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New staff
Among the teachers appointed during the academic year 1974-75 were Mr Francis Hennessy, Mr Albert Fletcher, Mr Greg Butler, Mr Bernard Haughey, Mr Paul Body, Mr John Kulikowski, Mr J.G. Quinn, Mr J.B. Meehan, Miss F.H. Everett, Mrs M. Mason and Mr Anthony Slade.
Nostalgic visitor
A cockney-speaking gentleman walked into the school one day in the mid-1970s and, in conversation with deputy head Mr A.L. Smith, announced that he was a former inmate of the Industrial School from over half a century earlier. Whether Mr Smith had time to show him around the premises is not known. However, had the visitor stood in the lower playground the south and east wings of the building would have looked much the same as in his day at the school. Of course, many boys from the East End of London had been sent by magistrates to the Industrial School at Ardwick Green and cockney accents were common.
Houghton Report, 1974
Arthur Houghton was first elected to Parliament as Labour MP for the Yorkshire constituency of Sowerby in March 1949. In October 1964 he became a cabinet minister in Harold Wilson’s first government and was appointed a Privy Counsellor. He retired from the Commons in February 1974 and was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Houghton of Sowerby.
At the end of June 1974, Reg Prentice, Secretary of State for Education and Science, and William Ross, his counterpart for Scotland, appointed Houghton to lead an inquiry into the pay of teachers in schools and colleges. It was the first independent review of teachers’ pay in Great Britain as a whole, and the first in England and Wales since 1944.
Houghton’s terms of reference were: ‘to examine the pay of non-university teachers in Great Britain; and to make recommendations.’
The ten members of his committee included Maurice Kogan and Lady Plowden.
The Committee’s report was published six months later in December 1974. It recommended extensive changes to the salary structure for teachers and substantial increases in their pay.
Despite Wilson’s government’s need to cut public spending, it accepted the Committee’s recommendations and, in 1975, teachers received pay increases averaging 27 per cent.
For the next few years teachers felt reasonably well-off, but rampant inflation and government pay restraint eventually ate away the gains.
Ground-floor plan, mid-1970s: some additional notes
Upper playground enlarged as land became available and perimeter wall removed.
Position of sixth-form centre.
Position of chapel; it was erected largely through the efforts of Fr Mitcheson.
Air Training Corps using the small building originally designated as a rural studies unit as a headquarters; it ran a tuck shop here at break and dinner times.
Covered parking space for bicycles in lower playground.
Room 1 used briefly as a staff room, about 1973-74.
Boys originally boarded Wythenshawe-bound buses on Ardwick Green North. Later the buses were boarded near the Higher Ardwick exit.
The school’s coach was parked in the corner of the lower playground, near the old tuck shop.
Small staff car park. In 1970s, cars were also parked in car park across the road.
For many years the rooms shown on this plan were used predominantly as specialist classrooms for the subjects indicated, but were also used for other subjects on occasions. With the teaching of some A-levels in the sixth-form centre from the 1970s, more classrooms in the main building became available for the teaching of other subjects.
Mrs Napier, Cook Supervisor
The appointment of Mrs Margaret Napier as Cook Supervisor ensured that the high standard of school meals prepared for the pupils would be continued. Supported by a hard-working kitchen staff, Mrs Napier provided an excellent choice of well-prepared dishes.
Example of a timetable of a pupil in Form 5T, 1974-75
5T timetable: some comments
More double periods and half-day sessions: fewer single periods. This reduced the movement of large numbers of pupils between lessons and led to a reduction in noise, congestion and disturbance. Less time was wasted, enabling more teaching and learning to be done.
More ‘teacher movement’.
More classrooms in the main building were now available for use following the opening of the sixth-form block.
Metalwork also known as EWTP, which stood for Engineering Workshop, Theory and Practice.
Room numbers shown where known.
Teachers referred to include: Mr J. Baxter (Form teacher and mathematics), Mr F. Evans (religion), Mrs M. Brankin (Spanish), Mr J. Kulikowski (geography), Mr J. McIntyre (chemistry), Mrs W. Lawrie (art) and Mr B. Caulfield (English).
Core subjects taken with 5T but option subjects in mixed classes.
Religion not taken in public examinations.
Some pupils sat CSE examinations as well as, or instead of, GCE O-levels.
Retirement of Mr W.L. McGawley, December 1974
After serving as the school’s headmaster for over eleven years, Mr McGawley retired in December 1974 aged 65. A special dinner to mark the occasion was held in Prestwich and was attended by staff and their families and friends. A presentation was made to him in recognition of his service and contribution to the school.
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