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Bristol School Board was set up in 1871 under the provisions of the Public Elementary Education Act of 1870, being the last major town in England to do so. Despite this late start and some press...
- 1867-1917
- Bristol School Board
Robert Raikes began his Sunday School movement in 1784. These were Church of England schools, but other denominations had their own establishments, such as the Unitarian Stokes Croft school and Clifton Congregational school at Hope Chapel.
Sep 16, 2024 · Clifton High School for Girls was founded in 1877 by a group of Bristol and Clifton citizens, notably Lt.Col. A.C.Pears and Dr. John Percival. The school was administered by a Council, the first...
- 1877-1977
- Clifton High School, Bristol
- 40.2K
Jan 28, 2024 · Below, we take a look back at some of the schools which have been shut down or demolished in decades past within the Bristol City Council boundary. The government's school information service...
- Sophie Grubb
- 1856 - 1919 The Early Years
- Cotham in The Early Twenties
- 1920 - 1941 The Baxter Years
- 1939 - 1945 The War Years
- 1942 - 1965 The Stewardship of Mr Sanford Woods
- 1965 - 1978 Cotham Under Mr George Yelland
- Cotham in The 1980s
- Cotham Enters The 1990s
The Trade and Mines School
In 1812 at a time when most boys and girls received little or no education a Diocesan School was established in Nelson Street for the purpose of 'educating poor children in the principles of the Established Church'. Forty years later the parish schools were covering the ground which the founders had in mind and it was proposed to alter the character of the school. A meeting was held in November 1854, as a result of which it was decided to convert the Diocesan School into a Trade School on the...
The Merchant Venturers' School
In March 1872 the Merchant Venturers' Society, on behalf of Colston's School, rejected a reorganisation scheme involving the local endowed schools (following the Act of 1869) and put forward its own proposals, which included 'rendering liberal assistance to the Trade School'. However, there was no possibility of expanding the School's activities in 'the old and sombre' building in Nelson Street and eventually the Merchant Venturers with the consent of the Charity Commissioners adopted the Tra...
When the boys were transferred in stages from the massive building in Unity Street to the new site in Cotham Lawn Road they were not very Impressed with their new campus which appeared bleak and unattractive. Ex-army huts served as classrooms the laboratories and the air-room and a large T-shaped shed comprised an assembly hall which doubled as a g...
Each year at Speech Day Alderman Sir Ernest Cook, Chairman of Governors and a great friend to the School, promised that the much needed new buildings would soon be a reality, an annual promise that brought derisory groans from the audience. At long last in the Autumn Term of 1931 The Tower of that year was able to report that the new buildings, `so...
In 1939 everything began to change as the international situation grew worse, the cycle sheds under the school were strengthened and converted into air-raid shelters and all windows were criss-crossed with sticky-tape to prevent them shattering. Sand-bags, actually filled with coal-dust, were piled around the walls of the main building to a height ...
1946 Post War Problems
As a result of the 1944 Education Act Cotham Secondary School became Cotham Grammar School and fee-paying places were abolished. The number of pupils, 466 in 1922, had increased to over 600 after the opening of the new building in 1931 and this remained more or less constant during the Thirties and the War years. A general inspection in 1946 drew attention to the 'growing inclination to regard VIth Form work as an integral part of the course. The record of scholarships and awards over the las...
1956: The Centenary Year
On Monday, 19th March, 1956, a Service of Thanksgiving was held in Bristol Cathedral to commemorate the centenary of the opening of the Bristol Trades and Mines School (now Cotham Grammar School) in March 1956. The lessons were read by the Headmaster, Mr S.R Woods, and the Rev. L.G Champion of the Baptist College. It was a memorable occasion, graced by the presence of the Lord Mayor, the Sheriff and City officials as well as pupils and staff, parents, Old Boys and friends of the School. To th...
1965: The Retirement of Mr S. R Woods
July1965 marked the end of an era when Mr Woods retired after more than twenty-three years as Headmaster. Mr Woods took over at a very difficult time. Many of the staff were away on military service or important war work, the air-raids were causing severe dislocation and there were shortages of everything. The years immediately after the war brought more difficulties and at one time there was a move to make Cotham a Secondary Modern School. He now only surmounted the many obstacles but as a r...
The early years of George Yelland were beset by difficulties not of his making. Plans to alter drastically the status and composition of the school and the subsequent publicity had a very unsettling effect. First there was 'The Plan' to abolish Cotham as a Grammar School and replace it with a non-selective, split-site school in conjunction with Bis...
Mr M. J. McKay and a New Management Structure
The arrival of Mr James McKay in the Autumn Term of 1979 heralded a new era in the history of Cotham. A friendly, exuberant man with an outgoing personality he was very different from any of his predecessors. Mel Turner was quite shocked when at Mr McKay's first meeting with the three Deputy Heads he asked if we would like to call him by his Christian name! A man of bustling energy with the ability to make instant decisions, he would pick up the telephone as a sudden idea struck him and much...
Progress and Achievements in Troubled Times
In the early years of the decade Cotham once more was faced by yet another 'plan' which threatened to alter the school so drastically that it would in effect destroy it. The proposal was to abolish selection in the North Central Area and establish a split-side comprehensive with Fairfield housing the Lower School and Cotham the Upper. Again there were months of argument and uncertainty as the complex consultation procedures ground inexorably on before Sir Keith Joseph vetoed the scheme. Cotha...
The Old Order Changeth
Between 1980 and 1985 several long-serving members of staff retired. In 1981 Mel Turner said farewell after thirty-five years at Cotham, the last twenty-two as Deputy Head. He left his stamp on the School in so many different ways and his stalwart presence, his bluff heartiness and strong personality were sorely missed. Jim Pyle, who had succeeded Arthur Winton as Head of English in 1975, also retired in the Summer of 1981 and at Christmas we said goodbye to Jerry Hicks, Head of Art since 195...
The New Age of Acronyms, Accountability and Assessment
Since the advent of ERA (Education Reform Act) the NC (National Curriculum) has come into being, together with OE (Open Enrolment) which meant that PAL (Planned Admission Level) had to be replaced by SN (Standard Numbers). For Cotham this meant an extra twenty-eight pupils a year, or over a hundred extra children after five years, with consequent demands on teaching space and timetabling. A long overdue change has been made in the composition of the Governing Body, giving more influence to pa...
Bristol Education Committee was appointed by the Council on March 30 1903 when it took over the functions of Bristol School Board, abolished by the 1902 Education Act. Its jurisdiction...
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The school was first cited in the Public Schools Year Book in 1907, and former headmaster John Mackay (1960–1975) served as the chairman of the HMC in 1970. [6] Founded as an all-boys school, Bristol Grammar is now fully co-educational having first admitted girls in 1980.
