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School Chaplain
In September 1926, Father T. Augustine Reardon was appointed school chaplain, thus setting a precedent that remained a feature of the school for decades as successive chaplains had the task of helping to instil the faith in pupils.
Mr Walter T. Clift
He was one of the school’s original teachers.
This photograph was provided by Mr Clift’s son, Dr Anthony Clift, who also recalled the following interesting anecdote passed on to him by his father:
“He [Mr W. Clift] was sitting in the staff room at St Gregory’s [about 1932] marking some books and smoking his pipe. He reached over into the litter bin and retrieved a crumpled-up piece of paper that had been discarded. After unscrambling and straightening it, he noticed that it was an unused application form for the headship of St Cuthbert’s School, Withington. Instead of using it for rekindling his pipe, he took the form home, filled it in and posted it. A short time later he was interviewed by Canon Rowntree, parish priest at St Cuthbert’s, who offered him the headship, which he accepted.”
Progress report
In February 1926, Mgr. Kelly, Chairman of the Board of Managers, wrote the following letter to the clergy in which he outlined the school’s progress:
“The Managers of the St Gregory’s School, Ardwick, have pleasure in advising you that the school continues to give every satisfaction. The religious examination, conducted by Canon Nugent, gave most gratifying results. The number of boys on the register is 450. Most of the urgent needs of the building have been attended to.
The Managers now feel that they can recommend a reduction to 10/- of the annual contribution paid by the Parish Priests for each student. Therefore the contribution for 1924-25 and for 1925-26 will be based on 10/- per head; and those Priests who have already paid the 1924-25 account on the basis of £1 per head will have 10/- per head credited to the 1925-26 account.
The amount spent by the Managers in 1925 on necessary repairs, etc, amounted to over £300. There is still much to be done; but if all the parishes of boys attending the School pay their quota, no difficulty should be experienced in meeting all demands. Unfortunately, several accounts have not been paid, with the result that some parishes are getting the higher Catholic education for the boys at the expense of their neighbours, who are obliged, in consequence, to shoulder a burden greater than is needful. If everyone paid his quota, the annual contribution would be further curtailed within a short time. The Managers are determined not to ask for a shilling more than they really require for maintaining the efficiency of the School.”
Aerial view, 1926
St Gregory’s can be seen centre right, to the north of the park. Note the position of the war memorial, left, in the small circle in the park.
Old Boys’ Association
Mr Holmes noted on 18th January 1927 that “the first Reunion of [the] Old Boys’ Association took place this evening”. This suggests that some pupils had left the school the year before, giving credence to the suspicion that some of the 1923 intake were older than 11.
Additional rooms, 1927
The Managers submitted an application to the LEA for the recognition of two additional rooms in the school buildings – the gymnasium on the ground floor for physical training purposes, and a room on the second floor for use as a dining-room for the pupils, of whom about 75 per cent lived too far away from the school to go home for their mid-day meal. Mr H. Allsopp, HMI, fully supported the idea of a dining-room and noted that the intended arrangements “will serve the purpose very well”. He pointed out that “arrangements are made for hot tea and cocoa and cheap meals for those who can afford them”. He also expressed the view that the teachers would take supervision duty in the dining-room. The Managers’ proposal was submitted by Mr Spurley Hey, of the LEA, who forwarded it to the Board of Education for consideration, together with a copy of the plans. The Board approved the proposals but added a slight proviso. As regards the gymnasium, the Board called attention to the desirability of “ample ventilation and light” and suggested the provision of “dormer windows or opening skylights” in the slope of the roof opposite to the glazed front. This was, of course, a reference to old gym from the Industrial School – sometimes referred to as a ‘play shed’ – to the right of the archway at the north end of the yard.
Headmaster’s scrutiny
From time to time the M.E.C.’s Inspectors visited the school for the purpose of enquiring into the capabilities of certain members of staff. On one occasion, however, Mr Holmes was unable to give an inspector satisfactory information as to their teaching abilities since he had had so little time for supervision and since one of the teachers had had so little time for marking exercises. As the school settled down and staffing and attendance issues eased, the headmaster made it an important part of his role to examine the work of his staff and to examine the exercise books of whole classes.
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