Tong High School

United Kingdom / England / Pudsey / A650 Westgate Hill Street
 secondary school, academy - English school (UK)
Originaly Cardinal Hinsley(Boys) and Margaret Clithero(girls) Grammar Schools.
Now it is a secondary school for 11-19 years old and also converted to academy status.
www.tongschool.co.uk/
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tong_High_School
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   53°45'53"N   1°41'49"W

Comments

  • Yes I went to Cardinal Hinsley's from 1969 to 1974,what an awful school,they couldn't teach a monkey how to peel a banana!If they had spent less time on discipline and more on actually doing the job of educating,perhaps we would read more about famous past pupils.I heard it was closed and pulled down a couple of years back,all I can say is its best days work ever carried out there.
  • I went there at the same time as you and have very different memories. I came away with a good education and never regretted going there.
  • I also went between 69 to 72. Loved it and hated it. Earnshaw was a nightmare, Walsh never a problem (maybe I was a good boy....not). Best teachers were Reynolds and Quinn. Bennie as we called him was my form teacher. The school was strict but gave us good values. Myself and close friends always frequented the same pub, Yarn Spinners even though we were only 15 and so did a few of the teachers. Never a problem. I remember one time when Chris D and I had been on a weeks camping in the dales with the school at the age of 13 and all were dropped of in town. Chris and I went straight to the Queens pub opposite Georges Hall for a well deserved pint or two. Five minutes later to our surprise 3 of the accompanying teachers walked in. They were fine and even cadged a couple of cigs. Nothing was ever said. As for my education, I was a lazy sod and left with 1 O level in art. I'd didn't stop me, got to Uni at age of 20, a degree in motor vehicle engineering and never looked back. Worked for the same insurance co for 34 years and retired at the grand old age of 57. Now living the good life in southern Spain. Paul H
  • I will add my comments to my cousin's (Paul). I went between '67 and '70. The teachers were largely (with some exceptions) a mix of *ickheads and well intentioned but underachieving performers - just like the pupils. I cannot blame the school entirely because I know which categories I fell into ! I cannot claim to have learnt anything of lasting significance other than how to waste three years of my life. My vocational education started once I had left and I guess that is down to doing something that I wanted to do and had a knack for and thank God I have made a decent and happy life with my family. I have got to say that my children have achieved / acquired a very good education and were never in the sort of situation I found myself in. I did appreciate one lesson though - don't moan and whinge when you are getting some punishment you deserve - just accept it and get on. All in all a wasted opportunity (for both parties). Good luck to anyone who went there and achieved what they should have done. Mike H
  • 1973-78: one of Wakey contingent. Agree with over-zealous discipline, which encouraged more aggression in those kids already that way inclined, but disagree about calibre of education offered; it got me to Medical School & beyond. Grateful, both for academic teaching & support/ encouragement of the teachers, who believed in my potential( no names needed, they know who they are).
  • Earnshaw was a sadist, even the teachers feared him. One morning in the school assembly he pulled a 13 year old boy out of line, dragged him to the front of the hall and in front of the whole school made him bend over whilst he administered 6 vicious strokes across his bottom with a leather strap. He then announced that he wasn't allowed to give him anymore than 6 strokes, but with a sick smile on his face announced that his form master and the school discipline master would each administer a further 6 strokes each. The teachers complied, can't remember if it was Baker, Craig or Walsh? (They were all scared of the Headmaster.) SO the lad got 18 strokes altogether as punishment for playing truant. 6 strokes from each of the grown ups. Even the Nazis only administered 10 strokes of the whip across the backside in the concentration camps. Earnshaw was a F*****g disgrace to himself, his family, his profession and his religion; and so were the teachers who were frightened to stand up to him and curb his excesses. He wouldn't get away with it now of course. And you also might remember that this was a Catholic school, supposedly teaching the teachings of Jesus Christ; love and forgiveness? Where was the Bishop of Leeds while all this sort of thing was going on year after year? I dread to think what damage this did to the lad, both short term to his bleeding backside, but perhaps more importantly to his psychological health. This happened around 1968/69 or 69/70 can't just remember which.
  • Yeah I noticed that there were some very aggressive kids. Maybe they saw the grown ups doing it (Earnshaw and his teachers), and just thought it was the thing to do? Either way, a blind eye was turned on bullying, which of course, thank God, they wouldn't be allowed to get away with nowadays. Thank God the State brought these Catholic schools into line! (Even though they thought they were a law unto themselves.)
  • I was the first pupil to arrive at the school from Wakefield after the Spring Bank Holiday in May 1964. The area was still a building site with only the teaching and admin blocks fully operational. The art block swimming pool and other linked parts with Margaret Clitheroe were still to be completed. The drive was a nightmare and trapsing into school each day was a muddy affair. On arrival there were only three or four years, (I can't remember which), operational and it would be a further 4 years until the full complement of years to 6th form would be filled. It was a long journey for me especially as all my mates from Thomas A Beckets in Wakefield failed the transfer exam leaving me to face the Bradford and Dewsbury contingent alone. (A rugby league reference here!). I found the work hard as in some subjects I was over a year behind even after coming first in the 'A' stream of Beckets in Wakefield at the Christmas exams of 1963. The discipline was way over the top and I now believe some of the teachers enjoyed dishing out corporal punishment to the young boys falling foul of even the smallest rules of the establishment. It would be a further 2.5 years until my mates came to the school in the 6th form to try 'A' levels or further 'O' levels. I can concur with the other comments about the head, Mr Earnshaw was a tyrant and feared by most of the boys. He was ably supported by Mr Walsh in this area. I remember being strapped one day for failing in my German vocabulary which I had struggled with all the previous evening, I think I even hated the man for this aggressive approach. Some of the staff that I remember were better teachers, Mr Brodie was our year tutor who majored in Geography, I really enjoyed his lessons. Jack Canning was the History teacher with an interesting way of teaching. Mr Birkby was the Physics teacher, a large man but good I remember. There were two maths teachers whose names elude me at this time one of whom was my group's tutor. He was OK. Mr DeTute was the French teacher I think and he was strict. The most interesting teacher was the English teacher, Pete Foley, a mild spoken Irish teacher with a love of poetry and literature. I often wonder what happened to him - he was especially friendly and supportive throughout my stay there. I left in 1968 with only 5 'O' levels to my name, not a particularly successful conclusion to my Grammar School education. My friends at school were John & Chris Gargon, Dave Gorman and Mick Carroll, again I often wonder what happened to them over the years. The schools have now passed into the realms of history and will eventually be forgotten. Jim B
  • Hello Jim, could either of the maths teachers have been called Mr. Moorhouse or Mr. Billington? I don't know much about the former because I never was in any of his classes but the latter took our group of boys for maths, He was also our form teacher. I liked him, he wasn't as strap happy as some of the other teachers, he rarely seemed to use it I recall, yet he was still quite firm and a disciplinarian. You got the feeling with him that the strap was always there, just an arms length away, and that he wasn't afraid to use it, but he rarely seemed to actually HAVE to use use it because I think the threat of it was enough to make boys behave lol. I think deep down he was a good man with the interests of the boys in his heart. I never understood a word of the maths he taught which wasn't his fault I know because I think a lot of the lads on my class DID understand the maths. I dared not to tell him that I didn't understand any of it though, again my fault. I think I just used to daydream my way through his maths classes like the lad in that film Kes. I taught myself more maths when I started my working life because I could actually see the need to know maths and its uses in the working environment. Mr. Billington used to stand at the top of the classroom and seemed to repeat what seemed to me to be a meaningless mantra "dy by dx" for all eternity. It used to send me to sleep almost, except that I knew enough not to fall asleep because the threat of the strap was always there. lol I sometimes wonder what became of him, but bearing in mind that it was in the region of 50 years ago, and he was I'd say in his 40s then, I imagine he's probably passed on now? God Bless his soul. I sometimes wonder what became of the lads in my class that were my friends at the time I was at this school. I know one of did very well at least, in terms of making money. He started a business in Shipley and worked very hard at it and eventually made a lot of money and bought himself a large ranch somewhere out in the South West of America to retire to I seem to recall him telling me when I 'met' him on one of the internet social channels. It might have been facebook or friends reunited I came across him but I don't use any of these applications nowadays so I lost contact with him years ago. There was a Mick Carroll in my class but I don't imagine it was the same guy that was your mate. I started doing my schooling there around 1967/68. One year there was a glut of girls in this county and our school had to take 30 of them in. It caused quite a stir in a boys' school I remember! Like most of the boys at the school there were two of three of the girls that I fancied, but I never stood much of a chance with them as the girls always seemed to fancy the loudest, flashiest dressing and most popular lads in the school. lol That's life :) I remember Mr. Foley by the way, and Jack Canning. The French teacher we had was a huge man with a preposterous moustache that looked like an overweight De Gaulle. The lads actually nicknamed him 'General' lol I remember some of the other teachers you mention too Jim. I have a lot of memories from my time at that school, some downright unpleasant, a lot not very nice and a small handful of happy ones. I sometimes wonder what others think of their time there, other than what I've read here on this webpage that is. All the best to you.
  • I too have horrendous memories of the discipline and the teachers. As mentioned, Craig, Baker, Walsh and Earnshaw, but also Henry (pe), all sadistic b--t--ds. 6 of the strap for not handing in homework, another six for eating in class. 6 of the rope from Henry in the gym for being last in line, The list could go on! There were some good teachers though, Brian Moorhouse was our form master and a great teacher and sportsman, Mr Hopkins was a young teacher of Geography. He is now a world famous canoeist travelling the world. Mr O' Malley was the most gentle deputy head and teacher of Latin and Classics. Miss Froggit (french obviously) added some much needed glamour until she became pregnant, rumoured at the time to be Craig's. I remember 'the General' but can't for the life in me remember his name. I still have lifelong friends from the school in Steve Brahan and Mark Richardson so it can't have been all bad!
  • Keith, I think I was in your class at Hinsley. I left at the end of year 2 to move to London. I attended St Mary's with Steve Brahan and Mark Richardson (Brendan Brookes, Chris Amstead and others). I remember Jack Wilde ?? a classics teacher as well. By the sounds of it I had a narrow escape...to a jesuit school from which I still bear the marks! Anthony Finn
  • Hi Anthony. Yes I remember you well, you moved to London and came to visit a few months later with a cockney accent! Nice to hear from you. Forgot about Jack Wilde, he was definitely one of the good guy's.
  • I agree with you about most of what you say ,Canning slapt me across the face for talking in line ,and Welsh took great delite in corporal punishment but was a pretty good rugby coach,there were very many cases of physical abuse back then ,went there from 65 till 68
  • Attended 1976 -1981 which saw the transition from Hinsleys to the much hated Yorkshire martyrs. Remember Earnshaw, Walsh, Joe Henry (& the PE rope!), Canning, Birkby & Wilson (Physics), Hopkins & Brodie (Geography), Mick Clinche (History) "Bald" Brian Cassidy & Gus Nichols (Maths), Frank Mazley (Chemistry), Jimmy McGowan (French), Robson (Economics), Brian Moorhouse, Jack Wilde (Latin & a mean scrum half in the lads v staff rugby). When in the sixth form we'd meet many of the above in the Jacob's well pub on a Friday night. Walter Bird (Landlord) sure knew how to keep a good pint in them days.
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