Historian Martyn Taylor looks back at staff and pupils from the Silver Jubilee Secondary Modern Schools, in Bury St Edmunds

Today’s nostalgic look back by historian Martyn Taylor recalls the staff and pupils of the former Silver Jubilee Schools, in Bury St Edmunds.

The Boys School

Named after the 25 years of George V being on the throne in 1935, this school in Grove Road was opened by the Minister for Education in 1936, with Val Pettitt as the first headmaster.

In 1944, the Education Act brought in the tripartite system, the selective school system of state-funded secondary education between 1945 and the 1970s in England and Wales.

Part of this, the11-plus for those who were deemed fortunate to pass went to the Grammar School, the alternative here.

Morning assembly was compulsory, with discipline in and out of the classrooms strict, the teachers – some ex-military – instilled this into you from day one that you entered their domain; corporal punishment via the cane, slipper or well-aimed board rubber.

Follow the Light was the name of the school magazine, with the first line of the school song appropriately ‘Lo here is fellowship’. This principal held pupils in good stead for the four years or more they were at the school, as they were allotted a school house from: Hadow (red), Fisher (blue), Forster (yellow) or Stanley (green).

In 1953, seven acres of allotment land was given over to expansion of the Silver Jubilee schools.

Within four years of Roy Napier taking over the headship in 1954, RSA exams took place, followed by in 1959 the first GCE exams and lastly CSE exams in 1965.

Over the years, Horsa pre-fab huts were built to house workshops for metalwork, woodwork and a print-room. The latter was overseen by Capt. A W Britt, affectionally known to pupils as ‘Egger’ due to his balding pate. You could easily get out of any school work in his class if you could get him on the subject of his wartime activities. Strangely, he was also secretary of the Bury and District Football League for many years.

In 1958, a large assembly hall was added and the period 1964-6 saw a concerted building programme where ‘tower blocks’ for a gym, new science labs and craft rooms gradually developed for Bury’s expanding populace.

Extra-curricular activities, such as school trips to East Marden, in Sussex, or Swanage, in Dorset, were very popular, as were trips abroad for those whose parents could afford them.

At the end of the school year, the football match between the masters and pupils was played enthusiastically by both parties. For those who enjoyed music, Lawford Smith a par-excellence music teacher who had taken over from W H ‘Taffy’ Evans in 1960, put on several musicals, such as Iolanthe, The Pirates of Penzance.

Sadly Lawford, along with PE teacher Alastair Passey, died recently, probably the last of a line of ‘Jubilee teachers’. Other teachers gone are; Len ‘Chippy’ Coult, woodwork; Mr Rouen, metal work; Geoff Messenger, gardening and Frank Byers, careers master (his wife taught English at the girl’s school).

Regarding the Horsa Huts, during 1966, sometime before leaving, some boys decided it was a good idea to remove the door handles – thus preventing access to them. There was ‘hell-to-pay’ – the offenders eventually being found and suffered the indignity of being caned by deputy-head, Frank Butler, on the hall stage in front of the whole school.

One former pupil, Barry ‘Crusher’ Clutterham, had his life ended, aged 47, when shot dead by police in Pigeon Lane, having fired on the police first on February 27, 1992.

Another Barry, Barry Smart, was a popular school captain and outstanding all-rounder in 1956 and went on to become a goalkeeper for England Schoolboys and Chelsea FC. They lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers over two legs, 7-6 in the FA Youth Cup final of 1958. His performance then was commented on in Jimmy Greaves biography as ‘being a busy lad’, his team having lost 6-1 in the second leg.

Sport was important within the school; PE teachers Jeff Holder and Alastair Passey were helped by other teachers such as religious instruction teacher Mike Bowes, with rugby. Stan Bavaster, though an art teacher, is in our photo in charge of the School Hockey 1st XI for the first Inter School Hockey match against King Edward VI Grammar School played on February 16, 1956.

Silver Jubilee Secondary Modern Girls School

This was one half of the Silver Jubilee Schools, with Mrs Rachael Potter the first head-mistress.

Commercial, secretarial and nursing courses along with domestic science were part of the curriculum.

The sexes were strictly segregated, with a white dividing line in the large, shared playground. Patrolled by the school prefects, woe-betide those who transgressed, crossing that line. Discipline extended via PE teacher Mrs Leggett especially ensuring your school uniform skirt was not too short.

Our photo is of senior scholars in head governor Dr Cockram’s garden in Northgate Street, with school star athlete Olive Catton on the left, back row.

Like Barry Smart, the girls school had their own sports star, Olive Catton.

She went to the Jubilee, having been told it was better to be top of a secondary school than bottom of a grammar.

She went on to become head girl, following in her sister Mary’s footsteps, and excelled at sports.

Her school report said if Olive spent more time in the classroom than on the sports field she would be more academically successful.

Mrs Leggett the PE teacher could always see potential and was able to get the best out of people.

Olive was the youngest competitor to go to the All England Schools Championships, representing West Suffolk, and the school had to borrow some men’s spikes for her.

Olive would later go on to become a successful police officer.

The second photo is of prefects for the school year 1953/4, with school head Miss Denne on the left, who departed a year later becoming a nun, albeit for just two years.

Regarding teachers, according to some former pupils, Miss Smith and her religious instruction classes were more like a sermon.

Some of the other teachers were: Monica Place who taught history; Mrs Harris, biolog; Mrs Hunt, geography and Mrs Heritage, music.

Over the years enjoyable excursions took place – a Cambridge to Ely boat trip and visits to see the Mikado and the Ten Commandments film just a few.

Edith Crocker became head in 1954/5 and was the best known.

It was said that on entering a classroom you could hear a pin drop, such was the authority she commanded.

Edith, once secretary of the Bury St Edmunds Concert Club, retired in 1972 when the school comprehensive system commenced. She died in 2009.

In 1971 the schools became part of the co-educational system when the two Silver Jubilee schools amalgamated with the grammar school and the acronym of KEGS used, referring to its days when these initials were for the King Edward VI Grammar School.

This was then at the Vinefields and became St James Middle School until it finished in 2016. KEGS is now known as King Edward VI school.