Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral Schools Past & Present Park High School, Birkenhead

Hi!

You brought back so many memories of Park High, lower and upper school as it was in my day.

Park High...I was there from 1983 to 1988 and didn't like it. Educational standards were not that good and we had a lot of temporary teachers. The first two years were in the lower school by Claughton Village. That is now some sports college. The main people I remember from there are Mr Voce who was Deputy Head and I can't remember the headmaster's name, but he used to let his dog on that sacred acre when we were not allowed on the grass. The name Wood-Griffths comes to mind. Mr Finch was the French teacher and I couldn't stand him, even though he did have a nice car in those days, a beige RS2000 that got pinched. He used to wear black trousers and a white suit jacket and often come in with a black eye! He said it was from playing squash, we heard a very different story about another teacher's wife etc. He used to live in Wallasey, but someone told me he had taken to living in a motorhome in recent years. Mrs Banfi was the English teacher, completely useless, Mr Topping was a very very strange games teacher who used to watch all the boys as they were in the showers. We all complained about this. He used to have one of those MG BGT cars and would sit in it watching us play rugby in the rain on the playing fields by Park Road East. He used to live down at the bottom of Ford Hill as he used to tell us all and took 30 of us on a weekend Outward Bound course to "Oaklands" in Wales. Mr Smith was the geography teacher. Mr Astbury was the maths teacher at that stage, not a deputy head yet, that was in later years! We were taught without calculators in those days. Mr Malone was Biology, there was also a Mr Peck for English. He went to work in the 6th form college which was previously a school known as Bishop Challinor, they had a vile brown uniform. Maybe a Mrs Beacall for English too. I hated her too as she had her little favourites and complained about me wearing white socks. We all used to do it. Mr Gregory for Music was funny, he definitely had a problem with blood pressure. When we took no interest in his lesson he went wild.

When I got to the upper school in Park Road South I couldn't wait to leave. We had Mr Finch for French again, Mr Astbury for maths and Mr Maguire for maths (who went out with someone I now work with while she was in the 6th form), Mr Leat was the German teacher who also appeared "strange". Many stories about what literature was found in his staffroom locker, probably none of it true. Mr Malone was Biology and had only just left university, so was a laugh as a teacher. Miss Mathews was the RE teacher who was way out like a hippy and I can't remember who the other one was, even if she was my form teacher for years. Possibly a Miss Russell. The geology teacher was Mr Taylor who took us on trips to Thurstaston to draw bits of rock. Miss Semple for art, she was a nasty person trying to humiliate people in class all the time if they couldn't draw. I was thrown out of her class one day because I was no good at drawing people.
CDT was one of my favourite lessons with Mr Martin. He said to me one day that he appreciated a good piece of engineering with one of my projects for the GCSE exam. He was sick of all the girls making silly plastic toys! There was another teacher that worked with him and it might have been Mr Kinnear. I remember one day my hacksaw blade snapped as I was sawing a piece of metal in a vice. My wrist went right across the metal and put a 3inch slice in it from my hand up my arm, there was blood everywhere. When I went over to Mr Martin to ask for a plaster he nearly fainted and had to sit down in his little office. The other teacher put a plaster over it and I still have the scar to this day.
The physics teacher was about 90 and possibly Mr Kinsell, he had a huge lump like a nipple on his head that we used to laugh at. He was known affectionately as "tit head". Chemistry was a favourite lesson of mine, for the life of me I can't remember the teacher's name, he was tall, fat and had a black moustache - Mr Griffiths? That's going to annoy me all night now - I still have a load of my old school books and reports so will check when I get a minute.

I hated nearly every day of school so made sure I got an apprenticeship for when I left in 1988. The careers teacher was a waste of space, he never advised any of us when we said what we would like to do after leaving school. After 2 weeks of freedom I started in my first job, and have had a few since, but do something very different these days to what I did when I left school. I've even been on the dole a few times about 5 years after leaving school.

The main problem we had was poor teachers and idiots in the class that would mess about and ruin it for everyone else who wanted to learn.

The school on Park Road South has now had pupils from other schools incorporated in to it and lost it's name. I had some pupils with me a few months ago for work experience and they said it's now "University Academy" - and still rubbish. I often ask if they remember any of the teachers I knew.

So that's brought a lot of memories back, our class were even chosen to be prefects one year!!! I am not sure how the classes are now, but when I was there we had what were known as "streams" - P, A and R. I started in 1P2 and was in 5P2 when I left in 1988. There were houses too, Park, High and School and we got "house points" for doing various things and good work. It was like a competition and results announced at the assembly. My school day in 1P2, 2P2 were from 9am to 12.05 then back at 1.30pm until 4pm. That changed in the final 3 years to start at 9am, second bell at 9.02am (late after that!) until 12 and from 1.15 until 3.40pm. Something like that anyway.

On the way in the main gate of the Upper School on Park Road South was the caretaker's house on the right, then the boys changing rooms and gym. We had to go to the end and left, in through the door. There was some mad rule about walking UP the middle staircases only and down the ones at the sides. There were loads of mobile classrooms in the main playground by the CDT and technical drawing rooms.

School is one thing I don't miss, in a way Park High let the pupils down. From what various pupils we have for work experience say, it sounds as bad today as it was when I was there.

Thanks for the memories anyway. Sorry if the post is too long. I must read the rest of the posts now!

I remember Stockdale, she could be a bit nasty if you said something she didn't like. Mr Oulton was the head of year when I went to the upper school in Park Road South. He was OK. They were some of the names I couldn't remember!

Just discovered this Forum as was trying to locate a few people I knew way back when I as at PHS.
It's a real laugh reading through the posts and hearing of other people's experiences there and recognising many of the teacher's names.
I went to PH upper school from 1972-75 so, I suppose, I must have been at PH lower school from 1969-72, or thereabouts.
The name Astbury gives me a chill. A great big lanky, creepy guy who taught us maths in lower school (in one of the top rooms in the old building). He used to bully me in every lesson. He would pick on me for doing absolutely nothing but sitting there and call "Michael Bow" (my surname then was Ball but he was a Cockney and couldn't pronounce it properly). He'd come over and haul me up by one of my sideburns and waggle me about making a tit of me in front of everyone. I was bright red with blushing then he'd make me stand in the corner, the side of my head swollen where he had pulled my hair. What a horrible wa**er, if I saw him now I'd probably give him a slap as I had a phobia about maths after that (or, at least, that's my excuse!).
I remember someone setting fire to the TD room curtains at lower school through the window with an effing great magnifying glass (I can remember the bloke's name, it was Derek McMahon). The fire bobbies had to come and the school was evacuated while they put the fire out just in time.
Someone mentioned the Park High Trophy. That was the miniature cricket bat awarded for the best sports team or something. However, it was used to punish errant boys who dared step out of line during games/PE and the main (and willing) user of it was BASHER BAIL. Mr Bail was a psycho, you just didn't mess with him. I reckon he must have been ex-army or something as he was as fit as a fiddle and as hard as nails.
Wood-Griffiths - ah yes, I remember him well enough. Used to strut around with an air of superiority although I think he was a good teacher, though I didn't have him. I was in A2/2A2/3A2 and he taught the P-streamers. Wood-Griffiths once sang to the school on stage but I don't remember anyone being much impressed. Very dapper looking chap and definitely a career teacher and heading for the top.
I remember Hurworth too. Ho was OK, a bit too laid back, but could be a real tw*t if he wanted to be. Used to fancy himself as a bit of a dandy driving round in his Citroen 2CV looking like a Frenchman in his hooped tee shirts (I think he even wore a beret). He lived in Oxton for a while, near to where I lived.
Cor, this has really stirred up a few memories for me and they are starting to come out of my head having been locked up for nearly forty years. I'll jot down a few more another time. Are we allowed to mention peoples names we knew, or is this forbidden under the forum/posting rules?

MickyDee.

Oh yes I remember him

I was also remembering

Mr topping games great with the rugby
Mr astbury maths had a big slipper in his draw to smack your arse if you misbehave
Miss moreton art she was a sexy red head
Mr kinsell science boring voice
Miss banfi English very very nice

Wood griffiths was in the lower school , upper school mr Hobson
Mr astbury kept a big slipper in his draw

Mr Hopson, ex deputy at Rock Ferry High School. Taught English at Rock Ferry