A snapshot of life in the school's first year, 1923-24

Testing and grading

During their attendance on the Monday and Tuesday of that first week, the boys were tested in order to give the teachers the information required for the purpose of grading them.  By the end of that week, they were graded into five classes – A, B, C, D and E. The staff, already teaching large classes in difficult conditions, had the extra time-consuming work of marking examination papers, recording marks and classifying pupils.

The classes continued their studies in accordance with a temporary timetable. Having five classes and only four assistants meant that Mr Holmes took charge of class B until 20th September, when the staff was augmented by the arrival of Mr Joseph Clark, 32, a teacher who had completed his training only two months previously.

HMI visit

On the same day as Mr Clark began his duties, the school was visited by Mr H. Allsopp (HMI) who “expressed his satisfaction with the buildings and also with the grading of the pupils”. He also gave some advice which would be useful in ordering textbooks, the lack of which was causing serious problems for staff and pupils.

No secretary

With such a small staff the absence of a teacher – as happened in the third week – meant that his teaching duties were undertaken by Mr Holmes. Since workmen were still in the building and there was much administrative and management work for Mr Holmes to do, his time and energy were diverted from important and urgent tasks during the day. Some of these tasks were of a clerical nature as Mr Holmes may have operated without a secretary.

Examination and new pupils

At the end of the third week the pupils were tested yet again. A general examination of the scholars was undertaken with a view to the reorganisation of the school into six classes. This was rendered necessary since the school had been allotted 22 more boys, increasing the number on the books to 242. The new boys were admitted on 1st October. Their arrival necessitated a reclassification and this was accomplished by transferring the boys of the lowest ability in classes A, B and C to a newly formed class F, into which the 22 new entrants were placed. Mr Holmes took charge of class F and during the week had the opportunity of judging the standards of attainment of each boy. By the end of that week, he had gained sufficient information for allocating the newly admitted pupils to the forms which would be most suited to their capabilities. 

The ages of the 242 boys is unknown. It is likely that some classes may have had boys of mixed ages.

Visit

Another early visitor to the school was Mr Clark, the Manchester Education Committee’s supervisor of Physical Training. He called to inspect the possibilities of escape from the building in the case of fire. Since the previous use of the building as an Industrial School involved ensuring pupils were kept inside, Mr Clark would have noted if iron bars extended across some of the windows. 

Textbooks

By mid-October there were still no textbooks. Mr Holmes noted that this was causing teachers to be “feeling the strain”. This problem was slightly alleviated a week or so later following the arrival of some, but not all, of the textbooks that had been ordered. Apparently, some of the books had not arrived “owing to the publishers being out of stock”. Textbooks would be delivered periodically throughout this first year.

Registers

These were completed daily and checked at the end of each week.

Mid-term holiday

The school closed on Wednesday evening, 31st October. Ordinarily it would have re-opened the following Monday.

Royal visit

Owing to the visit to Manchester of the Duke and Duchess of York, the school re-opened the following Wednesday instead of Monday. On Tuesday, however, the scholars were taken to view the procession of the royal couple through the streets of the city.

Appointment of Mr William Froehlich

When the school re-opened in November it received its full complement of staff with the appointment of Mr William Froehlich, 33, who took up his duties as art master and instructor in physical training. The school now had a staff of seven but was entering that time of the year when illnesses became more frequent.

Caps

These had a metal badge depicting the school’s insignia and were issued to the boys in November. There was no uniform at that time.

Staff absences

With the onset of winter, staff absences put an extra strain on those in attendance. Mr Holmes noted that “the work of the school was hindered”. As a result, classes A and B were taught together but this only allowed for “mass instruction”. A week later, Mr Holmes again raised his concern by noting that “the school is still handicapped by [staff] absence”.

Changes in timings

Not only was the timetable changed frequently but timings too, especially of the afternoon sessions which now ended at 4.00pm.

Christmas holidays

The boys held a “short social gathering” on the morning of Friday, 21st December prior to the closing of the school for the Christmas holidays, which extended until 7th January 1924.

Staff cover

The continuing problems caused by staff absence led Mr Holmes to make the following note:

“The absence [of a teacher] is seriously affecting the co-ordination of teaching which is so essential during the first year of the life of a Central School. I find that the necessity of having to devote the whole of my time to actual teaching interferes with the work of supervising the actual carrying out of the scheme of work which I have organised.

“During the week I have given all the teachers instructions regarding the supervision of boys during the assembly and dismissal of the boys during the intervals for recreation since the conduct of the boys during such times of routine was deteriorating. The staff is finding it difficult to cope with the work in view of the fact that a teacher’s absence renders it imperative that their arranged times for correcting exercises is taken up by their having to take the lessons of the absent teacher.”

The enforced absence of a teacher continued and the timetable had once again to be rearranged, with Mr Holmes noting that:

“The teachers complain about the excessive work, even going as far as to say that there is a danger of their health being impaired. There is no doubt that the school is understaffed…Practically no teacher has time allowed for marking the exercises given for doing at home with the care which they deem essential and an instance of this has occurred during the week when many of the staff considered that the general neatness of the books and the handwriting had so deteriorated that special efforts were imperative if the school was to obtain a secure foundation for future work.”

As a follow-up to this, the Rev. Fr Roche, the school’s Corresponding Manager, promised to inform the Committee of the conditions operating in the school and also to ask for assistance of “any teachers who might be temporarily available”.

Temporary teacher

On 6th February, Mr McHugh of St Joseph’s, Longsight, arrived in order to give teaching assistance in the absence of a member of staff. Mr McHugh was a great help because he relieved the teachers to an extent that made it possible for them to mark the pupils’ exercises. His work and presence also enabled the headmaster to have time to review the work of the school and to make further changes where necessary.

New timetable

A new timetable was drawn up by Mr Holmes in order to ease the burden imposed by the existing timetable, which included numerous lessons in music in an inappropriate classroom which faced the street (Ardwick Green North) and in which it was difficult to teach on account of the noise of the passing traffic on the cobbled stones. Such difficulties rendered the work of the teacher burdensome and so the timetable was changed and a different room used.

Shrove Tuesday

The school was closed on the afternoon of Shrove Tuesday, a practice that was repeated for some years.

Feast of St Gregory

Religious instruction on 12th March was taken in the church of St Aloysius in order to more fittingly celebrate the feast day of St Gregory, patron of the school. Interestingly, the boys returned to the church exactly one week later to attend a Divine Service in order to celebrate the school’s patron saint. In subsequent years a mass was held on the 12th, with the boys then having the remainder of the day off. 

Feast of St Patrick

This was celebrated on 17th March and the school was closed. A large number of the boys were of Irish descent and the feast day was an important and well-organised festival in Manchester in the 1920s.

Appointment of Mr Daniel Whealing

A few months after its opening, the school’s managers approached the LEA with a request as to the instruction of the older boys in handicraft. This request was forwarded to the Board of Education for its approval, which it gave. It was stated at the time that the “estimated cost of equipment will not exceed £20 as new benches will not be required”. Mr Whealing, 38, was appointed in April 1924 to instruct the boys in handicraft. Since this subject had not been taught before, Mr Whealing was given time to prepare his woodwork room for the entrance of the boys.

Elections

The school was closed on 7th April on account of the elections held to choose the members of the Board of Guardians.

Easter vacation

This was from 16th to 28th April.

Timetable changes

The absence of a teacher to replace one who had recently left had placed the headmaster once again in the position of having to make yet more changes to the timetable and in re-grouping the pupils. The art and physical training classes were arranged so that there were 60 pupils in each of them.

The boys, with the exception of those in class F, had begun to attend the handicraft lessons, which were under the charge of Mr Whealing.

Exams for selection

On 7th May, the school was closed as far as the ordinary pupils were concerned but the teachers were present in order to supervise the examinees presenting themselves for the second examination for selection purposes.

HMI visit

Mr Allsopp once again paid a visit, this time making several notes regarding the shortage and absence of staff.

Effects of staff absences

The school was still without a full-time teacher and the work was said to be suffering from the impossibility of providing adequate supervision. The art classes, which contained 60 pupils, were described by Mr Holmes as “unwieldy” and “effective teaching is retarded”. He went on to note this: “The necessity of taking exercise books home in order to correct them seriously lessens the vitality which should be characteristic of the English and Geography lessons, which I have been taking during the preceding four weeks.”

Examination marking

Mr Holmes also noted: “In addition to the teaching load, covering for absent colleagues and the general work of the school, staff had the additional strain imposed by the marking of 3,000 scripts in Dictation, worked during the Second Examination for the selection of children for further full-time education.”

Appointment of Mr James Ashworth

Mr Ashworth, 33, arrived in May 1924 and commenced his duties in the school. He took a great interest in the study and teaching of geography and accordingly desired to make himself responsible for it throughout the school. In view of this, and for other reasons, the timetable was rearranged once again.

Ascension Day, 28th May

The school was closed.

Appointment of Mr John Lovelady

The school staff was augmented by the arrival of Mr Lovelady, 31, who specialised in music and had ability in art and French.

Whitsuntide vacation

The school closed 6th - 16th June.

Feast of Corpus Christi

The school was closed for the day, 19th June.

HMI visit

The school was visited by two HMIs, Mr Allsopp and Mr Cotton, to report on the progress of the school. Mr Allsopp expressed the opinion that the staff was as yet “not suitable for the advanced work necessary in a Central School” and that the equipment and school stock required augmenting if progress in the work of the school was to be realised.

Teachers’ travel

The ten teachers who served the school in its first full year lived over a wide area and travelled to work from such places as the Anson estate, Atherton, Blackley, Chorlton (two), Droylsden, Gorton, Rochdale, Standish and Wigan. Train, tram and bus would have been used for transport.

Open Day

As part of the “Manchester Education Week” at the end of June, the school held an Open Day to allow parents to visit the school and view what was going on.

Wembley Exhibition

School was closed on the afternoon of 14th July for the boys’ visit to the Wembley Exhibition, which took place over the next two days. Sixty-five boys accompanied by seven teachers made the visit to London. The other boys were granted leave of absence during the two days.

Summer vacation

School closed on 18th July and re-opened on 18th August, giving staff and boys a four-week break.

So, that concludes a brief and potted account of the school’s first year, a year that began with a staff of five and ended with eight following the resignations of Mr Coggins and Mr O’Connor – both unfortunately plagued by ill-health and frequent periods of enforced absenteeism – before the completion of that first year. Mentioned are numerous teething problems that challenged the staff, and especially Mr Holmes whose management and teachings skills were tested throughout. He appeared to have a sound grasp of the school and was unafraid to take important decisions and change things as and when the need arose.

Among those who taught in the school year 1923-24 were the following:

Music visit

In October 1924, the upper classes were taken to the Manchester Opera House to see a performance of Le Coq d’Or, which was in connection with the Education Committee’s scheme for the encouragement of musical appreciation.

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