no confusion here with this school, - but there is!

This is the NEW NORFOLK SCHOOL (obviosly just called "Norfolk School") now on the Norfolk Park estate just outside the park entrance.

The confusion here comes about from how the old school closed and this new replacement one opened on its new site.

As this happened at the end of our schools life perhaps wayneybabes and some of our younger ex-students who were there at the very end can throw some light on this one.

As I understand it, when the old secondary school closed our last generation of students were mainly dispersed to places like Hurlfield and Ashleigh because the "new Norfolk" was not completely ready. At that point Norfolk secondary school ceased to exist (second half of the 1990's?)

On the old school site the old secondary school was demolished to build the Cradock Mews houses, the glass tower (minus the bridge) was left standing and the Junior school was transfered into it, leaving the former Junior school empty ready to be converted into that place for all of Sheffield's naughty boys and girls, the "Pupil Referral Centre" (I think that's its proper name, - Stuart0742 will be pleased it uses pupil and not student in its title! )

Next the infant and nursery were demolished on Cradock Road. The children that attended it at the time, - well what happened to them? Were they dispersed to other local Junior schools like the one on Eastern Avenue or at Manor Top? Or did they go to the now almost completed New Norfolk? Does the New Norfolk have a Nursery / Infant / Junior / Secondary set up like the old school? Or is it just a secondary school? Did the students from the old Bluestones Junior School on Norfolk Park also go to the New Norfolk?

There's a lot of things I'm not sure about there and I would be grateful for some answers.

The New Norfolk officially opened in the early part of the 21st century, again like the new estate it was supposed to be a state of the art "eco school".

I assume that as the Juniors in the "glass tower" (Norfolk Juniors) finished there they automatically went to the New Norfolk.

Then of course there was the day in August 2004 when the tower burnt down.

At the time it was already empty and derelict so the transfer of any remaining students to the new Norfolk, or elsewhere, must have been complete.

Having said that our school "ceased to exist" I find it strange that there is still a school, less than half a mile away, with the same name, - a new, reborn, reincarnated Norfolk School

Perhaps in 20 years time there will be people on this site reading this or making posts into this thread about their time at Norfolk, but it wont be OUR Norfolk they are talking about, it will be the by then ageing New Norfolk that that THEY went to <_<

[DaveH]

There should be no confusion at all with this school, but you would be suprised!

The school in question is at the bottom of the Norfolk Park Estate just off Park Grange Road down just beyond The Beeches and almost opposite the side road that goes up to Queens Tower.

Its proper name is NORFOLK PARK SCHOOL.

It deals exclusively with students that have physical and mental disabilities.

I am fairly sure it is the place where those students that used to occupy the top corridor of our Junior School would have been transfered to, but as this was / is a much bigger school than just a corridor there would be lots of other disabled kids as well and perhaps they could get better and more specialised tratment there.

Why the confusion?

Well I tend to get a little bit angry when I tell someone I went to NORFOLK SCHOOL and I get the reply back "Oh, that was the school for daft kids". When I question this response further the outcome is often "Oh sorry, I'm thinking of Norfolk Park school, it's not the same as Norfolk school is it?"

Annoying that they think I went to a "daft school"

Very annoying that they have this attitude toward other people who are suffering serious disabilities! :angry:

[Guest wayneybabes]

There should be no confusion here with this school, - but there is!

This is the NEW NORFOLK SCHOOL (obviosly just called "Norfolk School") now on the Norfolk Park estate just outside the park entrance.

The confusion here comes about from how the old school closed and this new replacement one opened on its new site.

As this happened at the end of our schools life perhaps wayneybabes and some of our younger ex-students who were there at the very end can throw some light on this one.

As I understand it, when the old secondary school closed our last generation of students were mainly dispersed to places like Hurlfield and Ashleigh because the "new Norfolk" was not completely ready. At that point Norfolk secondary school ceased to exist (second half of the 1990's?)

On the old school site the old secondary school was demolished to build the Cradock Mews houses, the glass tower (minus the bridge) was left standing and the Junior school was transfered into it, leaving the former Junior school empty ready to be converted into that place for all of Sheffield's naughty boys and girls, the "Pupil Referral Centre" (I think that's its proper name, - Stuart0742 will be pleased it uses pupil and not student in its title! )

Next the infant and nursery were demolished on Cradock Road. The children that attended it at the time, - well what happened to them? Were they dispersed to other local Junior schools like the one on Eastern Avenue or at Manor Top? Or did they go to the now almost completed New Norfolk? Does the New Norfolk have a Nursery / Infant / Junior / Secondary set up like the old school? Or is it just a secondary school? Did the students from the old Bluestones Junior School on Norfolk Park also go to the New Norfolk?

There's a lot of things I'm not sure about there and I would be grateful for some answers.

The New Norfolk officially opened in the early part of the 21st century, again like the new estate it was supposed to be a state of the art "eco school".

I assume that as the Juniors in the "glass tower" (Norfolk Juniors) finished there they automatically went to the New Norfolk.

Then of course there was the day in August 2004 when the tower burnt down.

At the time it was already empty and derelict so the transfer of any remaining students to the new Norfolk, or elsewhere, must have been complete.

1:, the new norfolk doesnt have a secondary http://schoolsfinder.direct.gov.uk/3732000...ew/?d=1&d=1 << see here

2:, the pupils that where still in secondary education went on to complete thier education at other secondary schools (Myrtle Springs, City etc).

3: i am fairly sure that when the infants/nursery were demolished the pupils went straight on to the newly built school, so....

4: by the time of the fire, yes, the building had been emptied

Hope this is ok for you Dave!

[DaveH]

1:, the new norfolk doesnt have a secondary http://schoolsfinder.direct.gov.uk/3732000...ew/?d=1&d=1 << see here

2:, the pupils that where still in secondary education went on to complete thier education at other secondary schools (Myrtle Springs, City etc).

3: i am fairly sure that when the infants/nursery were demolished the pupils went straight on to the newly built school, so....

4: by the time of the fire, yes, the building had been emptied

Hope this is ok for you Dave!

It appears then that the the New Norfolk, taking ages 3 - 11 has a nursery, infant and Junior school but no secondary school!

What a loss!!

And what an oversight by the council education office :angry:

[DaveH]

There should be no confusion at all with this school, but you would be suprised!

The school in question is at the bottom of the Norfolk Park Estate just off Park Grange Road down just beyond The Beeches and almost opposite the side road that goes up to Queens Tower.

Its proper name is NORFOLK PARK SCHOOL.

It deals exclusively with students that have physical and mental disabilities.

I am fairly sure it is the place where those students that used to occupy the top corridor of our Junior School would have been transfered to, but as this was / is a much bigger school than just a corridor there would be lots of other disabled kids as well and perhaps they could get better and more specialised tratment there.

Why the confusion?

Well I tend to get a little bit angry when I tell someone I went to NORFOLK SCHOOL and I get the reply back "Oh, that was the school for daft kids". When I question this response further the outcome is often "Oh sorry, I'm thinking of Norfolk Park school, it's not the same as Norfolk school is it?"

Annoying that they think I went to a "daft school"

Very annoying that they have this attitude toward other people who are suffering serious disabilities! :angry:

Norfolk Park School, courtesy of Google Street View

and just a bit further down the road is Norfolk Lodge, a MENCAP centre

There also used to be a centre for the disabled at the top end of Park Grange Road just below Arbourthorne Playing Fields between the Guildford tower blocks at the bottom of Northern Avenue and the Fellbrigg pub, or as it would be now, between the new houses that have replaced the Guildford tower blocks and the area housing and rent office.

[Guest suzy]

That extension in the top yard is also coming along nicely.

Now that the foundations are down it looks as though its going to be a big extension, - it seems to cover over half the top yard!

Gosh Dave you are right, that is a rather large extension - believe you me, it will never look the same again - good job there are photos of how it looked before and wayneybabes video footage of the inside :o

[DaveH]

Gosh Dave you are right, that is a rather large extension - believe you me, it will never look the same again - good job there are photos of how it looked before and wayneybabes video footage of the inside

Now more games of rounders, football, skipping, hide and seek in that top yard then

Talking of hide and seek I can remember a day in 1965 when the Headmaster, Man Rackham (rhymes with "whack 'em") caned half of the boys in the school.

These boys had been playing hide and seek in the top yard. Not suprisingly there was nowhere to hide much in an open yard so some of them had gone out through the gates, across Brimmesfield Road and hid behind the privet hedges in the front gardens of the houses on the opposite side of the road, - a great hiding place!

Not suprisingly some of the residents complained to the school about their behaviour and Man Rackham told them he would deal with it.

You guessed it, "old man Rackham was going to whack 'em" (sheer poetry in those words )

That was how it was dealt with, quite legally and above board, in those days.

They didn't do it again ;-)

[Guest wayneybabes]

Now more games of rounders, football, skipping, hide and seek in that top yard then

Talking of hide and seek I can remember a day in 1965 when the Headmaster, Man Rackham (rhymes with "whack 'em") caned half of the boys in the school.

These boys had been playing hide and seek in the top yard. Not suprisingly there was nowhere to hide much in an open yard so some of them had gone out through the gates, across Brimmesfield Road and hid behind the privet hedges in the front gardens of the houses on the opposite side of the road, - a great hiding place!

Not suprisingly some of the residents complained to the school about their behaviour and Man Rackham told them he would deal with it.

You guessed it, "old man Rackham was going to whack 'em" (sheer poetry in those words )

That was how it was dealt with, quite legally and above board, in those days.

They didn't do it again

i was fortunate as the cane had been abolished when i went

not that i would have been caned anyway ;-)

[Guest wayneybabes]

Now more games of rounders, football, skipping, hide and seek in that top yard then

You forgot 'tiggy off the ground'

not an easy game to play either as the only place that was classed as 'off the ground' was the steps in the corner or the steps leading from brimmersfield road lol

[DaveH]

i was fortunate as the cane had been abolished when i went

not that i would have been caned anyway

We had the cane all the way through our school career right up to leaving.

Sometimes I didn't get the cane when really I should have been caned, - like the time I pulled down a large section of ceiling on the top corridor and Man Piercy, Lass Moore and Man "woodwork" Smith caught me.

Sometimes I got the cane when I didn't deserve it, - like the time Pop ward caned me and Stuart for being late to his lesson. we wern't late we were just at the back of the queue and had not managed to enter the room before the instant the bell stopped ringing.

There was nothing wrong with the cane as a legal punishment at the time but it should have been administered more fairly.

Man Rackham caned all the lads who were playing hide and seek, seems fair enough.

He didn't cane any of the girls that were also playing the same game. None of them were in peoples gardens so fair enough

But by caning all the lads, it wasn't fair on those lads who hide in the yard and not in someones back garden was it?

As well as the cane we could also get the slipper, the ruler, the board rubber, the flat of the hand (not the fist) or picked up by the hair.

Even by 1960's standards of discipline I am not convinced of the legality of some of these

But the threat of it was enough to make us behave and i never felt unfairly treated really.

[DaveH]

You forgot 'tiggy off the ground'

not an easy game to play either as the only place that was classed as 'off the ground' was the steps in the corner or the steps leading from brimmersfield road

Sorry, you're right, there was tiggy off the ground.

The stairs in that bottom corner was not really used for this as the girls tended to use it as a sort of stage to do bits of singing and dancing on, but there was that other raised bit at the top of the yard near where you can go between the disabled unit and the secondary school into the senior school yard. (the place where I took that photo of the bridge from)

[Guest wayneybabes]

Sorry, you're right, there was tiggy off the ground.

The stairs in that bottom corner was not really used for this as the girls tended to use it as a sort of stage to do bits of singing and dancing on, but there was that other raised bit at the top of the yard near where you can go between the disabled unit and the secondary school into the senior school yard. (the place where I took that photo of the bridge from)

That bit was fenced off with a gate in my time. Wasnt it difficult even reaching the senior school yard as by the time you got through the kids playing footie you had been caught anyway? lol

[DaveH]

That bit was fenced off with a gate in my time. Wasnt it difficult even reaching the senior school yard as by the time you got through the kids playing footie you had been caught anyway?

Not fenced off in my day but as you say you had to get past the footballers first, although it was often the same lads who would be playing football that played hide or tiggy. We used to vary the game and often got banned from football if a window got smashed.

If you hide in a garden on Brimmesfield Road you risked the cane off Man Rackham but if you sneaked into the seniors yard through that top bit you risked getting beaten up by the big kids.

Not quite sure which would have been worse. <_<

[Guest wayneybabes]

thats why they fenced the windows off while i was there

which reminds me......

we are having our latest reunion this friday 12 march, bankers draft, 7pm. :rolleyes:

[DaveH]

thats why they fenced the windows off while i was there

which reminds me......

we are having our latest reunion this friday 12 march, bankers draft, 7pm.

Unfortunately I am usually busy on Friday evenings so I would find it difficult to be there.

In any case I suspect a lot of those at the reunion will be people from "after my time" and I would just be "the old guy"

Thanks for the notification / invite anyway.

Sure I will get to one of these do's eventually.