HMI Report, 1961

REPORT BY H.M. INSPECTORS BASED ON THE INSPECTION OF NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 1961

Nature and Scope

The school was opened in 1923 as a Roman Catholic Selective Central School for boys. The Manchester Development for Schools designated it as a secondary technical school in 1953.

When the school was last inspected for a report in January 1949 the roll of 435 pupils stemming from a three-form entry included only 25 in the fifth form; it was, in fact, exceptional for a pupil to remain in the school more than four years. The situation improved rapidly, however, and of the pupils admitted in 1954, 1955 and 1956 something like 85 per cent of the boys eligible to leave after their fourth year stayed to complete a five-year course. Moreover, from the first of these three intakes sixth form work began to develop in 1959, and there are now 33 boys following advanced courses.

There are 665 boys from Manchester and 121 from other authorities made up of 26 from Stockport; 83 from Lancashire; 11 from Cheshire and one from Derbyshire. Those in Cheshire and Derbyshire have moved their homes since entering the school. Nearly all pupils are admitted to the school on the results of the selection examination of the respective Education Authorities at the age of eleven. Each year a few are, however, usually accepted by transfer from Grammar and Modern schools. The average leaving age has remained steady during the last three years at about 15 years 8 months.

The tendency for pupils to go forward to full-time higher education is developing; two per cent of the leavers have gone to Universities, five per cent to Teachers’ Training Colleges, five per cent to Colleges of Further Education as full time pupils in the last year. There is a careers master, but as he is also responsible for the library in addition to normal teaching duties, it is difficult for him to give this aspect of the work as much attention as is desirable.

Governing Body

The Governing Body consists of nine members. Six Foundation Governors are appointed by the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford and there are three Representative Governors appointed by the Manchester Education Authority. Meetings are held once a term and more frequently when necessary. The Head Master attends the meetings.

Premises and Equipment

Extensions which were designed to bring the school buildings up to the standard of a four-form entry Technical High School were completed in September, 1960. The premises were immediately overcrowded and the effect of this overcrowding on the practical subjects has been accentuated by the fact the engineering workshop is still not equipped; it is used as a class-room. Much of the new accommodation is very good, but there are still some problems which require consideration and some deficiencies: these are described below.

1. Provision of adequate playing field accommodation for the school is a matter requiring urgent attention. At present winter games are played in Cringle Fields and summer games at Birchfields Park. Although the school has five soccer and four rugby teams, it has no practice pitches of its own. There are no long-jump or high-jump pits. For cricket there are no nets, no non-turf practice pitches or match table.

2. The engineering workshop has yet to be equipped and better fittings are needed in the workshops. The arrangements for the removal of smoke from the forges in the metalwork rooms are inadequate. The school is generally well furnished, but it would be an advantage to substitute tables for desks in the room used for commerce, and in the second and third geography rooms, when possible.

3. Both the old and new premises will need to be redecorated soon. It is important that the finish should be such that the walls can be easily cleaned by washing. This is especially important in narrow corridors where the walls are inevitably in contact with pupils’ clothing.

4. The amount of space provided for dining is very small for a school in which most of the pupils stay for a mid-day meal. At present they have to be fed at three sittings in one and a quarter hours.

5. The floor of a classroom in the old premises needs further repairs. It squeaks when the master moves about and the noise interferes with the teaching.

6. When the windows have to be opened in order to ventilate the laboratories, the noise of the traffic is a serious distraction and the teacher cannot be heard at the back of a room.

7. The new greenhouse and cold frame will be liable to damage from outside sources if they are not provided with a protective screen of wire-mesh.

8. In certain rooms sunshine produces a sharp contrasting light which makes it difficult to read anything on the chalk board.

9. Some notice boards should be provided in the entrance hall in order to avoid having notices stuck on the glass partitions.

10. The old playground needs to be resurfaced.

11. If a normal four-form entry is to be admitted next September and the engineering workshop is to be used for its proper purpose, additional classrooms will be needed while the school is overcrowded.   

 The school is well equipped with visual and aural aids. It is pleasing to find so many good pictures on the walls. The form-rooms are provided with adequate display panels; they are well used for some subjects, but this is not universal. A need remains to build up further the supply of science apparatus, to augment the supply of maps and atlases, and to increase the stock of text books in English, history and science. Some old geography books still in use might be replaced by more up to date works. The stock of reference books for all subjects should be increased. 

School Library

Two large apertures in a wall separating two classrooms in the old part of the building have united them sufficiently to permit them to be regarded for some purposes as a single space, while affording, at the same time, a moderately secluded area which may be used for private study. This is the library, a room well-furnished and adequate for the small stock of some 2,000 books that it now contains, but destined to become increasingly cramped as a more fitting supply of books is obtained. The present allowance of £175 a year is unlikely to make good for many years the numerous shortages that exist in almost every section. The room itself, situated at a comparatively remote point in the premises, is not well placed to serve the school as a whole. The master in charge is to be congratulated on having catalogued and arranged the collection of books, virtually single-handed, in a fairly short period. A few periodicals are taken, but these are not kept in the library.

Unfortunately the room is used full-time for lessons, partly for teaching boys in the lower forms how to use the books – a profitable and proper use of the room – and partly for English lessons. The result is that, apart from the sixth, most forms are excluded from the room; nor are boys allowed to borrow for home reading. The only exceptions are that sixth formers are allowed to borrow books overnight (but not on longer loan) and a few younger boys who are taught English by the librarian may borrow fiction.

Thus the school has now achieved a small but well-ordered central collection which is alienated from general use. In order that it may play a full part in the intellectual life of the school, arrangements should be made to free the room from lessons which are not directly associated with training in the use of the library. The service of older boys may be required in supervising activities, but this has advantages in that some of the burden now borne by the master alone may be carried by others.

In view of the isolated position of the library there might be advantage in laying out a small area in the main entrance hall for displaying periodicals and for advertising new acquisitions. Such an arrangement would release space in the main library room.

Staff

The Head Master was appointed in February 1951. Previously he had served as an assistant master in the school and then for two years as headmaster of an all-age school. He is an honours graduate of London University who has shown himself to be resourceful and incisive in directing the school during the difficult period of its expansion. He is an efficient leader who knows his school well, and commands respect from both staff and boys who give him willing co-operation.

The assistant staff consists of 34 masters and two mistresses, of whom one master and one mistress give only part-time service equivalent to that of one full-time teacher. Apart from the Head Master, nine of the staff are graduates, of whom only four hold honours degrees although the sixth form curriculum now includes eight academic subjects. Many of the masters are young, 17 being under 30 years of age. Of these, seven are in their first year of teaching, seven are in their second year and 11 have had no experience outside this school. There is a shortage of staff at present and a need exists for additional members in order to overcome shortages in physical education, science, handicraft and music.

The staff is a keen and hard working team and they give freely of their time in out of school activities. They are distinguished for their good schoolmasterly qualities. Despite the number of inexperienced staff, there is no serious weakness.

Organisation, Curriculum, and Standard of Work 

The school, which was built to accommodate a four-form entry, has a total of 23 forms in the first five years and a growing sixth form. The admission of six forms in the first year and the presence of five in each of the second and third years is regrettable at a time when the school is trying to build up academic standards in the face of shortages of staff. Next September pupils comprising three fifth forms will leave or enter the sixth form. Admissions should then be restricted to four forms. Although this would increase the degree of overcrowding for a time, it would be wise policy to try to keep the entry at this figure. A larger entry would certainly jeopardise the quality of the work, especially in science and handicraft, which should be strong subjects in a school of this type. At present the time allowance for science is low in 11 out of the 23 forms below the sixth. Few boys take woodwork or metalwork in the fifth and sixth forms at present, and not many have technical drawing – a most unusual feature in a technical school which sends one fifth of the leavers to engineering apprenticeships. It is, however, impossible for the Head Master to provide a satisfactory organisation until he has sufficient staff and adequate workshop and classroom provision.

At present the teaching periods vary in length. It would be an advantage if they could be made uniform, bearing in mind that a period of less than 40 minutes is unprofitable in a secondary school.

In the first and second years all pupils follow a common course except that this year, as an experiment, the first-year boys take Italian or Spanish in addition to French. The time allowance for Italian or Spanish is very small; and there is no evidence, at this stage, that the boys can profit from the study of a second modern language. It would be better for those boys who show linguistic ability to begin a second language with an adequate time allowance at a later stage in the school course. Handicraft consists of woodwork for the first forms and metalwork for all except one of the second forms. The time allowed for physical education is meagre at this stage and indeed throughout the school. The experimental third year, designed by the Head Master to determine the kind of course that the boys should follow, is unlikely to achieve its objective. It results in an overloaded curriculum, and subjects are taken up and dropped again after only one year. It should not be necessary to give all the boys a brief course in engineering drawing and another in bookkeeping in order to determine whether they are better fitted for a course in engineering or commerce. In the third year, all pupils study physics, chemistry and biology, which are taught by specialists, in place of general science. There is no second foreign language and boys take either art or art and craft, and woodwork or metalwork. Bookkeeping and engineering drawing are provided for all pupils. In the fourth year all boys take two of the following: art, art and craft, metalwork, bookkeeping, and engineering drawing. French is continued only by the abler forms, the two lower forms being allowed to replace it by commerce. The work of the fifth year is planned so that boys can offer English language, and a limited number of subjects chosen from English literature, economic history, geography, French, mathematics, physics, chemistry, physics with chemistry, bookkeeping, commerce, engineering drawing, music, art and woodwork, at ordinary level in the examination for the General Certificate of Education. As the work develops it is proposed to include metalwork as an additional optional subject.

Consideration might be given to the provision of a general course which lasts for three years. As there is a wide spread of ability, setting is desirable in French and mathematics and possibly in science. If this is done, forms might be graded on the attainment of the pupils in English and related subjects. In the fourth year, instead of individual options, the boys might be offered a choice of groups of subjects. These could include commercial and engineering science groups which demand good academic standards from the abler pupils, together with less exacting work in commerce and in science and craft for those who progress more slowly. These options would be continued in the fifth year when boys could offer subjects of their choice in an external examination. As the work is consolidated in the fourth and fifth forms, it should be possible to reduce the amount of ‘ordinary’ level work done in the sixth forms, provided the pupils do not attempt too many subjects in the external examination at the end of the fifth year and the subjects offered are those needed to meet the entry requirements of universities and of other various professional bodies. Discussions concerning careers during the third year or even earlier would help the boys to choose aright when they are offered alternatives in the fourth year.

A praiseworthy effort has been made to build up advanced work in the sixth form and the staff appreciates that it is especially important to stress improvement in quality at this stage. The time allowance is low for the arts subjects if this aim is to be achieved. A need remains, as soon as staffing conditions allow, to develop the non-examination work in the sixth, in particular English for the science specialists, together with opportunities for pupils to pursue their interests in literature, art, craft, handicraft, music and for discussion of major world problems. At present, some pupils, especially in the lower sixth, have a considerable amount of time allocated to private study before they have learnt to use it to full advantage.

The school has been stimulated by its expansion and by improvements in its accommodation. The industry of the boys and masters provides a good basis for development. At present the standards are being raised generally, and in most subjects there is work of promise, although some weaknesses remain.

ENGLISH

Seven masters are concerned with the teaching of English, only two of whom have taught the subject in this school for more than two years. The head of department, appointed in 1950, and still adding to his academic strength by studying English for the M. Ed. degree, is a stimulating teacher and a good leader. He gives help to the members of his team in such a way that they accept it cheerfully and work well together.

The time given to English in the third year is insufficient, the fifth forms have too few weekly periods to cover adequately the syllabus of both language and literature papers in the examination for the General Certificate of Education, and there is no English for the science sixth form. Otherwise the time allocation is satisfactory. The emphasis on literature, the sparing use of the isolated English exercise and the interesting experiments in which written expression is used in real life situations, are all strong features of the work. The ablest boys achieve very good standards in written English; others find great difficulty in expressing themselves clearly and in mastering the techniques of punctuation and spelling. As the young masters gain in experience they should be able to give more effective guidance to these boys, but above all there is a need for an increased supply of attractive and suitable books so that the boys can be encouraged to read much more than they do at present in their spare time.

External examination results have been satisfactory; 50 per cent of the pupils who took the English language papers at ordinary level were successful last year. There are 16 boys (4 in the Upper VI and 12 in the Lower VI) preparing for the examination at advanced level. This work is the responsibility of the head of department. As this is the first time advanced level English has been tackled in this school, he is giving the boys as much help as possible and is planning their work in great detail. Care should be taken to ensure that quality of written expression is not sacrificed to quantity.

The school is generally very interested in drama; plays are performed in public each year and play reading, especially of Shakespeare, is done well in the classrooms. Most of the boys speak readily and clearly.

The work in English is lively and varied and all aspects of the subject are given appropriate emphasis. If reasonable stability of staffing could be maintained for a few years, and if more money could be spent on books of all kinds, it should be possible to establish an English department which would make a still greater contribution to the education of the boys.

HISTORY

All pupils study history, for which the time allowance, generous on the whole, has the disadvantage of varying from two lessons weekly in the third year to five in the second. Increased efficiency would be encouraged by a more even distribution of the time given to the subject. The syllabus provides for the study of British History from the earliest times to the present day, with some attention in the first year to ancient civilisations and in the third year “a general survey of the history of Europe from 1789 to the present”. In the fourth and fifth years the emphasis is on British economic and social history from the Middle Ages to modern times in preparation for the ordinary level of the examination for the General Certificate of Education. The course thus planned has undoubted weakness in the tendency to superficial treatment imposed by the very wide range of study, in the inappropriate choice of the complexities of modern European History for the immature third year, and in the lack of differentiation in the scope and treatment of the work for the able and less able forms.

Five members of staff led by a university graduate in history are responsible for the subject; two are in their first year of teaching. All teach with commendable enthusiasm and a creditable degree of effectiveness within the limits of the technique used. The notable feature of all the lessons seen during the inspection was the persuasive vigour of the masters’ oral exposition and their careful preparation of the topics studied. The head of the department sets an excellent example in the enthusiastic guidance he gives the pupils in all aspects of the work; there is, however, some danger that the detailed nature of this guidance, especially in note making, may leave much less opportunity for initiative in study than is desirable. The praiseworthy variety of method suggested in the syllabus, notably in connection with the aids to be used, might be more frequently in evidence. Such variety would be helpful in enabling the course to be adapted to the different needs of the able and the less able pupils.

The pupils’ response to the teaching is commendably keen at all levels. They enter readily and confidently into discussion and are extremely industrious in written work. This is especially noticeable in the work of the upper forms, where note-making, essay writing and frequent tests, are so prominent that the total amount of written work seems excessive; although it is undoubtedly conducive to competence in meeting examination requirements it hampers wide reading with the result that the influence of the text-book is very marked. In the lower half of the school pictorial illustration accompanying written work often serves little purpose and needs to be practised with more discrimination. The standard of presentation of written exercises is very variable; a common staff policy to encourage careful and accurate expression in writing and greater variety in the types of written practice is very desirable. Some promising attempts at imaginative writing occur in second year work.

The commendable interest the school has in history is leading to sound developments in further study in form 6. The three boys in the upper sixth, who are continuing the study of economic history allied with economics, are developing sound habits of critical judgement in oral and written work, but better achievements at this level could result from the growth of a richer collection of history books in the school library.

GEOGRAPHY

The school has three geography rooms not full-sized nor fully equipped but all moderately well supplied with teaching aids and with considerable possibilities for further improvement. The three masters responsible for these rooms are non-graduate teachers with a special interest in geography. The head of the department is in his third year of teaching; one colleague has had one year less of teaching and the other a few years more. The brevity of their experience is to some extent counterbalanced by hard work and close co-operation. The Head Master and one other master take two forms for geography. The department is poorly supplied with atlases, text-books, and maps of all kinds, but good collections of charts, pictures and geological and commercial specimens are being rapidly acquired. All boys study geography for their first five years in the school, though some may discontinue it as the external examination approaches. The time allowance for the subject is rather generous at some points in the course, but for some forms in the fourth and fifth years it decreases to an amount which is barely enough to do justice to examination requirements.

Apart from an interesting treatment of the local region, the course in the first year, based on a slim text-book, is overmuch concerned with a theoretical approach to general geography which, divorced from studies of real places and phenomena, is rather arid. Thereafter regional studies and physical geography are carefully dealt with; closer links between these aspects and, later, with map-reading might be forged with a view to giving a greater sense of unity within the subject. While the boys show a good knowledge of work covered, it is only the ablest who have begun to appreciate the broad patterns of geographical distribution.

The teaching is always interesting; social geography receives adequate treatment in discussions, though written records are somewhat weighted with economic geography. At present the content of the course follows closely the text-books in use. Occasional exercises in the use of other reference material might be profitable. There is good training in writing, and marking is constructive and helpful.

In the first year of the sixth form seven boys have elected to continue the study of geography. This is a new venture that should prosper as the young master in charge encourages the boys to read widely and prepare new material for themselves. The time allowed for advanced work is meagre.

The greatest asset of the department is the keenness of the staff and their determination to make geography an interesting and vital subject. In response to their enthusiasm the boys work diligently.

FRENCH

All forms begin a course in French in the first year and continue it for three years with a time allowance of three to six periods weekly; most forms have four periods. A more generous amount of time, preferably a daily lesson for all forms, would be advantageous. At present about half the pupils discontinue the course in the fourth year, and in the fifth year another form relinquishes it to leave only one form to complete five years’ study. There is reason to believe that a far larger percentage of the school has the linguistic ability to profit from a five years’ course. The setting of pupils in groups according to their linguistic ability instead of forms would help to encourage the maximum rate of progress. French has not yet developed as an important subject to study in form 6; there is only one pupil who is in the first year of advanced study.

Three members of the staff are teachers of French. The head of the department, a certificated teacher and a native of France, was appointed twelve years ago; he is assisted by a university graduate appointed in 1958 after experience abroad, and by a certificated teacher serving his second year after training. All three have some other teaching duties; for a school of this size more time for the teaching of French will be necessary if the subject is to make its best contribution. Two of the masters are linguistically very well equipped as teachers of French; the least experienced is adding to his efficiency in this respect. The teaching effectiveness of the department, however, is not yet in keeping with the masters’ linguistic competence; indeed there is urgent need for their close co-operation in the study and application of the most rewarding methods.

The scheme of work hitherto followed is narrowly based on linguistic practice arising largely from text-book study and the needs of the external examination taken by some fifth year pupils. A far broader conception of the course exists in a recently prepared scheme which gives due place to a rich background knowledge of France and its people; when this scheme is fully implemented the subject will contribute far more richly to the pupils’ education, especially if French becomes more prominent as the medium of instruction in the course. At present English is over-used for this purpose and pupils have little opportunity for the progressive use of spoken French. As a result, the growth of accuracy in pronunciation, in fluency of reading and in simple conversation in French is very limited indeed. Even in form 5 gross errors abound in the pronunciation of common words, and there is no firm grasp of vocabulary or grammatical construction. A somewhat better impression is given by the pupils’ written work, but much of this consists of unrewarding text-book exercises; the practice of simple free composition that might readily arise from oral experience is neglected. The failure of the present excessive use of English and translation methods in oral and written practice is very quickly apparent in the course, and is markedly evident in the disappointingly low standards achieved in the external examination.

Ways and means of ensuring a steady growth of competence in speaking and writing French were discussed with the department at the close of the inspection; special attention was given to the need for varied practice in well-planned lessons and to the value of systematic repetition to consolidate pronunciation, speech patterns and verb tenses. The use of various aids including a tape-recorder, a French room, rich in books and periodicals, and the value of contact with France by means of correspondence and visits should be carefully considered in the effort to improve the efficiency and appeal of French in the school.

SPANISH AND ITALIAN

In two lessons only each week the first-year pupils are following a course in Spanish, and the other half a similarly organised course in Italian. The aim of both courses is to discover pupils capable of undertaking successfully the study of a second modern language. Since all pupils study French their linguistic ability quickly shows itself in that language and this first-year experiment in learning two modern languages seems wholly unnecessary; furthermore it presents an inappropriate challenge to young pupils. If a second language is deemed desirable for some pupils, those with recognised ability in language learning might well begin such a course in their third or fourth year and so be able to prepare for the examination of the General Certificate of Education after appropriate periods of study.

The experimental work so far accomplished in both Spanish and Italian is in the care of suitably qualified masters who have aroused creditable interest by emphasising the oral use of a limited vocabulary.

Three boys in form 6 who had little success in the study of French in lower forms have undertaken a one-year course in Spanish with the intention of taking the ordinary level of the external examination in this subject to help them qualify for entrance to a university. The master is striving enthusiastically to meet the demand of a course which not only puts undue restraint on his teaching technique but makes great demands for rapid progress on pupils of limited linguistic ability.

MATHEMATICS

Seven masters of the staff are concerned with the teaching of mathematics, all except one of them having substantial assignments of work in the subject. Here and there amongst them is found a tendency to under-estimate the abilities of the pupils and to set too slow a pace in the lessons, but the teaching on the whole is sound and thorough and some of it has distinctive features. The head of the department, a non-graduate but qualified teacher, is a very capable master with a good knowledge and appreciation of mathematics appropriate to the boys of this school. His lessons are enriched and enlivened by the use of some very good illustrative material, both two-dimensional and solid, much of which has been made by the boys and to which additions are constantly being made. His thoughtful planning and careful documentation of work are an excellent example to the rest of the department. At present a young graduate master, in his first term of teaching, takes all the pure and applied mathematics in the sixth form. The exacting nature of this assignment has not prevented him from making a very promising start to his career.

The five-year course which, with some modifications for the least able, is followed by all the boys from the age of eleven plus, leads to approximately two-thirds of the fifth form pupils offering Elementary Mathematics (Syllabus B) for external examination at ordinary level. Throughout the five years the form is the teaching unit. In many of the forms there was evidence during the inspection, in both oral and written work, of a wide range of mathematical ability. The attempts made to impart understanding to the least able boys accounts, to some extent, for the slow tempo of some of the lessons visited. It would seem, therefore, that some form of setting of the boys for the subject, according to their ability, is desirable; this might well begin not later than the third year. If this were introduced, some redrafting of the scheme of work would no doubt be advisable, though it is to be hoped that this would be done without losing its many commendable features. Most of the forms have either five or six periods of tuition each week; a few have four and one has seven.

The boys in form L6 Science are working with the intention of taking Mathematics (Pure Mathematics and Theoretical Mechanics) at ordinary level in the external examination next summer. It is expected that they will subsequently go on to offer Mathematics (Pure Mathematics and Theoretical Mechanics) as one principal subject at advanced level in the examination – an objective which is now pursued by eight boys in form U6 Science. The lower and upper sixth form groups are taught separately and eight periods of tuition each week are allocated to each group. The advanced level work is rapidly becoming so firmly established that soon consideration might well be given to freeing the boys from external examination in their first year in the sixth form.

Throughout the school, the boys show an interest in mathematics and a will to work that are highly commendable. The oral and the written work receive due care and attention from both the teachers and the pupils. Many of the boys are capable of producing well-reasoned arguments in discussion and these are usually presented in acceptable terms. The written work, which is reasonable in quantity, is on the whole neatly expressed; with encouragement from the teachers there are good attempts on the part of the boys to use language, in regard to mathematical conventions and more generally, in a proper manner. It is understood that, in the recent past, there has been considerable anxiety in the school concerning the establishment of sound mathematical foundations in the early stages of the course. There now appears to be no cause for such anxiety and the mathematical staff might, with every confidence, re-consider their attitude to subsequent revision of work by the pupils. The achievements of the boys in the sixth form are worthy of special mention. Their work ranges widely and they are able to converse about it intelligently and with considerable insight and maturity. Their written work is of very good quality.

SCIENCE

The senior science mistress and six masters share the teaching of science. They form a keen and competent team, which promises to increase in strength when the four members who have joined the staff this term have more time to assess the needs of the pupils and when the younger masters have gained experience. At present four of the staff give only part of their time to this subject. It is hoped that it may be possible to concentrate the work in the hands of fewer teachers, who can give most or all of their time to the subject. The senior science mistress has an honours degree, and two of the masters hold general degrees which include science subjects. The others have taken Training College courses, including one of three years.

For the first two years all pupils follow a course of general science with a time allocation of two periods a week except in form M1 D which has three periods. In the third year all forms have physics, chemistry and biology which are taught by the respective specialists. The time allowance is two periods a week for each subject. Physics and chemistry are continued in the fourth and fifth years. In the sixth form pupils can take physics and chemistry and offer them at advanced level in the external examination.

When the organisation is reviewed, it is important to ensure that all pupils follow a general course which includes an adequate amount of biology, and this course should be of sufficient length to provide a secure foundation for future specialisation. In planning the work for the fifth year, it should be borne in mind that, while the school contains some able pupils who can offer two science subjects at ordinary level in the external examination, many others should not be expected to offer more than one. It is also essential, if reasonable success is to be ensured, that the time allowance for science in many of the forms should be increased as soon as more staff can be appointed.

Much of the teaching is certainly stimulating an interest in science. The pupils are given opportunities to see and to do experiments for themselves. They are taught how to make their own notes and the standard of these is steadily improving. It would be worthwhile, however, to encourage greater use of books with the lower forms and, at the same time, more variation in the pattern of recording. The pace of working, especially with some of the younger pupils is rather leisurely and it might, with advantage, be increased. The work has been handicapped by staffing difficulties and is still hampered by shortages of staff and time. Sound foundations are now being laid and some promising work is beginning to emerge in the sixth form and below.

The school has five well-furnished laboratories, two each for physics and chemistry, and one for biology. It is unfortunate that so much noise from a busy main road enters the laboratories, especially when windows are opened. This creates problems of ventilation particularly in the chemistry laboratories. The stock of apparatus is still being built up. There is also a need for additional text-books and for suitable reference books both for the use of the sixth form and for younger pupils.

The school has benefited considerably from the services of a very willing and capable laboratory assistant.

ART AND CRAFTS

Two masters teach art and crafts. Commendable care has been taken in providing suitable working conditions in the practical rooms; well-considered displays of reference material and work by the boys are both instructive and attractive.

The course is primarily conceived to stimulate an interest in the applied arts and to give an understanding of the elements of design necessary to an appreciation of industrial design; this is a fitting aim in a school with a marked technical bias.

So far as a rational assessment of design can be made, the course is successful, but the present scheme of practical work does not make enough allowance for the development of sensibility. Work in the first year might provide an opportunity to use a wider variety of materials, and craftwork, at present left until the third year, should be practised from the beginning of the course; such experience would give the basis for an understanding of the influence of materials on design. There is need for a more perceptive approach throughout; boys with artistic ability should have more opportunities for working direct from observation.

An interesting project in “design research” is being carried out by the fourth forms; selected objects in everyday use are the subjects of short illustrated themes; some of the work in preparation is most promising.

Considering the limited time given to crafts, the standards in the three main activities, pottery, fabric printing and basketry, are satisfactory.

The senior art master has a strong personal interest in drama and the production of the school play provides an opportunity for purposefully using a wide range of skills in the design of décor, the construction of sets and the making of stage properties.

A collection of good reproductions of paintings lends warmth to the corridors and circulation spaces, making visual arts an accepted part of the school setting.

HANDICRAFT

Good progress has been made during the year or so that additional workshop facilities have been in use, but the heavy demands of large numbers of younger pupils have left no room for the development of advance work. Only four of the five workshops have so far been equipped – two for woodwork and two for metalwork. All forms at present have a half-day only for handicraft during the first three years. They begin with woodwork in the first year, and in the second and third some take woodwork and some metalwork, but none has both. In the fourth year handicraft is optional, some 38 boys taking woodwork only and 54 metalwork only: the rest discontinue the subject. Only five of 94 in the present fifth form do either craft and of the 33 in the sixth, only one is taking woodwork and one metalwork. It cannot, therefore, be said that handicraft has a proper place in the curriculum, for the older pupils in particular, and additional facilities and staffing are urgently needed if the subject is to play its full part in the education of the boys. Meanwhile, by reducing the time allocation for the first year forms, it might be possible and advantageous to allow nearly all the boys in the second and third forms to pursue both crafts at least until they are ready to make a choice.

The Deputy Head, one part-time and three full-time masters share the teaching of woodwork and metalwork. All are experienced, and suitably qualified, except for one who is new to teaching and who has come to the school direct from industry. They work well together and they are rewarded for their efforts by an excellent response from the pupils. Both crafts are soundly taught on traditional lines, with a good deal of emphasis on technique in the early stages. Excellent standards are set in the demonstrations and in the supervision of group and individual work. In woodwork, apart from the few boys in the fifth forms, who are engaged on sound constructional work of a fairly advanced kind, none has yet progressed beyond an elementary level. What is achieved, however, is a secure foundation upon which to build. In metalwork, rapid progress has been made, particularly in hammered work, and a useful beginning has been made in simple tool making and forge work. In the short time that has elapsed since metalwork was first introduced into the curriculum, this represents a very creditable achievement by the two experienced masters concerned.

Technical drawing begins in the third year with a time allowance of two periods a week for all boys. For those who take it in the fourth and fifth forms, the allowance is increased to four periods a week. The whole of the work is at present in the hands of the least experienced member of the team who has, moreover, a difficult task to perform in establishing satisfactory standards of work. Some improvement might be achieved if less reliance than hitherto were placed upon textbook exercises, if the work were more closely related to the handicraft courses, and if more opportunities were provided for the boys to think for themselves. A supply of machine parts for measuring and sketching is urgently needed. Results in the external examination, for which considerable numbers of boys have been entered in recent years, have been disappointing.

COMMERCE

Bookkeeping is taken by all the third forms, by two groups of fourth formers and by one fifth form group. Four boys (two in the upper and two in the lower sixth) are preparing to take the advanced level accountancy examination. The teacher of this subject, who has had business experience, prepares his material conscientiously, having compiled during his eleven years at the school four editions of his fourth form text book. He seeks to train the minds of his pupils as well as to inculcate bookkeeping principles and his pupils have had outstanding success in the examination for the General Certificate of Education. The third year boys are, however, too young to begin bookkeeping and even the fourth and fifth year pupils will benefit from the recent broadening of the syllabus whereby principles of commerce are being taught alongside the bookkeeping. Commerce is taken with forms L4, M4B and L5 by another master who has had little knowledge of the subject, but who has worked hard to master his material. He is not likely to continue with this work.

ECONOMICS

Nine boys in the lower sixth and three boys in the upper sixth are following an advanced level course in economics. The three older boys took and passed the examination in 1961 after only eight months of study, and they are repeating the examination this year in an attempt to gain better marks. The industry of the master concerned and the wealth of material he has prepared have enabled the boys to reach satisfactory standards so far as examination results are concerned, and this is most commendable. Some way might now be found of giving the boys increased responsibility for the planning of their work. There is a selection of authoritative text books, and others are still on order.

The Head Master is a graduate in economics and he has knowledge of the many and varied openings in the commercial world at all levels. The time may come when information of this kind should be discussed more fully with the boys and their parents, so that they have a clearer idea of the aims and objects of their studies.

MUSIC

In recent years the school has built up a considerable reputation for the quality of its choral singing and, at the beginning of this school year, it was intended to extend the scope of its musical work by appointing a second musician to the staff. In the event the young master appointed has found himself in sole charge of the subject, his senior colleague having become a lecturer in a training college. He has made an excellent start but inevitably, instead of expansion, there has been a temporary curtailment of the work as a whole, which only experience and the appointment of a second music master can put right. In planning for the future two considerations might be kept in mind, first, the encouragement of more four part (S.A.T.B.)* singing and, second the development of instrumental playing in addition to the recorder, a consideration which might influence the selection of the additional music master. Apart from the possible need for orchestral instruments, the school is reasonably well equipped for music, but the acoustics of the hall are so discouraging musically that hymn singing has unfortunately been abandoned at morning assembly; an improvement might be made, perhaps, by surfacing the absorbent panels at the rear of the hall.

[* denotes Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass]

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

A master, well qualified by a supplementary course of training and with previous experience in a new secondary school, was appointed to be responsible for the subject just over a year ago when the new gymnasium and ancillary rooms for washing and changing became available. He is a forceful and very earnest young teacher, who has set high standards for himself and the boys.

The gymnasium, though not yet adequately equipped with fixed apparatus, has had a stimulating effect on the work in gymnastics and the able boys are already reaching a very good standard. It would be helpful if the scheme of work could include suggestions for planning a suitable programme for those who are not so well endowed physically. Basketball is introduced in the fourth forms and has become a very popular club activity. It is most unfortunate that intelligent play is frequently spoiled by the unusually low clearance height to the underneath of the ceiling trusses.

For a school so near the centre of the city, the organisation of games as part of the curriculum inevitably presents a number of problems. Present arrangements whereby two complete year groups are conveyed by special transport to public playing fields appear to work smoothly. All boys, except those in forms 5 and 6 who have no field games, attend alternate weeks for the whole of the afternoon and altogether eleven members of staff are involved. The main outstanding problems are in connection with staffing and with the adequacy, for the very large numbers involved, of the equipment for coaching and the changing accommodation.

The facts that the school has fixtures for four rugby union teams yet no practice pitch, that it has fixtures for three cricket elevens but has neither practice nets nor match table, and that it arranges a full-scale inter-house athletics competition at a first-class athletics stadium but has no jumping pits for practice, are some indication of the interest taken by members of the staff.

The time given to the teaching of swimming is small and it is allocated in the main to the non-swimmers of the first year. Despite this, only about half the boys qualify as swimmers by the time they reach the fourth Forms. Cross-country running is encouraged and good results have been achieved.

General School Activities and Corporate Life

The school opens each day with a religious service which is held in the hall and is conducted by the Head Master.

At mid-day only those boys who are able to go home are allowed off the premises. As a result about 95 per cent of the pupils stay for the school meal. The mid-day break has been extended to one and quarter hours to allow for three sittings. The food is served from dishes at each table, but owing to overcrowding and the shortage of time, the members of staff who sit at many of the tables are unable to take full advantage of this opportunity for social training. Alterations in the service which might result in greater efficiency were discussed with the Head Master. The work of the kitchen may require some reorganisation if a new method of service is to be adopted.

The school has a number of flourishing clubs and societies. The Dramatic Society, which includes in its membership about 80 boys and ten masters, has produced a three-act play annually in recent years and it also takes part in the Adventure Theatre Guild Festival each summer. A Debating Society meets regularly during the winter term. The St. Vincent de Paul Society comprises a small number of boys who meet weekly and visit old people in their homes and the sick in hospital. There are clubs for rugby and association football, basketball, gymnastics, athletics and cross-country running. The gardening club has been hampered in its activities by the damage to the greenhouse and the cold frames mentioned earlier in the report.

The boys are friendly and courteous both in and outside the classroom. They show a wide range of ability, but a commendable characteristic is their willingness to work hard.

Conclusion

The school has emerged with credit from a period when work has been seriously handicapped by building operations. The goodwill of the staff, their determination to do their best for the pupils, and the good response of the boys are noteworthy.

This school has set out to become a technical high school with a good sixth form. An effort has been made to provide a broad curriculum up to ordinary level, but sufficient account may not have been taken of the wide spread of ability to be found among the boys. It is, however, a highly creditable achievement that a large fifth year and a sixth form of over thirty have been built up so quickly. The school cannot, however, establish the kind of organisation which is necessary to achieve its aims with overcrowded premises and serious staff shortages. It is essential that help should be forthcoming now, and that the annual intake should be restricted to that for which the school has been designed.

The meeting was held at the school and after the opening courtesies, the Headmaster, Mr A.J. Rocca, was invited to join the meeting and remained for the rest of the proceedings. What follows is a selection of some of the issues discussed.

1. Redecoration. The Headmaster explained that the paintwork in the new building was regarded as temporary and agreed with the RI (Reporting Inspector) that in redecoration a washable paint should be used. 

2. Greenhouse. Mr Reynolds asked whether this was suitably sited. The RI felt that no other site was possible and the Headmaster stated that arrangements for protecting the greenhouse were proceeding.

3. Forge fumes in metal workshop. Mr Haimes explained the difficulty. The chairman enquired whose responsibility this was and Mr Reynolds replied he thought the architect should be responsible.

4. Dining-room space. Following the RI’s comments on the inadequate space and the consequent need for three sittings, Councillor Mrs Wilson asked a number of questions designed to make clear that the Governors had not been satisfied with the plans in this respect. Mr Reynolds asked if the space [for dining] would have been adequate had the numbers been restricted to the 650 for which the school was planned. The RI replied that even with that number there would have been serious difficulty and the Headmaster pointed to the exceptionally high percentage of boys who stayed for the mid-day meal. The RI stated his colleague who examined the meals arrangements reluctantly recommended that the cafeteria system might be used. Canon O’Leary questioned whether this would be quicker. The Headmaster supported this point and Councillor Mrs Wilson felt that the family service system should be retained at all costs.

5. Staffing problems. Both sides stressed the need to obtain staff of high quality to fill the shortage. The Headmaster commented that although preliminary steps towards the appointment of additional staff had been taken there was little hope of securing their services before September 1962.

6. Numbers. The RI emphasised that the current year’s intake amounted to 50% overcrowding and that there had been 25% overcrowding in each of the two previous years. He expressed the strong feeling that the good work of the school might be seriously undermined if the four-form entry intake was exceeded in future.

Councillor Mrs Wilson asked if a temporary hut might help to solve the problem and the Headmaster referred to the possible future use of the old Ardwick Town Hall adjoining the present buildings.

The RI replied that the real shortage was in specialist rooms and pointed out that some forms were already receiving inadequate laboratory use.

Canon O’Leary asked whether the present pressures [on numbers] would continue. The RI felt that this was impossible to forecast. Planned new schools at Heaton Park [St Peter’s] and Longley Lane [St Augustine’s, Sharston] would have some future effect, but extreme pressure to maintain an abnormally high intake was probable for some years. He again stressed the need to resist such pressure.           

The Reporting Inspector concluded by congratulating the school on the way in which it had emerged from a difficult period and indicated his hopes for the future if numbers were reasonably limited.

In expressing thanks to the HMI, the Chairman referred to the watchful interest the Governors had taken in the development of the school and observed that with a lower range of ability among the boys much had been accomplished “of which a Grammar school could be proud”. (This comment perhaps explained, noted the HMI, in part, why the progress of the technical side had not been pursued with quite the same vigour that had characterised other developments.)

*    *    *    *    *    *

Governors’ gratitude

At the Governors’ Meeting held on 12th December to receive the initial verbal report of HMIs, the governors conveyed their congratulations and appreciation to Mr Rocca and the staff for the excellent tenor of the report.

Immediate response to HMI report

Following the feedback meeting on 12th December it was decided to implement some of the report’s   recommendations as soon as possible. A new timetable was devised and put into operation in the New Year; it included the recommendations that   all forms in years 1-4 should be taught metalwork and woodwork, and setting for subjects such as English, French and mathematics.

Published report

It wasn’t until April 1962 that Mr Rocca received a written copy of the full report. He was then able to read out relevant parts separately to small groups of teachers in each department and discuss the relevant issues and recommendations with the teachers concerned. Remarkable as it now seems, HMI reports were few in number; perhaps one copy per school. In earlier times Mr Holmes painstakingly wrote up HMI reports into the School Log Book. For this reason the staff would never have had the opportunity of studying the report in its entirety. As for the 1961 report, most teachers would have been unaware of all its findings and recommendations, which was a great pity.

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