Central Technical School

[biker]

Iwas only caned once,not my fault but it did not scar me for life.

Do you prefer the modern way?

40 years ago people had respect for most things including authority.I dont even remember how many times that I was caned.It seemed quite often.If you accumilated a certain number of demerits (for very minor things)there was a weekly or monthly house meeting where you got caned for that.It has not affected me although I remember certain ones for the injustice.I was sent to be caned once to a master by a first year teacher (last years prefect) called Upton even though I was totally innocent of whatever crime had been committed.Strange why that has stuck in my memory as have many chemistry tables that were beaten into us by Pop Gregory.It was pointless complaining to parents as they supported the teachers unlike nowadays when pupils are always supported by parents whether innocent or guilty.

[sandie]

Hi Biker,

 

As an ex CTS student I as many of us were the victums of the cane Pop Gregory Baines and Wadge not forgeting Woolhouse the House Master for Besimer (Green)

Did it do us any harm, no it did not we knew where the line was and cross it and it was pain, stay within or up to it no pain.

I think we all as students at CTS came out to be Gentlemen with the respect for other people ( Always at the back of your mind even today "If you do something wrong even after school you will suffer the consiquences" )

I cannot remember which one of the Teachers said it, but he was right.

Over the last 10 years I have been involved as a consultancy visiting schools throught Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to upgrade their building services and security. As you say the schools delt with students and dished out their own disapline, and woe betide you going home to complain, because Father would give you the same saying "If you got the cane you must have deserved it" No way on this earth would your parents go to school to complain.

To go back to my last 10 years with schools they are spending thousands of pounds installing door entry control systems and CCTV to protect the staff against the children's parents ( most of which are under the influence of either drugs or alcholl)

 

Maybee the bad old days of the cane were not all that bad almost all who left CTS did so as young Gentlemen even though with a few scars

 

Dave Theaker

[biker]

Hi Biker,

 

As an ex CTS student I as many of us were the victums of the cane Pop Gregory Baines and Wadge not forgeting Woolhouse the House Master for Besimer (Green)

Did it do us any harm, no it did not we knew where the line was and cross it and it was pain, stay within or up to it no pain.

I think we all as students at CTS came out to be Gentlemen with the respect for other people ( Always at the back of your mind even today "If you do something wrong even after school you will suffer the consiquences" )

I cannot remember which one of the Teachers said it, but he was right.

Over the last 10 years I have been involved as a consultancy visiting schools throught Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to upgrade their building services and security. As you say the schools delt with students and dished out their own disapline, and woe betide you going home to complain, because Father would give you the same saying "If you got the cane you must have deserved it" No way on this earth would your parents go to school to complain.

To go back to my last 10 years with schools they are spending thousands of pounds installing door entry control systems and CCTV to protect the staff against the children's parents ( most of which are under the influence of either drugs or alcholl)

 

Maybee the bad old days of the cane were not all that bad almost all who left CTS did so as young Gentlemen even though with a few scars

 

Dave Theaker

I am always amazed that most 10 year olds know more about their rights than I do at nearly 60.I think that there should always be boundaries of behaviour that you shouldnt cross.If you did then you paid the penalty.Kids push to find the limits.If they dont find them they keep pushing.It doesnt benefit them if there are no limits until they commit a major crime.Its then their life thats wasted.

[CHAIRBOY]

I think that somewhere along the line, there is a middle way. CTS wasn't unique in being a 'cane-happy' school. Clapton at King Edward's and Mack at High Storrs were others who didn't hesitate to cane.

I never like to hear of injustice and some of those caned could well claim to be harshly done by. As I am now an age-challenged person, I tend to be of 'zero-tolerance' mind in everyday life, but that feisty little man, Gregory, must be wrong to cane pupils who had not learnt their valencies or 'super-saturated solution' definitions! Rather like a GP, he should only advise, the rest is down to the individual. The GP doesn't cane a patient who refuses to stop smoking! The attributes I sought were for pupils to be honest, polite and to do their best. If people aren't intelligent, beating them is no solution.

The Yo-Yo saga (and I never knew the ins and outs) is surely a police matter, not a thrashing incident? Maybe 'loco parentis' applied during the lunch-hour and had some 'clout' then? When I was caned by Hughes for '**** taking', recorded as 'insubordinate behaviour' it was justified. With examination-entrance and private schooling, you could always show someone the door. When comprehensives came into being, the question arose as to where one sent the miscreants or what one did with them?

I taught for almost 20 years and in that time had the pleasure of teaching many high-flyers, some of whom went to Oxbridge. Meanwhile, I also had a number on my register who finished behind bars. Some educationalists would point out that these people woudn't improve choose how many times they were caned. Those in detention had 'season-tickets'! It was my experience that there was rarely any bother with pupils whose parents attended parents' evenings.

I think many of our proverbs have stood the test of time; birds of a feather, empty vessels, leopards etc.

In my first teaching job, early 70's, there was one pupil in the first year (aged 12) of a SW Sheffield comprehensive who in the space of a fortnight, had told a teacher to 'F-off', had a girl's knickers off, and broken another girl's nose because she asked for her poppy back, which he'd stolen! Response? Very little! This offender, now in his 40's, still appears at intervals in the Star's "Court Report".

At the same school, a teacher had been to the village bank at lunchtime as she had a long train trip to her native home, that Friday evening. During the afternoon school, that £30 was taken from her bag during a lesson. Everyone had strong reason to point to the suspect but the head wouldn't support a 'search' action. I am not sure of any legal stances here, but it was a far cry from the days of Wadge and after seven terms at that school, I resigned in protest at what I thought was pathetic leadership. To this day, nobody has come up with any satisfactory answers to dealing with the anti-social pupils and the problem carries on into the big, wide world.

[biker]

I think that somewhere along the line, there is a middle way. CTS wasn't unique in being a 'cane-happy' school. Clapton at King Edward's and Mack at High Storrs were others who didn't hesitate to cane.

I never like to hear of injustice and some of those caned could well claim to be harshly done by. As I am now an age-challenged person, I tend to be of 'zero-tolerance' mind in everyday life, but that feisty little man, Gregory, must be wrong to cane pupils who had not learnt their valencies or 'super-saturated solution' definitions! Rather like a GP, he should only advise, the rest is down to the individual. The GP doesn't cane a patient who refuses to stop smoking! The attributes I sought were for pupils to be honest, polite and to do their best. If people aren't intelligent, beating them is no solution.

The Yo-Yo saga (and I never knew the ins and outs) is surely a police matter, not a thrashing incident? Maybe 'loco parentis' applied during the lunch-hour and had some 'clout' then? When I was caned by Hughes for '**** taking', recorded as 'insubordinate behaviour' it was justified. With examination-entrance and private schooling, you could always show someone the door. When comprehensives came into being, the question arose as to where one sent the miscreants or what one did with them?

I taught for almost 20 years and in that time had the pleasure of teaching many high-flyers, some of whom went to Oxbridge. Meanwhile, I also had a number on my register who finished behind bars. Some educationalists would point out that these people woudn't improve choose how many times they were caned. Those in detention had 'season-tickets'! It was my experience that there was rarely any bother with pupils whose parents attended parents' evenings.

I think many of our proverbs have stood the test of time; birds of a feather, empty vessels, leopards etc.

In my first teaching job, early 70's, there was one pupil in the first year (aged 12) of a SW Sheffield comprehensive who in the space of a fortnight, had told a teacher to 'F-off', had a girl's knickers off, and broken another girl's nose because she asked for her poppy back, which he'd stolen! Response? Very little! This offender, now in his 40's, still appears at intervals in the Star's "Court Report".

At the same school, a teacher had been to the village bank at lunchtime as she had a long train trip to her native home, that Friday evening. During the afternoon school, that £30 was taken from her bag during a lesson. Everyone had strong reason to point to the suspect but the head wouldn't support a 'search' action. I am not sure of any legal stances here, but it was a far cry from the days of Wadge and after seven terms at that school, I resigned in protest at what I thought was pathetic leadership. To this day, nobody has come up with any satisfactory answers to dealing with the anti-social pupils and the problem carries on into the big, wide world.

I dont know how teachers can teach nowadays.Anybody can teach somebody who wants to learn,but somebody who doesnt want to learn will not learn unless you can change their way of thinking.Teachers only teach for about 25 hours a week,the rest of the time its up to the parents.In a school of 2000 pupils it only takes 20 to disrupt the school.If pupils start to seriously stop learning then I think that they should be removed from school and home and boarded at special schools of more intensive teaching to enable them to achieve their true potential.Its for their benefit as once you have dropped so far behind, the system cannot help them and mischief replaces learning.This mischief can lead to a life of crime and it must be cheaper to run the schools instead of more police and lawyers.They used to have these schools in the 1970,s and 1980,s.The pupils were much better behaved.They talk about these boot camps but they need education as well as discipline.Some teachers are very good at motivating pupils,but sadly they are very rare.I was about 18 years old before I met mine at Granville College.Teachers have not got any authority nowadays and they have very little support.The difference between council and private schools is massive and obvious.It doesnt have to be.

[saraa]

My dad also attended CTS, early 50's. His name was Lawrence Antcliff,lived in st philips road. He was a great swimmer, and went on to have a sucessful career in the navy. Does anyone remember him? He would often talk about CTS and the teachers there, including Wadge! I know he enjoyed his time there.

[tara]

Reply to JW Peatfield.

 

My uncle,Norman Antcliffe worked at which was then English Steel.

But he could have also worked at Davy's.

I knew someone else that worked for Davy United for years, his name was Ron Marsden and he was a draughtsman.

Did you know him.

[Janner]

I've just joined the forum. What a delight to see the Tech. so well rememberd.I was at the Tech. from 1946 to 49. Many years later I realised what a super education we had.I have a copy of my 1st.class diploma (boast) . I was the school vice-headboy, Frank Merrill was captain, his dad was a policeman, one of my mates was Charles Brian Plant. I'm afraid my memory is not too good with names but I do remember lots of nice things, the cosy wood fires in the prefects room under the pattern shop. The splendid sports afternoons ,athletics,football & swimming. I can't remember any canings, I certainly knew them at Firth Park Grammar, having been on the recieving end(no pun intended). My claim to fame , it would be worth massive compansation today, I was caught playing kicking a tennis ball on the City Hall steps.I was grabbed by the large sergeant policeman who was always outside the Town Hall. I was asked my name I replied Keith Miller, next question " whats your fathers name",my reply of Mr. Miller resulted in a good shake and "don't try to be clever wiyh me" Inevitably the next morning at assembly I was hauled on the stage for a public blast - no cane. Remember we used to buy bread and dripping, the school dinners were aweful.We were all told by the Head, that his pupils were not to be seen around town with the doorsteps.When I left I joined the Royal Navy as a Junior Stoker, I could'nt join as an ENgineering Apprentice, I was over 16. I did'nt let the Tech. down, I retired from the RN in 1972 as an Eng.Lieutenent.

[helbo]

Hi. I was a pupil at the CTS 1963-65. Very strong memories of colorful teachers and good friends. Paul Bailey, Gordon Carlisle and Richard Stojak to name a few.

[Gerry]

In my recollection I was caned once by Mr. Wadge and once by Mr. Stanton. Mr. Stanton used a military swagger stick and I seem to remember that Mr. Gregory used a length of rubber gas hose, with some wrapped around his waist until he had a handy piece to use for the punishment.