This is
a simple outline of the development of
Ecclesfield School. Perhaps someone can
add a little more detail at some later
stage.
The school opened its doors to pupils as
Ecclesfield Grammar School in September
1931, as a result of the efforts of Lady
Mabel Smith, a Labour councillor at the
West Riding County Council (WRCC). She
would, no doubt, have been
enthusiastically supported in her efforts
by my great-uncle County
Alderman "Tommy" Tomlinson
(later Sir Thomas Tomlinson), a WRCC
councillor and chairman of the local
education committee at the time. Lady
Mabel was Chairman of the School
Governors from that date until her death
in 1951, and Thomas Tomlinson was the
first Vice-Chairman of the Governors. The
School served a wide area, including
Ecclesfield, Chapeltown, Hoyland,
Elsecar, High Green, Bradfield,
Stannington, Grenoside, Oughtibridge and
Wharncliffe Side, on the southern
boundary of the West Riding between
Sheffield and Barnsley.
Major extensions were built during the
1950's including the Lady Mabel Hall,
associated kitchens and classrooms, and
separate Science and Craft blocks. Even
more extensive building was undertaken
during the 1960's, while I was at school,
which involved a large number of classes
being temporarily housed in a disused
primary school in Ecclesfield village. A
large sports hall and changing rooms were
added, and a multi-storey classroom block
was built to link the Science and Craft
blocks. The gymnasium in the old building
was converted into a library. Also, about
this time, a new and separate Hunshelf
School was built on part of the playing
fields.
The school became Ecclesfield
Comprehensive in September 1967, the
start of my Upper 6th year. It initially
remained separate from the newly built
Hunshelf School, but the two were
eventually integrated to form the
enlarged Ecclesfield Comprehensive. Since
1967, the school has been taken over by
Sheffield City Council, and provides
comprehensive education for the 11-16
year bracket.
In 1931, the Ecclesfield Grammar School
provided for three streams of 30 pupils.
In 1954 this was increased to five
streams, with an annual intake of 150,
and a total number on roll of 800. By
this time, some 2,500 pupils had been
admitted. Following integration with
Hunshelf, the annual intake increased
considerably. The current annual intake
is 350, with a total number on roll of
1800. There would have been a total of
something like 4,450 pupils during the 36
years it operated as a Grammar School,
and about 10,000 pupils since it became a
Comprehensive. So that makes us quite an
exclusive bunch, I feel, in comparison
with the thousands churned out by the
likes of Eton and Windsor over hundreds
of years.
During the 1960s, new entrants were
allocated into one of Forms 1F, 1I, 1R,
1S, or 1T, according to surname
alphabetical order; I imagine they all
begin with 7 these days! Everyone was
allocated to a "house" for the
purposes of a weekly assembly and
competitive sports. I was in Strafford
whose colours were blue, and the other
three were Bronte (red), Fairfax
(yellow), and Priestley (green). I
believe that more "houses" were
created, to cater for the augmented
school population. Perhaps someone can
provide the new names and colours, and
also let us know if the house system is
still in operation.
