Origin 1
The beginning of HGS
1. 1920: The First Move
A collection of notes, anecdotes, facts and photographs from Sheila.
The beginning of HGS
1. 1920: The First Move
A collection of notes, anecdotes, facts and photographs from Sheila.
The House and mature beech trees (Fagus sylvatica) in winter
The Orangery
A local newspaper dated 26th June 1920 gave the first report that the West Riding County Council’s Education Committee had entered negotiations to purchase Hemsworth Hall for £9,000, in order to create a secondary school in the Hemsworth District. The land, comprising 20 acres was the former residence of Samuel Gurney Leatham and it was estimated that a further £7,000 would be spent in adapting the Hall. In the middle of January 1921 the County Council approved the initial expenditure of £2,000 for the adaptation of Hemsworth High Hall to the purposes of a secondary school. So begins the story.....
The Governors
One week later came the appointment of Governors to this school. At a meeting of the South Elmsall Education Committee, chaired by Mr. Gabriel Price, C.C. with Councillors J. Smith, H. Goddard, P. Gill, H. Bamforth, S. Hartley, Mr. C.H. Brooke and the Clerk, Mr. P. Beaumont, present, it was decided that Governors for the new school should be elected from the following bodies:-
Hemsworth Urban District Council, 3 (one to be a lady)
Hemsworth Rural Council, 9 (two to be ladies)
West Riding County Council, 3
Leeds University, 1.
A special sub-committee at Wakefield had been formed to monitor the progress of the conversion of the Hall to a school for 150 pupils, and it reported to the South Elmsall Education Committee that it was doing all it could to ensure the school would be ready for the pupils the following September.
By the end of February 1921, a situation had evolved which caused Mr. Gabriel Price (South Kirkby) to press for the exclusion of children under 10 years of age from the new school. He had been called away from a County Hall meeting of the West Riding Education Committee due to the illness of his son, but had left everyone in no doubt of his support for the motion “that after August 1st 1921, in all secondary schools provided by the County Council, where the accommodation of the school was insufficient, preference should be given to candidates above ten years of age, and that after August 1st 1922, no children under ten years of age should be admitted to such schools.”
As a member of the Higher Education sub-committee, Mr. Price had played a prominent part in pushing forward this recommendation, which was ultimately referred back to his committee by a narrow majority for further consideration, maintaining that children under ten were too young to need a form of higher education, and unable to benefit from it. Behind this opinion lay his observation that those who could afford the fees of a secondary school were sending their very young children to them as an alternative to the local elementary schools which were attended by the working classes. He maintained that a form of snobbery existed among the rich parents of these younger children which was being unwittingly encouraged and supported by the general ratepayers of the community in the following way. Secondary education at that time cost about £27 per head per year, but the younger children were charged £6 to £7, which meant in effect that other children’s parents had to make up the shortfall. Also, the places taken by those younger children meant that working class children who had qualified for admission through passing their entrance examinations were excluded, due to lack of available places.
Mr. Price asserted that Elementary schools should be regarded as efficient for the education of all classes of children up to ten years old, and if parents wanted to avail themselves of a privileged preparatory education, they should undertake to pay fully for it, and not look to the ratepayers to subsidise them.
One month later, the West Riding Education Committee held its next meeting, and the matter was again raised, this time with Mr. Price in attendance. Having re-considered the matter, it was highly unlikely that the stance of the Higher Education sub-committee would have changed, the following recommendation was formally put to, and finally adopted by the meeting:
“That after 1st August 1921, in all West Riding maintained Secondary Schools where the accommodation of the school is insufficient to allow the admission of all educationally suitable candidates of whatever age, preference shall be given to candidates above ten years of age on August 1st of the current year, such candidates to be admitted in order of merit, as judged by their work in the entrance examination of the school.”
An amendment was moved by a Mr. P.R. Jackson which stated that no contributions should be paid by the County Council towards the cost of educating children under ten, unless preference had been given to candidates over ten. Speaking in support of this amendment, Mr. Price emphasised that as representatives of the ratepayers, they were obliged to give the child of the poorer man the same chances as the child of the rich man, a situation which did not exist at that particular time, when a privileged few took advantage of the subsidies provided by the ratepayers. He felt that if this policy were generally known in the West Riding, it would not be tolerated.
A further speaker to the motion, Mr. Foulstone (Darfield) contended that there would be an improvement in elementary schools if those children under ten who were presently attending secondary schools were sent to elementary schools in common with everyone else. The amendment was adopted.
The next matter on the agenda of March 1921 was Head Teachers’ salaries. Mr. W.B. Cartwright, seconded by Mr. Price, moved an amendment to refer the matter back to the Higher Education sub-committee; however, no delaying was entertained, and the following scales were adopted retrospectively to 1st September 1920:
Headmasters:
Grade 1 Up to 200 pupils
Payscale £600 ... £25 ... £750
Grade 2 201-300 pupils
Payscale £700 ... £25 ... £850
Grade 3 Over 300 pupils
Payscale £800 ... £25 ... £950
Headmistresses:
Grade 1 Up to 200 pupils
Payscale £500 ... £25 ... £600
Grade 2 201-300 pupils
Payscale £600 ... £25 ... £700
Grade 3 Over 300 pupils
Payscale £700 ... £25 ... £800
Mr. Cartwright’s reluctance to accept these proposals is clear when he urged the meeting to bear in mind that his sub-committee regarded these scales to be rather magnanimous and somewhat premature, since the county boroughs had not yet arrived at a decision on the matter. He felt that the disparity between the salaries of the elementary and secondary heads should be reconsidered, but nevertheless, his amendment was defeated.
As a final item to this meeting, Alderman P.R. Jackson was re-elected chairman of the committee, and Mr. Edwin Talbot vice-chairman for the ensuing year.
The Governors
One week later came the appointment of Governors to this school. At a meeting of the South Elmsall Education Committee, chaired by Mr. Gabriel Price, C.C. with Councillors J. Smith, H. Goddard, P. Gill, H. Bamforth, S. Hartley, Mr. C.H. Brooke and the Clerk, Mr. P. Beaumont, present, it was decided that Governors for the new school should be elected from the following bodies:-
Hemsworth Urban District Council, 3 (one to be a lady)
Hemsworth Rural Council, 9 (two to be ladies)
West Riding County Council, 3
Leeds University, 1.
A special sub-committee at Wakefield had been formed to monitor the progress of the conversion of the Hall to a school for 150 pupils, and it reported to the South Elmsall Education Committee that it was doing all it could to ensure the school would be ready for the pupils the following September.
By the end of February 1921, a situation had evolved which caused Mr. Gabriel Price (South Kirkby) to press for the exclusion of children under 10 years of age from the new school. He had been called away from a County Hall meeting of the West Riding Education Committee due to the illness of his son, but had left everyone in no doubt of his support for the motion “that after August 1st 1921, in all secondary schools provided by the County Council, where the accommodation of the school was insufficient, preference should be given to candidates above ten years of age, and that after August 1st 1922, no children under ten years of age should be admitted to such schools.”
As a member of the Higher Education sub-committee, Mr. Price had played a prominent part in pushing forward this recommendation, which was ultimately referred back to his committee by a narrow majority for further consideration, maintaining that children under ten were too young to need a form of higher education, and unable to benefit from it. Behind this opinion lay his observation that those who could afford the fees of a secondary school were sending their very young children to them as an alternative to the local elementary schools which were attended by the working classes. He maintained that a form of snobbery existed among the rich parents of these younger children which was being unwittingly encouraged and supported by the general ratepayers of the community in the following way. Secondary education at that time cost about £27 per head per year, but the younger children were charged £6 to £7, which meant in effect that other children’s parents had to make up the shortfall. Also, the places taken by those younger children meant that working class children who had qualified for admission through passing their entrance examinations were excluded, due to lack of available places.
Mr. Price asserted that Elementary schools should be regarded as efficient for the education of all classes of children up to ten years old, and if parents wanted to avail themselves of a privileged preparatory education, they should undertake to pay fully for it, and not look to the ratepayers to subsidise them.
One month later, the West Riding Education Committee held its next meeting, and the matter was again raised, this time with Mr. Price in attendance. Having re-considered the matter, it was highly unlikely that the stance of the Higher Education sub-committee would have changed, the following recommendation was formally put to, and finally adopted by the meeting:
“That after 1st August 1921, in all West Riding maintained Secondary Schools where the accommodation of the school is insufficient to allow the admission of all educationally suitable candidates of whatever age, preference shall be given to candidates above ten years of age on August 1st of the current year, such candidates to be admitted in order of merit, as judged by their work in the entrance examination of the school.”
An amendment was moved by a Mr. P.R. Jackson which stated that no contributions should be paid by the County Council towards the cost of educating children under ten, unless preference had been given to candidates over ten. Speaking in support of this amendment, Mr. Price emphasised that as representatives of the ratepayers, they were obliged to give the child of the poorer man the same chances as the child of the rich man, a situation which did not exist at that particular time, when a privileged few took advantage of the subsidies provided by the ratepayers. He felt that if this policy were generally known in the West Riding, it would not be tolerated.
A further speaker to the motion, Mr. Foulstone (Darfield) contended that there would be an improvement in elementary schools if those children under ten who were presently attending secondary schools were sent to elementary schools in common with everyone else. The amendment was adopted.
The next matter on the agenda of March 1921 was Head Teachers’ salaries. Mr. W.B. Cartwright, seconded by Mr. Price, moved an amendment to refer the matter back to the Higher Education sub-committee; however, no delaying was entertained, and the following scales were adopted retrospectively to 1st September 1920:
Headmasters:
Grade 1 Up to 200 pupils
Payscale £600 ... £25 ... £750
Grade 2 201-300 pupils
Payscale £700 ... £25 ... £850
Grade 3 Over 300 pupils
Payscale £800 ... £25 ... £950
Headmistresses:
Grade 1 Up to 200 pupils
Payscale £500 ... £25 ... £600
Grade 2 201-300 pupils
Payscale £600 ... £25 ... £700
Grade 3 Over 300 pupils
Payscale £700 ... £25 ... £800
Mr. Cartwright’s reluctance to accept these proposals is clear when he urged the meeting to bear in mind that his sub-committee regarded these scales to be rather magnanimous and somewhat premature, since the county boroughs had not yet arrived at a decision on the matter. He felt that the disparity between the salaries of the elementary and secondary heads should be reconsidered, but nevertheless, his amendment was defeated.
As a final item to this meeting, Alderman P.R. Jackson was re-elected chairman of the committee, and Mr. Edwin Talbot vice-chairman for the ensuing year.
Governors’ Meeting July 1921
By the middle of July 1921, enough progress had been made that the first meeting of the Governors of the new school could be held, courtesy of the Rev. R.H. Gilbert, at the Rectory situated next door to the school.
The following people attended:-
Alderman John Guest M.P. for the Hemsworth division,
Mr. Gabriel Price, County Councillor for South Kirkby,
Mr. T.H. Foulstone, County Councillor of Darfield.
Representatives of the West Riding County Council
Mrs. Lucy Garstang (Leeds University), Councillors Mrs. A. Schorah, J. Picken, W.H. Nicholson, J. Peckett, H.D. Clough and Mrs. G. Price
Representatives of Hemsworth Rural Council
Councillors Mrs. Salisbury, W.L. Lawton.
Representative of Hemsworth Urban District Council
The Rev. R.H. Gilbert
Also present were Mr. Hallam, Director of Secondary Education for the West Riding County Council, and the architect, Mr. H. Wormald, who would supervise the conversion of Hemsworth Hall into a Secondary School.
Unable to be present were Rural Council nominees Mrs. Charles Snow, and councillors J. Potts and J. Holland
By the middle of July 1921, enough progress had been made that the first meeting of the Governors of the new school could be held, courtesy of the Rev. R.H. Gilbert, at the Rectory situated next door to the school.
The following people attended:-
Alderman John Guest M.P. for the Hemsworth division,
Mr. Gabriel Price, County Councillor for South Kirkby,
Mr. T.H. Foulstone, County Councillor of Darfield.
Representatives of the West Riding County Council
Mrs. Lucy Garstang (Leeds University), Councillors Mrs. A. Schorah, J. Picken, W.H. Nicholson, J. Peckett, H.D. Clough and Mrs. G. Price
Representatives of Hemsworth Rural Council
Councillors Mrs. Salisbury, W.L. Lawton.
Representative of Hemsworth Urban District Council
The Rev. R.H. Gilbert
Also present were Mr. Hallam, Director of Secondary Education for the West Riding County Council, and the architect, Mr. H. Wormald, who would supervise the conversion of Hemsworth Hall into a Secondary School.
Unable to be present were Rural Council nominees Mrs. Charles Snow, and councillors J. Potts and J. Holland
At this first meeting, Mr. Guest proposed that Mr. Price be appointed chairman, and Mr. Nicholson seconded, saying there was no-one better suited for the position of chairman than Mr. Price, who would form a link between the Governors and the County Council. As there were no other nominations, the unanimous decision was carried. In his speech of acceptance Mr. Price stated that he felt that at last the great wrong which had happened when the Holgate Grammar School at Hemsworth had previously been moved to Barnsley would be righted with the opening of the new school. He now hoped to see many children of the working classes pass from the elementary schools into the new secondary school and thence on to the Universities.
The next meeting of Governors was scheduled for August 12th 1921.
The next meeting of Governors was scheduled for August 12th 1921.
A view which all pupils remember.
The HGS south-facing Front in the 1920s.
The HGS south-facing Front in the 1920s.
Sheila
