Countess of Derby School For Girls, Browns Lane.

[daveowe]

Glenys

The only thing I am sure of is (The 1944 Education Act revised secondary schools and set up the tripartitre system of Secondary Modern, Technical and Grammar schools to be decided by entrance examinations, remembered that from Sociology!) there existed in Bootle evening classes for for boys in trades pre-war. The Junior Tech must have come into being sometime post war, as a result of the Act, it remained in being until Bootle schools became comprehensive. Alongside the junior tech there were a number of part-time day release and evening classes which became the foundation for the Hugh Baird college of today.

A strange fact the entrance exam to the tech it was available also to boys from Lancashire Education (Litherland, Crosby and Maghull schools) and Liverpool Education Authorities (Huyton, Dovecot) I later discovered the reason for Huyton a lot of families bombed out of Bootle were rehoused in the Dovecot estate which was just on completion during the war, a lot of families remained after the war. (this may be of interest to the geneologists)

Dave

[Glenys]

Morning Dave,

Thanks for the information.

My Dad left Linacre Primary in May 1916, and I was always given to understand that he then went to Bootle Tech. - I now think not !
Would the alternative be Balliol Secondary?
Glenys

[daveowe]

In the Strand, Bootle. The current photo display by Tom Rooney, exhibited are two Countess of Derby photos, one a class group and the other a Teachers wedding photo with girls from the school in uniform, as a guard of honour. No details are available of the events, Tom would welcome any information on both photos.

daveowe

[vickinca]

do you think we could get a scanned copy of the photos?

[calico]

Wow, talk about bring back memories. I went to Countess of Derby, 1974-1979. Mrs Griffith was headteacher and she was followed by Mr Denim. Mrs Packenham was Deputy Head, I also had Miss Hughes for music for the first couple of years, she used to bring her little dog into class, I think it was a pekenese or something.

[JUNE]

I went to the above school from 1968 - 1972. Minton, (red) Doulton (green), Spode (yellow) and Wedgewood (blue) were the "houses" each of the girls were in. Miss McKenzie and June Darling were the PE teachers. I remember these mostly as I was the GA in the netball team for the years I was there. Some of the girls in my class I remember Jill Robinson, Sue Rymer, Karen McDonald, Kim Wilson, Susan Seagraves, Vicki Barlow, Christine Prime, Janis Fletcher, Carol McWilliam. Hilary Pickup, Carol Jones, Helen Kelly, Carol McGivern, Angela Purcell, Carol Hayes, Jaqueline Porter, Lesley Goodwin?, Linda Dexter, Sue Cheetham, Irene Mellor, Karen Findley, Elaine Newman, Christine Farrar, Shirley Kelly, Gillian Plant. I can picture a few girls in my mind but cannot remember their surnames. If you were in the choir, hockey team, netball team you had a sash you wore around your waist which denoted which team you were in. There was also a sash for the person in each house who had the most merit marks earned during the month. These were given for good works etc and at the house meeting each month the one with the most would be presented with sash to wear for the following month. Happy days.

[denisemargaret]

Hi carolmcb

I didn't go to Countess but knew Nancy (Mercer). Last time I spoke to Nancy her married name was "Bell" and I have her phone number. If you e-mail to frost_denise@hotmail.com I can give the phone number I have. It may have changed though but worth a try.

[daveowe]

Passed the former Countess of Derby School the predecessor being Bootle High School, site, today. It is totally enclosed with temporary fencing, all signed with warnings to keep out! demoliton in progress.

A sad event pending many site members were former pupils.

Dave

[carolmcb]

Passed the former Countess of Derby School the predecessor being Bootle High School, site, today. It is totally enclosed with temporary fencing, all signed with warnings to keep out! demoliton in progress. A sad event pending many site members were former pupils.
Dave

That's a sad reminder of our education system being turned upside down! Why oh why did they decide to join the schools? I attended Countess of Derby from 61 - 65 and loved it there. It was brilliant and the boys went to Warwick Bolam. My two older sisters were there before me then by the time our youngest sister was old enough for senior schools they'd amalgamated the two schools and renamed it Bootle High - what a big mistake that was. Education seemed to go steadily downhill from then on. To hear they're knocking it down now is, indeed, sad news.

[cranhal]

I went to Countess of Derby 1966-1970, I was in the "R " stream. Miss Stone was headmistress and maried Mr Giffiths the headmaster of Warwick Bolam.

Remember calling deputy head "Winnie" Miss Winefred,

I was friends with Brenda Lewis, Susan Chadwick, Pat Kirk, Joyce Steers (we became sistes in law for a few years when we married 2 Maher brothers)

[Ed Davies]

Know anyone?

[vickinca]

I remember making some very tasty dishes in the cooking class. Two that come to mind a meat potatoe pie and a hot pot as I lived out of town had to take a bus and on the way home everyone was wanting to sample what I had in my basket as the bus filled with the wonderful smell.

[PETER CRAIG]

.

[Mo]

I kept meaning to take some photographs of this school for my sister, too late now its gone, but you can still see it on google maps, not the same though.

[Bootlelass-expat]

Loved my time there. Left in l961.

Mrs. Packenham (Math) form teacher and my favourite teacher.

Domestic science wing had a flat between the two classrooms.

We went from Warwick Bolam to the brand new CoD school.

That photo(posted by Ed) of The Music Lesson was taken there.

Doreen

[carolmcb]

brilliant photos, thanks, Ed. Takes me back to 61-65. I loved that school, in fact, I didn't want to leave. We always had double lessons of Domestic Science. They included cookery, cleaning, washing and ironing. Then in Needlework we learned knitting, crochet and even turning frayed collars on shirts - preparing us to become housewives and mothers.

I could never get the hang of music - way over my head were crochets and quavers (or whatever they're called) but I remember Miss Hughes, the teacher. She was lovely and, although I believe she was on a hiding to nothing teaching some of us, she was always very patient.

[BC]

I also attended this school and enjoyed my time there. Miss Stone was the HT and I remember Mrs Pakenham. Her husband was a vicar in Crosby and he use to pick her up every evennig in a Ford A nglia with a little white poodle. We had Miss Kehoe for Spanish, She had a minute waist and big bouffant hair. I remember Miss Smith who taught Domestic Sciene and Miss Hughes for Music.

I use to like the dances on a Friday night when we would get dressed up in our best clothes.

Can any one tell me why they never gave us the option to do GCE's in the early years.

[Jan]

I think most of the school (if not all of it) has been demolished now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootle_High_School

Jan

[john1878]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45581526@N04/4296747759/

[daveowe]

John
The site is now cleared and levelled not a reminder of there ever being a school on the site. Made ready for another land sale too housing developers, the football pitches at weekends which were a popular venue will no longer be accessable...

[moggymorgan]

Sorry for finding this so late. I used to live in the houses behind the school, Albert Schwietzer Ave, Susan Seagraves as mentioned in an earlier post is my cousin, my sister Linda went to CoD from about 1963 onwards. I was at Warwick Bolam, till '65 when i joined the Navy. My girlfriend at the time was a gal named Pamela Houghton. Not been back that way in over 30 yrs but i hope someone remembers my sister Linda Morgan or Pamela

[PETER CRAIG]

.

[moggymorgan]

Thank you Peter, just noticed a few other names I recognise so I'd better make a new heading and introduce myself.

[scotty]

Hi, I wonder if any forum members were past pupils at Countess of Derby Secondary School for Girls in Browns Lane, Netheron.

I was a pupil there from 1961 to 1965.

It was a great school and I loved it there. I was in the B stream and our form teacher was Mrs Jones. My two older sisters, Brenda and Valerie, were pupils there too but by the time my youngest sister went there it had changed to co-ed and was re-named Bootle High School. It's been a while since I was in Liverpool and the last time I passed that way I noticed it had changed quite a bit.

I wonder are there any other girls on this forum who were there at the same time as myself and in my form? We'll all be 57 now.

Some years back (when I still lived in Copy Lane, Sefton) one of our girls, Nancy (nee Mercer), organised a class reunion which I unfortunately had to miss because it coincided with my being in hospital for a major operation. I was sorry to have missed it.

I still have the last form photo taken before we left and often wonder what happened to all the other girls.

I met up with Nancy not long before I left Liverpool but, unfortunately, I lost the slip of paper with her phone number on.

Maureen

Hi Maureen,I was wondering if you remember my sister, Lynne Scott, who attendedC.O.D. during those years.She had an artificial leg, if that jogs your memory.
Thanks
Rikky

[scotty]

Countess of Derby School - 1965


Our last photo taken before we left. I'm on the back row, 2nd from the left.

Maureen

I beleive that the girl in the back row, third from right, is my little sister, Lynne Scott, anyone remember her.She had an artificial leg

[HHumphreys]

Hi my name is Hilary and I went to C of D in 1970-75. My favourite teacher was Mrs Riding who taught art. I remember the house being Minton, Doulton, Spode and Wedgewood. I remember Miss Martin wh&o taught us how to write in double writing. I remember doing Commerce and secretarial classes in whic we tapped the keyboard to music. I Remember Mrs Winnie Roberts. I remember Mr Moffat who taught as religious studies and warned us not to go and see the film the Omen. Anyone else remember this. I used to liver in St Oswaldo Lane.

[ALAMO2008]

Hello Vickinca,

I left in the July of 1965 so I missed you by a good 12 months or so. Glad to hear you enjoyed your days there too.

It was indeed a brilliant school and yes, Mrs Griffiths was the head teacher. She was actually having an affair with the headmaster of Warwick Bolam and they had a son together who was a pupil at Merchant Taylors in Crosby.

Mr Griffiths' wife was our english teacher and she was a lovely lady. Before I went there my two older sisters told me about the affair which had lead his wife to try to commit suicide. The english classroom was on the 1st floor. As you went in the main foyer entrance (Mrs Griffiths and the secretary's offices were to your right) and to the left were the stairs up to the staffroom, the geography room and the english room was first room at the top of the stairs.

My sisters said that Mrs Griffiths (the real wife) found out about the affair and the child and came into school early one morning. She was found by another member of staff hanging from a rope attached to a large hook in the storeroom behind her desk.

You will probably remember she always wore a scarf wrapped several times around her neck - this was to hide the marks left by the rope.

She would often sort of 'drift off somewhere' in her mind during lessons and tears would fall down her face. It was so sad.

She and her husband got divorced and he married Miss Stone (that was the head's name before she became Mrs Griffiths).

Most of the pupils lost all respect for Miss Cook because they were carrying on the affair openly before the divorce. I remember running down the corridor one day and being sent to the head's office and when she called me in and asked why I was there I stupidly said "I was caught running in the corridor Miss Brick and sent to you!" Brick was her nickname.

I do have a class photo but it was of our class taken in 1965 before we left so it wouldn't be of much use to you.

I'll scout around on the net and see if I can find any for you though.

What class were you in and what form teacher did you have?

Maureen

P.S. Do you remember Miss Copeland?

I was at Warwick Bolam 1961 to 1967 my Sister Ann Chapman at Countess of Derby - 6 years after me.
Am Gobsmacked at Griffiths Affair !


My Favourite English Teacher on the first floor was Mr F A Clarkson

[Invicta]

Me too Al. My Sis was there too.
Frank was my favourite as well, hard but fair.
Ken

[Pkegs]

Hi Maureen,

There is no mention of the Countess Of Derby on the Liverpool Schools site,
http://liverpool-schools.co.uk/html/a_-_c.html

Contact them and put them right! I sent an e-mail to them about the school I went to and gave them some info on it (Shorefields in the Dingle).

There is also a bit of info on here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootle_High_School

Jan

Hi Jan and Maureen........I have 900 Merseyside schools so far at my Facebook page...tons of pics on school mentioned here....

https://www.facebook.com/groups/413960455475309/

[Riley]

If anyone still checks this thread - I'm trying to find Mrs Riding (if she's still with us) who taught me art for 5 years.
I'm Mark Riley and I was one of the first intake of boys to the school in 1972.
I think she went on to teach at St George of England after Countess of Derby but not totally sure on that.
Anyone have any info?