Woolfall - Parkway School Memories,

Email from Roger Lancaster, Australia.

Visiting your web site brought back memories for me of a period of time, significant to me, spent in this area from 1964 to 1968. The first three years as a student teacher at Edge Hill College Ormskirk, with many trips to the Huyton Schools for teaching practice, followed by a probationary year teaching at Woolfall.

 

It was known then as Knowsley Woolfall County Secondary School. The Headmaster was Mr J Torrance, the deputies: Miss Turner and Mr Molyneux. Miss Turner was rather a formidable person who was very good at confronting irate brolly waving mothers who would descend upon the school seeking revenge against unfortunate teachers who had castigated their offspring.

 

My daily travel in that year (67/68) was from Ormskirk where I lived in digs, south through Kirby, across the East Lancs Rd through Knowsley, right at the 'Castle' as you call it and into the school from Stockbridge Lane. Then the school was smaller with the staff room andadmin offices to the left of the school entrance.

 

The four storey building shown on your website photo was in the process of being built, as was the sports hall. From the staff room we could look out across a field towards St Dominics School and towards the rapidly growing Cantril Farm estate.

It was interesting to see the Wimpey Builders constructing the walls of the houses by pouring concrete into large wooden forms.

 

In the adjoining field was a hill, the result of some previous excavation, this was infamous as when the students went on strike they congregated on this hill. The strikes were usually to do with failed heating or poor canteen food. Even though the teachers were cold too, it didn't matter, we were the enemy! My duties as an English/PE teacher varied from teaching second year kids how to read! to taking Football teams to play the 'Doms' or the 'Allys' (St Aloysius) most of the schools were close:- Longview, Huyton with Roby etc.

 

The pupils were an interesting lot, my form was called 2D, one girl used to mother me eg telling me if my hair was sticking up at the back and cleaning out my desk drawer each week 'You're terrible Mr Lancaster you never keep your drawer tidy' One boy told me 'This is a 'Last' school isn't it.'This was compounded when one day we arrived at school to find that the school inspectors were there before us to check on the school. After their day's inspection they concluded to the Headmaster and deputies that Knowsley Woolfall was the most deprived school that they had ever seen!

 

Being a first year teacher many mistakes were made. I remember one faux pas made when a school cleaner, a Mrs Mc Coag (also a parent) was about her duties after school, and saw me 'The kids are terrible here aren't they?' When I replied without thinking, 'well its the area they come from isn't it?'' Oh thanks very much, where do you come from; East Wavertree?'

 

The significance to me of that year was of course my first year of full employment. Marriage caused me to leave and move south of London for 2 years and finally to emigrate to Australia as teaching at that time in England was not very financially rewarding, even the caretaker at Woolfall earned a lot more than me!

 

Thanks for the visit to your website. To a non resident it is interesting to recall that period of time: no M57, and the 99C bus with Penny Lane on the destination board travelling down Stockbridge Lane.

 

I wonder how the 2D class of 68 would have coped with computers? Probably better than they did with Royal Road Readers!

 

Kind regards,

Roger Lancaster

 

April 2000

If you went to school at Parkway Comprehensive or even Woolfall Secondary Modern School please let me know. Stories of school adventures, living and playing around Stockbridge Lane are all welcome - hope to hear from you soon - Wendy and Dave.

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