Accrington Girls High School

Bob Dobson · 23-05-2013, 21:13

The 105 girls who started at the High School in 1953 are invited to a Diamond (60yrs) Reunion which will be held at the Adelaide Suite, Adelaide St on Saturday 14th September. These ladies are now 70-71yrs old ( though they probably keep that quiet). The organiser is Mrs Jean Wood,

Can anyone tell me about a reunion for ALL AGHS girls planned for 2014 to mark the 75th anniversary of the school's opening. ? I would like to speak with the organiser -= not about me attending, but to let her know that I am membership secretary for the Grammar School Old Boys. This could be mutually beneficial

Bob Dobson · 24-05-2013, 09:07

Send me a PM for contact details. Jean Wood was Jean Burton when at school.

Judith Addison · 24-05-2013, 23:29

Bob, I realised a few weeks ago that the 75th Anniversary of the opening of Accrington High School is on 8th September 2014. I have contacted Accrington Academy, which includes the former High School buildings, to ask whether we could hold the Reunion in School on either Saturday 6th or 13th September 2014 - no reply as yet! I have been posting in the Accrington High School Facebook Page and occasionally on Friends Reunited. When I have a definite venue and date I'll advertise more widely. I've just really been ascertaining interest at this stage. As I've just become Mayor of Hyndburn I've other things to occupy me at present! The Reunion will be for anyone who was a pupil at Accrington High School for Girls at any time between 1939 and 1975 - at the one extreme any girls who transferred from the Grammar School to the High School in 1939 and at the other extreme any girls who entered the High School in 1974, the year before it became Moorhead High School.

Bob Dobson · 25-05-2013, 05:12

Thanks Judith. I am in touch with Jean who does not email. I will be pleased to help you when the time comes for you to start planning. We have the anomaly of being an Old Boys Association with some girl members.

Judith Addison · 11-07-2013, 00:21

Hi Bob! After a long wait I've got permission from Accrington Academy to hold the 75th Anniversary Reunion for Accrington High School for Girls on Saturday 13th September 2014. After the summer holidays I'll start planning it in earnest and will probably set up a small committee of old girls still living locally to organise it.

Bob Dobson · 11-07-2013, 07:31

There are some parts of the Academy which are from the original High School - tiles on the walls of the corridors. Quite atmospheric. The rest of the school is far different in terms of the facilities now available.

Judith Addison · 12-07-2013, 01:23

Grammar Schools were abolished in Accrington in 1975, during the premiership of Harold Wilson. Accrington Grammar School for Boys and Accrington High School for Girls were two outstanding schools, also Paddock House Convent Grammar School for Girls in Oswaldtwistle. It was a sad day when these schools ceased to exist. They gave bright young people from ordinary homes the chance to benefit from a first class education.

Eric · 12-07-2013, 13:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judith Addison

Grammar Schools were abolished in Accrington in 1975, during the premiership of Harold Wilson. Accrington Grammar School for Boys and Accrington High School for Girls were two outstanding schools, also Paddock House Convent Grammar School for Girls in Oswaldtwistle. It was a sad day when these schools ceased to exist. They gave bright young people from ordinary homes the chance to benefit from a first class education.

Funny you should mention this, hon. I read the following article in yesterday's Guardian:

Clever but poor boys 'are 30 months behind richer peers in reading' ? study | Education | The Guardian

A sad comment on the system(s) that have replaced the one that many of us on here are familiar with, and have benefitted from. And it seems, reading between the lines, that what is being suggested is similar to what was deemed outdated almost forty years ago.

I'm happy to see that Canada does relatively well in the survey

Less · 12-07-2013, 13:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric

Funny you should mention this, hon. I read the following article in yesterday's Guardian:

Clever but poor boys 'are 30 months behind richer peers in reading' ? study | Education | The Guardian

A sad comment on the system(s) that have replaced the one that many of us on here are familiar with, and have benefitted from. And it seems, reading between the lines, that what is being suggested is similar to what was deemed outdated almost forty years ago.

I'm happy to see that Canada does relatively well in the survey

Strangely, when my lad was pre-school, his mother and I would read to him, teach him what the letters were, and he could read by the time he went to school.
Now, the teacher, when we told her this, looked at us in horror, 'you've taught him to read? How terrible, we use a system to make learning words so much easier.
Yeah right a new language basically nothing like English. We couldn't help him we didn't understand it, he ended up behind the other kids for a while, until they actually had to convert to 'proper' reading.
Not wishing to make the same mistake, we deliberately didn't teach our daughter to read even though she was more than keen and talented to do so.
First teacher we saw, asked, why haven't you encouraged her? We explained, oh that pile of rubbish we don't use that here, we teach them properly.
We set to and soon had her up to speed.

Even with different styles from different teachers, with our input we had corrected the errors forced on our children and by the age of 8 both were declared to be at a reading age of 11.
Just shows, with nothing fancy, just half an hour a day, parents can make a big difference to children's learning.

DaveinGermany · 12-07-2013, 17:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Less

Just shows, with nothing fancy, just half an hour a day, parents can make a big difference to children's learning.

Aye, just so long as the parents themselves have mastered the basics.

egg&chips · 14-07-2013, 07:33

Even with different styles from different teachers, with our input we had corrected the errors forced on our children and by the age of 8 both were declared to be at a reading age of 11.
Just shows, with nothing fancy, just half an hour a day, parents can make a big difference to children's learning.[/QUOTE]

Absolutely spot on Less. I did ITA when I was at school, my older sister did not, but were both encouraged to read by our parents.

When I speak to parents of kdsI teach today, they seem shocked that having an X box, tv and I pad in their rooms does not help them in their studies. "Reading? I don't like reading" they say and wonder why we are unable to do in a few hours daily at school what teachers were able to three decades ago. Many kds today, don't read, don't play out, get artificially stimulated by screen play (computers etc) till very late at night, then come into school breakfast less (we feed them), knackered and grouchy. Heaven help them when they try to geta job.

cashman · 14-07-2013, 08:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Less

Just shows, with nothing fancy, just half an hour a day, parents can make a big difference to children's learning.

Its that simple, trouble is many parents these days can't be bothered/ too busy./ aint time, That to me is pure bull, or idleness, if yeh aint time fer yer kids, why have em?

MargaretR · 14-07-2013, 08:13

I could read at age 5 - but that was due to starting school at age 3.

The 'baby class' was part of a junior school, and the only difference was that 'baby class' had an afternoon nap on camp beds. There was not 'playing' as we now understand it - it was all 'learning'. We all got free milk, concentrated orange juice and cod liver oil.

Eric · 14-07-2013, 20:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by MargaretR

I could read at age 5 - but that was due to starting school at age 3.

The 'baby class' was part of a junior school, and the only difference was that 'baby class' had an afternoon nap on camp beds. There was not 'playing' as we now understand it - it was all 'learning'. We all got free milk, concentrated orange juice and cod liver oil.

Holy feces! I remember that. I did my baby class year at Mount Pleasant. I remember the cots ... and I think there was a fireplace. I remember someone bringing in baby chicks (sorry about the syntactical redundance

) ... When I went to the infant class at All Saints (Miss Lindley) I could already read. Still, I can't remember being taught at home ... my folks were too busy with their divorce to bother too much about me. But I remember being always fascinated by books ... amazing what happened when there was no tv and no electronic toys.