Free education in the parish of Keighley can be traced back to the early part of the 18th century, when in 1713, John Drake, churchwarden, maltster and innkeeper left by will "two messuages(dwelling house with outbuildings), barns and gardens with certain closes and parcels of land for the maintenance of a sufficient unmarried and qualified schoolmaster for the teaching of children residing in the town and parish of Keighley in the English. Greek and Latin tongues". This was added to by John Green in 1714

The school, which was known as the " Free School ", was built in 1716 in Cooke Lane and continued to be used as a school until the erection of the new school buildings in 1859. It was stipulated that the building was to be sited so that the windows did not look out onto the lane so that the boys could not "make observations on who went by. which would mightily hinder a close application to work".

In 1716 there was a third endowment by Jonas Tonson, lands and dwelling house at Exley Head, the rents from which provided funds to support "an usher to teach and instruct such children as he can to learn in the Free School of Keighley in the English and Latin tongues with the Upper Master in the said School". In 1833, the trustees exchanged a plot of land at Eastwood for a site at the Flosh and work began on the construction of a new school on this site in 1857. The second school opened in 1859.

The Mechanics' institute. established in Keighley in 1825. began as a meeting of four men one of whom had seen an article in the first issue of The Mechanics Magazine describing the educational aspirations of a group of Glasgow workmen. They decided that Keighley must have a similar institution and were very pleased at the number of working class men who attended the first public meeting held at the Free School . all eager to enrol as members of this society "for mutual improvement". In 1869 the Endowed Schools Act was passed and the Commissioners began to consider plans for secondary education in Keighley. By two schemes of management both approved in June 1871. the Endowed Schools Commissioners 'directed' the Governors appointed under he schemes. to apply he funds of the trust for he establishment and maintenance of a Girls' School in the existing school buildings and towards the support of the Keighley Trade and Grammar School for boys. established at the Mechanics Institute building in the centre of the town.

In January 1872, the Girls School opened, the first school of its kind to be opened in England under the Endowed Schools Act. To gain entry to the school, pupils were to be "girls of good character, and sufficient bodily health, residing with their parents, guardians or next friends". Admission was by examination to test “their ability to read monosyllabic narrative, write large text hand and to work easy sums in simple addition". The school was to be examined annually, the inspector's fee to be paid by the Governors.

The school was housed in buildings formerly occupied by the boys and extensions were added in 1882 at a cost of £896 and in 1887 at a cost of £952 By 1907, numbers had increased to 288 and further accommodation in wooden buildings was added.

In November 1871, Miss Mary Eliza Porter was selected to be the first headmistress of the new school. She was considered by her contemporaries to be one of the pioneers in the field of secondary education for girls, and a specialist in opening and organizing schools. There were to be four weeks holiday at midsummer, two weeks at Christmas and one at Easter, the school year ending in December.

Miss Ellen Leicester succeeded Miss Porter in 1873 and under her guidance, "The object of this school is to offer sound and careful instruction under competent teachers to girls between the ages of seven and seventeen". There were two red-letter days in the school calendar, a prize-giving ceremony which was a great social event usually held in December, and a day's outing in the summer In June 1875, the whole school drove to Bolton Woods for a picnic.

In 1874, part of Keighley's oldest charity was applied to education. In 1672, Isaac Bowcock had left by will £25 yearly "to be laid forth and bestowed for the preferring and putting forth of five poor men's sons to trades within the parish of Knightly". This money, amounting to £694 in 1873, was to be devoted to the payment of maintenance grant to parents to induce them to allow their children to remain longer at school. The girls' parents received larger sums than the boys' parents, necessitated by their daughters "having to be dressed well enough to take their places in school besides girls of a much wealthier class".

Miss Leicester resigned in 1879, having organized a curriculum to lead up to University examinations. Miss Mary Ellen Mellor was appointed headmistress, a post she held until her death in 1894. Miss Mellor appointed two pupil teachers who paid no school fees and received extra tuition from her She added Latin, Political Economy and German to the syllabus and prepared a scheme for cookery classes one day per week by a visiting teacher. The governors, were persuaded to provide a cooking stove and all the necessary utensils were lent by the Principal of the Mechanics' Institute. In 1894, there was an examination of the school for the Charity Commission. Governors reported of Miss Mellor that every individual girl was the object of her affectionate solicitude". The report described conditions in the school, with five rooms on the ground floor along with the headmistress's private room. The basement, level with the ground floor at the back, "contains a large exercise room also used as a classroom, a cookery room occupied by the kindergarten, a good cloakroom for the girls and a very small and dingy common room for the staff. A better room ought to be provided…………… This is the more necessary as Miss Mellor finds it conducive to the efficiency of the staff to spare them night work and have all their work for the day completed before they leave the buildings". Miss Mary Walmsley succeeded Miss Mellow as headmistress. She changed the pattern of the school year. holding annual examinations in the summer, so as to fall in line with public examinations and ending the school year in July. She also made practical science compulsory throughout the school. In 1896, the VI form was organized to prepare girls for the universities and in 1897 Miss Mary Atkinson was appointed headmistress, a post she held for twenty-eight years, through a period of great expansion. She was quickly involved in plans for extensions to buildings and drew up a scheme for a new Science course, involving plans for equipping a new science laboratory and the appointment of a new qualified mistress. At the time of an inspection by the Board of Education in 1906, the inspectors reported that the school aimed at providing a complete secondary school education from the kindergarten to the age of eighteen, to a considerable extent fulfilled. However, “too many girls stay for a short period only, entering too late to give the school adequate opportunity of influencing them. As a result, school life is too often only about three years instead of five or six”. It was therefore decided that the parents of Drake and Tonson Scholarship holders should enter into a form of bond with the governors to ensure that these girls should remain at school for at least four years. Those who broke their contract were required to pay £10.00

Arrangements were made to set up a fully equipped gymnasium and a qualified gymnast appointed. These classes were so popular that an extra class for members of the Old Girls Guild was held out of school hours.

       Also in 1906, the original scheme for the management of the Drake and Tonson School was repealed and by the new scheme of 1909. the governing body was enlarged. It was stipulated that the headmistress should be a graduate of a British university and suggested that governors should provide more exhibitions for pupils “who intended to proceed to any college or place of higher education for women”.

      In Spite of many additions to the building, space was inadequate and a new building was clearly needed. In addition, the County Council insisted that at least 25% of the places should be free.  In 1913, the Governors approved a new site at Utley, the Cliffe Castle Estate,  which had been proposed by the West Riding County Council, but building plans had to be shelved because of the 1914-1918 war. In 1919, the preparatory department moved to rented  accommodation in the Temple Street Methodist Sunday School.

      In I 925, Miss Atkinson retired and was succeeded by Mrs. Margaret Kirk, and in 1927, sixteen acres off the Cliff Castle Estate were bought from Sir Frank Butterfield for £8000.

It was on 17th July, 1931 that the foundation stones were laid in the presence of  Keighley Town Council, the West Riding County Council, the County Education Committee and the Higher Education sub-committee, for the new school was to be maintained by the local education authority. The Board of Education radically altered the Drake and Tonson Scheme in 1933, and the school was to be called the Keighley Girls Grammar School .

       On January 26th 1934 , the new building were formally declared open by Lord Irwin President of the Board of Education and Sir Percy Jackson, Chairman of the County   Education Committee handed over the school to the Governing Body.

When all the girls had been moved into the school an Open Day was held in March 1934 to enable the public to tour the grounds and buildings and admire the many gifts from the friends of the school. The school continued to grow in numbers, although Mrs. Kirk had frequently to deplore the tendency for girls to leave early. The war years brought little dislocation to the school although for a time girls from Hanson High, Bradford and the City of London School shared the building. The war efforts of the girls were amazing. Without staff help, they organized War Savings groups and made contributions to the British Red Cross, the local Comforts Association, provided clothes and knitted blankets for the W.V.S. and the Soldiers, ‘Sailors’ and Air Force Families Association, worked in agricultural Camps during the holidays and cultivated allotments in term time to provide vegetables for school dinners.

In 1942, Mrs. Kirk retired and was succeeded by Miss Jennet A. Evans. At that time there were 582 pupils on roll.

      By 1944, numbers had increased to 659 and even this number did not meet the demand for places. The school had applied for funding from the West Riding for more classrooms, which was not sympathetic and pointed out that there would be more places for secondary pupils if the Preparatory Department was closed. The Governors were very reluctant to close it, but the

new Education Act gave power to the local Authorities to put pressure on schools and eventually it was agreed that no more pupils would be admitted to the preparatory school after September 1944. By 1945, fee paying had been abolished and the preparatory department was closed.

       One event which took place in 1947 was a visit to the Mansion House when Bracewell Smith, donor of Cliffe Castle to Keighley became Lord Mayor of London . A coach load of girls from the school, two representatives from each form, travelled to London and were each given a commemorative half-crown coin, together with a packed lunch in a specially made box.

       In 1950, G.C.E. examinations were introduced. Miss Evans also introduced a new internal certificate which showed subjects passed at G.C.E. and in addition listed those subjects which internal examinations showed would have reached pass mark in the old School Certificate. This led to a working party in 1 957 drawing up a scheme for a leaving Certificate for all Keighley Schools. The need for such certificates was apparent throughout the country. and led to the introduction of the Certificate of Secondary Education in 1966. Miss Evans also felt that streaming of students was counter-productive for those in lower streams and dispensed with this in Years 1,2 and 3 whilst in Years 4 and 5. students were divided into sets according to subjects chosen.

       During the early 1950's, admission numbers had remained constant at around 120. but from 1957 until 1960, numbers admitted each year rose to 180. New classrooms had to be constructed at the western end of the Hall, now the beginning of C block, made mainly of wood as it was thought they would only be needed for a few years.

After a sharp political struggle. using the terms of the 1944 Education Act. Keighley persuaded the Ministry of Education that, despite being just too small to qualify, there were good historical grounds to allow its excepted status. This meant that there were continued arguments about the control of policy, the Development Plan for Keighley being very different from that of the West Riding, which wanted all new schools to be multi-lateral. By the late 1950's. there was disquiet about the unsatisfactory selection procedures used to determine grammar school entrants.

The Labour Party solution was to introduce comprehensive education, and in 1959 they put forward their plans, which would have meant the provision of three comprehensive schools in Keighley , one of which would have been converted from the Girls' Grammar School. The Conservative/Liberal Group were unhappy with this, wanting to retain the boys' and girls' grammar schools as part of their plan, and introducing the Thorne Scheme to address selection problems. This scheme named after the Yorkshire district in which it was first tried, gave each primary school within a grammar school's catchment area a quota of places based on the school's previous performance. Headteachers were asked to list their pupils in order of merit. The borderline cases at the bottom then had to come to a day, where they were assessed in as informal a manner as possible, before the final selection was made. After local elections in 1959, the Conservative/Liberal plan was adopted.

       By 1963, there was evidence that the Thorne Scheme was not working and a new financial crisis was forcing the West Riding to put limits on new school buildings. The idea was then proposed to adapt the Leicestershire Plan, where schools were divided into Junior High and Senior High Schools, students choosing at 14 whether to stay in the Junior High and leave at 15, or transfer to the Senior High School if they wished to stay at school until 16 or beyond. The Senior High Schools were to be based on the existing Boys' and Girls' Grammar Schools, but extensive new buildings would be required.

When both schools became mixed the names were changed to Greenhead and Oakbank. Both retained the name grammar as a concession to those who hoped that the values held in the old schools would be apparent in the new schools.

       Miss Evans had been very active on the working party planning for reorganization and it was fitting that she should be the first Headteacher of one of the new upper schools as the changes began to take effect. There had been many successful ideas put into practice during her period as headteacher. She added a Discussion Group to the Parent-Teacher Association, which provided a wide and varied programme of educational topics. In the 1940's, Miss Evans introduced a less specialized programne for sixth form students, allowing them to take a wider range of subjects to be studied over one or two years, rather than the then expected three Higher School Certificate subjects. The course could for example, include two 'A' level subjects along with two general subjects internally assessed and examined. Miss Evans always recognised the importance of good careers advice and ensured that school had a careers mistress, a rarity in 1947. Also in 1947, the school council was constituted through which suggestions for innovations and improvements to school affairs could be made and discussed. By 1963, a combined studies course became part of the sixth form curriculum, consisting of short courses in An, Music, Sociology, Politics, Science and Statistics. In 1967, Miss Evans decided that the formal Speech Day should be replaced by an informal gathering in school at which prizes were distributed, the fore-runner of the current Presentation Evening.

Miss Evans was always at the forefront of educational thinking and showed great determination in carrying out what she believed to be right. She also had great understanding and patience. and her encouragement helped many pupils and staff over the years. Miss Evans was a headmistress of national repute, widely respected, with the vision to introduce new ideas, the courage and energy to carry them through, and a real interest in the individual.

       In 1968, Greenhead Grammar School began to evolve as a mixed 14-18 comprehensive school for approximately 800 students, the first full intake from feeder schools commencing in September 1967, whilst transfer into the Sixth Form began in 1966. In 1967-68, there were still selected girls' classes from the second to upper sixth forms, but there were now 10 forms at 4th year level, two-­thirds of which came from feeder schools and were mixed boys and girls. There were also non-selected pupils at 6th form level.

At Easter 1968, Miss Evans retired and was succeeded bv Mr. Roy Nicholls. After teaching at Ormskirk Grammar School . and The Hayward School Bolton, he became Deputy Head of the Winifred Portland Technical High School , Worksop in 1957. Four years later he moved to Keighley as Head of the Secondarv Technical School , a post he held until April 1966. During that time he was a teacher representative on the Keighley Education Committee and was strongly in favour of both co-educational and comprehensive education. In 1966, he became head of the Joseph Leckie School in Walsall , but when Miss Evans retired Mr. Nicholls was pleased to have the opportunity to return to Keighley as headteacher of Greenhead. The changeover to comprehensive education was well under way when Mr. Nicholls took over as headteacher. He believed in giving a great amount of responsibility to pupils and staff and always made time for consultations whenever new ideas were introduced. He was particularly interested in careers education and the teaching of technology in schools. He was also keen to foster courses which had educational as distinct from purely examination objectives, which he felt would further the development of the full personality in a co-educational school. Similarly, he always gave encouragement to as wide a variety as possible of extra-curricular activities, whether in sport, drama and musical productions, hobbies, outdoor activities or clubs based on interests in particular subject areas, which he felt would draw together both boys and girls of all ages.

       As the school increased in size, the facilities were insufficient to meet new demands. Study facilities for sixth formers, were very limited, the school library was not large enough to meet the requirements for study use for increased numbers in fifthand sixth forms, and in summer 1969 building commenced on a new purpose built Sixth Form Unit, containing its own library and study area, a number of teaching rooms to accommodate teaching groups of between sixteen and twenty, and a large social area, which included its own snack bar. Sixth form students continued to use specialist facilities, laboratories, art rooms, etc. In the main school area, but the new unit released pressure on the facilities for use by students in the lower part of the school. The new unit was opened in September 1970.

In 1973, Local Government re-organisation abolished the West Riding County Council and Keighley became part of the Bradford Metropolitan District Council. In 1974 Mr. R. Nicholls left Greenhead to take up a position as an Inspector of Schools in the Northern region and Mr Brian Davies took over the position of headteacher in January, 1975.

            In 1975 work began on the new extensions to Greenhead. These were to include a new sports hall, increased accommodation for youth and further education work, a lecture theatre, dance drama studio, increased facilities for creative arts, home economics, craft and for the first time, facilities for heavy engineering work. Extensive improvements were also included for the playing fields, with the provision of an all-weather sports area with facilities for track and field events, together with two other grassed playing areas, all to be laid out on three distinct levels. The extensions were planned to enable Greenhead to increase its numbers from 850 students to 1200 by Autumn 1979 when Greenhead would begin to accept students from the age of 13. Mr. Davies was keen to develop use of the school's facilities by the community out of school hours, as far as possible, an ideal which continues to the present day. The extensions to the school buildings continued for 2½ years. There were inevitably difficulties of noise, dirt and disruption to routine, but finally, splendid new facilities were provided and despite cuts in the original allocation for furniture and equipment the new buildings were ready for use.

In September 1979, the number of new students entering Greenhead was over 800, joining the 450 students already attending school. This was brought about by students entering at 13+, as well as 14+, as Keighley schools were adapted to fit the pattern of education in the remainder of the Bradford Authority. This needed special planning, careful liaison with feeder schools and extra in-service training for teachers at the school. This liaison and close links with pyramid schools continues to be an important priority to the present day.

In 1982, there were the first developments which led to Greenhead becoming a government selected school for its excellent work in Technology. A course in electronics was introduced, and Greenhead then became a member of the Micro-Electronics Education Programme on the use of computers in schools. By 1982, there were 1324 students on roll, 150 more than had been planned, and space was once again at a premium.

Alongside all these developments, Greenhead was developing into a multi-cultural school. When Mr. Davies took over as headteacher in 1975, about 3% of students were of Asian origin. By 1985, this had risen to 23%, producing new challenges and opportunities and extra difficulties, especially in making already stretched resources expand to meet the needs of all students. In Keighley, unlike Bradford , there were no special centres offering language provision for students whose first language was not English. Greenhead was expected to cater for all students, and in fact, the way in which Greenhead adapted and provided for students with language needs was one which many schools in the authority were to adopt.

There had been a number of changes to the curriculum, and in addition to developments in Electronics and Technology there were other developments taking place. The City & Guilds Community Care Course was introduced, Computer Studies, Graphics, Maths Profile and N.P.R.A. were added to the educational vocabulary and 16+ examinations replaced GCE and CSE examinations, ensuring that Greenhead was well-placed to take the new G.C.S.E. examination in its stride. Increasingly important at that time was the work of the consortium, particularly in the 16-19 area and then with its extensions into 4th and 5th year work, widening the scope of provision for students at all levels in the school. Despite problems with industrial action. Greenhead students continued to succeed and Greenhead's caring aspect was one of its great strengths at this time.

       Greenhead continued to be at the forefront in the development of multi-cultural education and also took in its stride the integration into the school of a number of students with special educational needs. Mr. Davies was keen to preserve the caring atmosphere, good discipline and good standards, and believed that students wanted to live in an orderly community.

In 1985 . Mr. Miles Mizon succeeded Mr. Brian Davies as Headteacher. The changing nature of the intake into Greenhead made it essential that the school should examine its role within the community and that it should respond to the differing needs of the whole community. The involvement of the Asian community grew considerably with the introduction of Community Development Officer Mrs. Fiza Ghafoor, in 1987 who proved invaluable in helping to create links between parents, the school, and the whole community. She, herself had been the first Asian female student at Greenhead and was well-known and respected within the Asian community, Greenhead was invited by HMI to provide the U.K's single school case study for the OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, an international research project on the education of ethnic minority students, secured because good practice in linguistic and cultural incorporation. The study illustrated how the school responded to a rapid increase numbers of ethnic minority students and was presented to International Conference in Sydney in April 1991. The advent of Local Management of Schools meant that much of the financial control, formerly in the hands of the local authority, passed to the governors of the school. They now have to take decisions on how money is to be spent, resources allocated and set staffing levels.

       One major project was completed in 1988. The running track on the all-weather playing area was convened to a Tartan Track at a cost of over £100,000. The school enjoys the benefits of this excellent facility and the area is used jointly by Greenhead and the Recreation Division of Bradford Metropolitan Council.

There were a number of changes in the curriculum. All students took a balanced science course, including all three disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, rather than being able to opt for one or two sciences. Technology for All, including Information Technology was part of all students' course of study, as was Expressive Arts, encompassing Art, Dance, Drama and Music. Within these two broad areas, students were able to select some specialism after an initial broader course. With the advent of the National Curriculum, further changes were made, students having to study a wider range of subjects, and testing of students forming a part of this change. Further changes are yet to come. New terminology needed to be learned with the intake of the school entering at Year 9 and the various Key Stages needing to be assimilated. Changes took place, and are still developing, in 6th form courses of study. Students continue to study subjects for 'A' level examinations, but also part of the 6th form programme is a much wider range of vocational courses catering for the whole range of student ability. The Diploma of Vocational Education courses continue to be amended to meet the requirements for the new G.N.V.Q.

The school has continued to develop its partnership with local industry, allowing students to broaden their experience and develop closer understanding between the school and the world of work. Greenhead had already established many links with local companies, where students were able to take up work experience placements, undertake projects to complete coursework for examinations, which themselves were of value to the companies involved e.g. recycling waste products for a local manufacturing company, when the opportunity arose to become involved with the COMPACT initiative in April 1993. This initiative aims to promote partnerships between employers and educational establishments and involves students, teachers, parents and employer working together to enable students to achieve COMPACT goals of good attendance and punctuality, meeting coursework deadlines, completing work experience, a personal Record of Achievement and working to an Action Plan. Benefits of the scheme are apparent for both Greenhead and industry, in the enrichment of the curriculum in school by bringing in expertise from industry and by enabling students to participate in projects which are of value to industry and the community e.g. Airedale NHS Trust providing a context for a Communications module in Graphics, to develop new sign around the hospital and the translation of Health posters into community languages.

The school continues to enjoy support from the Drake and Tonson Trust. This provides income each year to provide special funding and many students have benefitted over the years, having been awarded travel scholarships to undertake special studies or challenges and to help them when they leave Greenhead to take up places in Higher Education Institution

In 1993. Greenhead was given two prestigious national awards. The school was selected by the Government as a school of Excellence Technology through our submission to the Technology Schools initiative and was awarded £256,000. The award is to be used to develop work already begun in the areas of engineering manufacturing, textile manufacturing, electronics and control technology, catering and business studies. With this award, Greenhead has been able to enhance and provide suitable equipment a upgrade technology facilities to a commercial industrial standard. The aim is for standards in all subject areas to be high and enriched by the distinctive overlay that access to top class computer systems and hi-tech equipment provides. There is a student : computer ratio of 4:1. In addition improving Technology provision, the effects of TSI enhancement have also been of benefit to other curriculum areas across the whole school. Study areas around the school have been improved, with more access to computers and improved facilities for printing in many of these areas. including the addition of colour printers where appropriate, e.g. in Geography and History. More lap-top computers for use in classrooms, the installation of a new file-server for the network making it possible to access facilities previously only available in the central resource area, enhancement of computers in Music, a fibre optic microscope in science are some of the items of software and equipment which have greatly improved resources for staff and students.

Also in 1993, Greenhead was delighted to receive a coveted Schools Curriculum Award, given only to schools which have established a broad and balanced curriculum, whose work shows evidence of quality, which develops the basic skills and performance of pupils and whose whole curriculum is enriched by drawing on the varied resources of the community and the environment. A national award such as this recognises the value of all that Greenhead aims to achieve, reflects the commitment of all those at the school in providing the best possible education for its students and the importance of recognising and involving the wider community of which it is part.

In December 1993. Greenhead was the first Keighley school to be examined by the newly privatised Office in Standards of Education (OFSTED). A team of thirteen inspectors spent a week at the school looking at every aspect of school life, and reported very favourably on many of them. The report contained many' positive comments:-

"The school is a caring and orderly community.

Relationships within the school are good. Pupils are generally friendly and courteous".

“Pupils are orderly and well-behaved both in classrooms and around the school".

"The school is well organised and runs well on a day to day basis”

"The school makes great efforts to cater for the needs of all groups of pupils

and has established strong links between home and school as well as with the wider communitv".

"The principle of equality of opportunity' is embedded in the ethos of the school

and to a great extent put into practice by the staff".

"Teachers have a good command of their subjects and work hard in preparing, teaching and in marking pupils' work".

"Pupils and parents greatly value the information and support they receive from school".

Greenhead is a very different school from the Keighley Girls' Grammar School which opened on the present site 60 years ago in 1934, yet many of the principles and standards which gave the school its character at that time are still very much in evidence today. Students and teachers have always been proud to be members of the school community and have the memories of the time they spent at the school. Greenhead intends to continue to be at the forefront in educating young people for the future and looks forward to many more successful years.

Schools Curriculum Award

1992

The school wishes to gratefullv acknowledge the help provided by Mr. Michael Baumber Head of History 1969 – 1987, for his original research, Mrs. Hilary Miller who taught at the school from 1964 - 1993 for the compilation of this booklet, and for assistance provided by the Keighley News.

The booklet has been produced with support from the Trustees of the Drake and Tonson Foundation.

Greenhead Reunion Group would also like to thank Mr. Mizon and GreenheadGrammar School for allowing the text and images of this booklet to be used on this web site.

©1994 Greenhead Grammar School

It was February 1955, in the Keighley Borough Education Offices overlooking Town Hall Square , that I was interviewed for the post of Headmaster of Keighley Secondary Technical School. It was a bitterly cold, dull and misty day with a layer of snow everywhere.

I was offered the post and, after some questioning concerning the date of commencement, 1 walked down Cavendish Street to the railway station endeavouring to convince myself that I had done the right thing to accept. Life in Yorkshire , after my early nurture in Bury St. Edmunds and my teaching appointments in Norwich and Colchester , was bound to be very different. East Anglian friends seemed to equate the West Riding with Outer Mongolia . However, I admit with complete candour that I have never regretted my move to northern climes: 1 highly valued my six years stay in Keighley and I still look back on my Yorkshire sojourn with frequent nostalgia. Having telephoned my wife, who responded encouragingly, I caught the train to Leeds and spent a sleepless night with relatives in Netherton, near Huddersfield .

The Keighley Secondary Tec'., as the School was affectionately designated, was situated in Hartington Street in an area formerly known as the "Flosh". The School was built in 1858 in the victorian Neo-Gothic style to re-house the existing Boys' Grammar School. In 1871 the boys moved to the recently opened Mechanics' Institute and, in the following year, the Drake and Tonson Girls' School was re-housed in the vacated premises. The School remained there until 1934 when it moved, as the Girls' Grammar School, to Utley.

It is of interest to recall that in his autobiography, 'The Time of My Life' Lord Dennis Healey of Riddlesden, formerly M.P. for Leeds East, refers to his early years as a pupil in the kindergarten of the Drake and Tonson prior to his admission to Bradford Grammar School His father was Principal of Keighley Technical College from the early 1920s when the family lived in Holker Street which led down to the school. In 1940, in order to escape from relentless bombardment, the City of London Girls ' School was evacuated to the Junior Technical School which had been established in the Hartington Street premises but, in spite of continuing devastation, the school returned to London in 1943.

In the School's newsheet we read: 'The London girls took part on long walks; one of the  striking features is the derelict mills which serve as a perpetual reminder that here way the home of the Industrial Revolution '. Later, in Spring 1943: 'the School now looks as much at home pedalling, furiously along the Skipton Road or slithering delicately over a frosty Town Hall Square as it did strap-hanging in a London Tube or dodging through the traffic on Iudgate Hill. We have an entirely new set of excuses_. for being late for school and a snowed­up 'bus sounds far more picturesque than the good old London   fog-service'.

At the Junior Technical School there was a master-in-charge who was accountable for its efficient organisation to the Principal of the College. Entry for a two-year course was at thirteen years of age as a result of selection tests held at the local elementary schools. There was provision for general education but the curriculum, technically and vocationally orientated, was geared to the needs of local industry. There was point and purpose in its ethos which was easily recognisable by parents whose interests lay, understandably, in the world of work.

In the 1930s an extensive wooden wing of six classrooms was added to the original 1858 building. Later, a dining-room, kitchen and gymnasium were built and, over the years, many other additions and improvements enhanced the potential of the School including an asphalted area to the south, suitable for netball and tennis. In my time, a small grass patch, including a cinder track, had been preserved: a welcome oasis for the scrap merchant's donkey which was tethered there during the weekends. In the far distance over the railway line and the Aire Gap towered Rombalds beyond which spread the wild expanse of Ilkley Moor.

Three years before my arrival, the Junior Technical School had been re-constituted the Keighley Secondary Technical School , organisationally separate from the Technical College . The Keighley Borough and the West Riding Education Committees had appointed the first Headmaster, John Childs, a Cambridge graduate, in 1952. I arrived to take over his post in September 1955. I migrated north from Colchester , John travelled south to the new Worthing Technical High School .

During my time at Keighley Secondary Tec' there were 470 boys and girls on roll. The selective 13 + entry of the former Junior Technical School was extended in 1957 to include three classes of 11 + entries selected as a result of the West Riding's selection procedures. We had an extensive catchment area and, surprisingly, only one quarter of our pupils lived in the immediate Keighley area. The remainder travelled from the far-flung outposts of Grassington, Cray, Sedburgh, Hellifield, Settle, Kirby Malham, Ingleton, Ribblehead, Earby and Barnoldswick (Ba'lick). Scholars from the last two outposts left school early to catch their train - a short walk down the line. Edward Welsh, a pupil from Earby, wrote in the school magazine in 1959: 'Coming down from Pinnow on a fine sunny day, a wonderful view is obtained of Lancashire on one hand and the hills of Wharfedale on the other ...... round the bend in the hillside lies Skipton, gateway to the Yorkshire Dales'.            Most of our pupils travelled either by 'bus or train to Skipton where buses were caught - and sometimes missed - for the final nine-mile trek to Keighley. One boy, I remember, from Cray, another from near Chapel-le-Dale and a girl from Langstrothdale, lodged in Keighley during the week, but most youngsters had long and arduous journeys, some leaving their homes at 7 a.m. On one or two occasions, I rose unusually early from our home near the summit of Highfield Lane in Keighley and caught a 'bus near the Mechanics' Institute for Skipton 'Bus Station in order to witness the early morning jamboree. I had wondered why a number of pupils were so

often late, but the reason soon became clear; they had waited for the last ' bus only to find that there was a welcome shortage of seats.

Parents signed an agreement that their offspring would remain at school for at least five years. Emphasis was placed on education in its widest sense and meticulous attention was given to homework, punctuality, courteous behaviour and school uniform. We aimed to develop the capabilities of our pupils by providing a wide range of extra-curricular activities in addition to providing a choice of subjects in the Middle and Upper Schools which included such subjects as engineering workshop theory and practice and commercial subjects. Pupils could then grasp the relevance of their study to the occupations which they would be following on leaving school. The main courses led to the General Certificate of Education, the Certificate of the Union of Cheshire and Lancashire Institute and some Royal Society of Arts examinations in Commerce. In the developing sixth form, 'A Level' subjects were studied and human biology in the Lower Sixth was a popular choice because of its acceptance by the General Nursing Council. At the new Technical College , opened in Town Hall Square in 1957, courses were arranged for senior boys in textile processes for the textile industry which was a prominent employer of the Keighley working force. Meetings of staff and parents were frequently organised and were well attended.

In extolling the work of the craftsman, the writer of Ecclesiasticus mentioned his skill and dedication. The words. 'He setteth his mind to finish his work' were chosen as the school motto to inspire us all in the many educational tasks that beset us.

Frequent visits were made to local industries such as Keighley Lifts, Prince Smith and Stells, Rolls Royce and Dean Smith and Grace. The visits were organised by the late Sidney Dewhirst, the School's Careers Master, who worked very closely with the Keighley Schools Careers Service. Such close relationship with local industry resulted in the donation of many prizes from firms for presentation at the annual Speech Day and Presentation of Awards. At the 1960 Presentation of Awards at the Keighley Municipal Hall when the Very Reverend F. Llewellyn Hughes, Dean of Ripon and former Chaplain-General to the Forces, was the guest speaker, no less than twenty prizes had been subscribed by Keighley and other regional industries.

In addition to the school leavers who gained employment in local industry which necessitated, in most cases, part-time study for the Ordinary and Higher Diplomas and the City and Guilds Certificates, pupils were admitted to Teacher Training Colleges in various parts of the country, Schools of Art (one boy, Terence Green, I think from Steeton, gained a place at the Royal College of Art), Schools of Navigation, which led to careers in the Merchant Navy and to an assortment of administrative and office posts. One boy joined the staff of the Yorkshire Post in Skipton, and Elizabeth Cork, from Gargrave, entered Bath College of Education and returned to the School as a member of staff. An Embsay sportsman, Granville Cowgill entered Avery Hill College in London to specialise in physical education and followed this with a course at the renowned Carnegie College . He is still teaching physical education at an Essex comprehensive school. Arthur Micklewright from Skipton has a senior post with the West Yorkshire Rivers Board near Cleckheaton. Our first alumnus to enter a university - at Hull - was David Riley who lived in the Oakworth area. I often wonder where he is now. Stuart Scott of Riddlesden entered King Alfred's College, Winchester , to study craft, design and technology. He is now an Inspector of Schools in Birmingham . A Yarnbury boy was admitted to the Camborne School of Mines in Cornwall .

Secondary Tec' teams took part in inter-school games on playing fields in Utley and travelled to Skipton, Ilkley, Cleckheaton, Bingley, Bentham and Bradford in addition to all the Keighley Secondary Schools. Training at the new Marley Stadium was popular. All staff and pupils were placed in one of four Houses: Airedale, Craven, Keighley and Skipton for athletic and sporting activities. In order to encourage pupils to make some contribution to the welfare of the School, an Order of Merit was officially instituted.

Thirty boys with two masters spent a study week at Humphrey Head, near Grange-over­Sands, Senior boys had the opportunity of joining the Keighley Flight of the Air Training Corps which met weekly at Hartington Street . Several senior boys were active members of the Upper Wharfedale Fell and Rescue Association centred at Grassington and I shall always remember the Friday afternoon when police arrived to ask if the boys could be released to help in the rescue of Neil Moss, an Oxford student, who was wedged in the chimney of Peak Cavern on the Derbyshire Moors. One stalwart, Paul Reinsch, of Grassington, was lowered to offer assistance, but to no avail. The incident ended in tragedy which made a profound effect on the boys whom I saw early the following Monday morning.

There were many visits and outings to sites of historic interest. I well remember the Carol Services in the Parish Church and in the former Albert Street Baptist Church and all the concerts and dramatic productions. The leader of the Topographical Society was Trefor Day of Shipley, the Deputy Head, a source of inspiration for expeditions to the Haworth Moors, Penyghent, Upper Wharfedale, Langdale Pikes and, of course, Rombalds and Ilkley Moors. Under Trefor's enthusiastic leadership the Old Scholars' Association thrived and met frequently in Skipton and elsewhere.

The twenty-five staff included graduates from Leeds , Manchester , Hull , Liverpool and London . The Chairman of the School Governors was Mr (now Sir) John Horsfall, currently of Embsay and I remain indebted to Alderman John Taylor - now Lord Taylor of Ingrow - who was Chairman of Keighley Education Committee and sometime Mayor of Keighley. The Borough Education Officer was Frank Pedley, a first-class administrator, who came from Grinton in Swaledale. I well remember our animated conversations. The late 'fifties and early 'sixties were demanding times for all of us involved in education. Most educational authorities, including Keighley and the West Riding, initiated their plans for educational re-structuring from the mid-sixties. Keighley Secondary Technical was not to escape the maelstrom that ensued.

My successor as Headmaster in 1961 was Roy Nicholls, a Bachelor of Music. After a stay of four noteworthy years he was succeeded by George Halliwell, an artist. Then the axe fell: The Keighley Secondary Technical School ceased to be a selective school in 1967. Trefor Day, the Deputy , who had served the Junior Technical School and Secondary Tec' for twenty years and Jane Berridge, the Senior Mistress, my former close colleagues, were appointed to other Keighley schools.

During 1967-8 the VI form girls were transferred to Oakbank Grammar School (formerly the Boys' Grammar); the VI form boys to Greenhead in Utley (formerly the Girls' Grammar) and the former Keighley Secondary Tec' was re-named Hartington School and was to cater for the needs of all children between the ages of 11 and 14 form a closely defined local area.

In 1974, the year of Local' Government reorganisation, Keighley was transferred to the Bradford Metropolitan Council. In 1981, under the Headship of Margaret Hutchison, Hartington School , then a 9 to 13 Middle School, was transferred to new premises in Haworth .

Finally, the premises of Keighley Secondary Technical School in Hartington Street were completely demolished in 1982.

Although the School is no longer with us, we can but hope that its influence will remain with all who once knew its worth and that, in course of time, that influence will be passed on to succeeding generations. If that be so, the Keighley Secondary Tec' can never die.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am grateful to the following for assistance given:

Trefor Day, retired Deputy Head of KSTS

Frank Dewhirst and Peter Hewitt, retired teachers of KSTS and Hartington School

Eric Atkinson, Deputy Head of Hartington School at Haworth

Miles Mizon, Head Teacher of Greenhead Grammar School at Keighley, for the photograph of the former Drake and Tonson School in Hartington Street where the KSTS (1952-67) was situated; Barry Hodkinson and Paul Reinsch, former pupils, and the former Librarian of the City of London School for Girls, the Barbican, London.