St Phillip's Infant School and St Barts junior school

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Eagle
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Joined: 7 Oct 2004 06:36
Location: F Hill

St Phillip's Infant School and St Barts junior school

Post by Eagle »

I attended the above
St Phillips up to 1956 and St Barts up to 1960.
St Phillips is now a community centre on Wells Park Road and the old St Barts was where the Catholic Church now is.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone who was at the schools at that time and remembers
Olive Nash and her poodle
Mr Bleasedale and his hero's readings
Miss Coggin and Miss Partridge
and good old Mr Williams
Did anyone go on the great school journey to Swanage in 1960 with Mr Timms and Miss Coggin
spitnolan
Posts: 12
Joined: 28 Nov 2008 03:04
Location: Sydney, Oz.

Post by spitnolan »

I think Mrs Cheetah was headmistress at St Philips when I was there. She also ran a after school drama group there in the evenings in the early 70’s with a few ex-pupils involved. We put on a play and only two people turned up one of them was my mother! Some of the pupils I can remember are Paul Russell, Kevin Mills, Jill Newman, Hazel-Anne Hughes, Stephen Denham.

Sports day was held in Wells Park where we also took over brown mats for putting down on the grass in the summertime for lunch or a class (weather permitting).

There were three classrooms. With sliding doors between two of them that could be opened up if needed and a small separate classroom. The last time I visited the school was in the 80’s, I was on a visit back from Oz and tagged along with my mum when she went round there to vote in the general election. It all seemed exactly the same and entrance hall where pupils used to hang their coats still had a lovely smell of soap. I was enjoying nosing around till a policeman asked me to leave.

I don't remember Olive Nash and her poodle (regrettably!) but I do remember from St Barts, Mr Bleasdale, Miss Partridge, Miss Redmain, Mr Howlett.

I also went back to St Barts on a UK visit in 1992. This school was also as I remembered it, heaps of paintings and drawings covering the walls and displays of rocks and flowers etc. Mrs Gregory was the secretary and she showed me some attendance registers from the time I was there and of earlier years when my sisters were pupils. I was hoping to see some pictures of the school journey to Sandown, Isle of Wight in 1973 (the 'Kimpton Private Hotel') with Mr Timms and Mrs Shuttler. But they were locked away and only the school-keeper had the keys and unfortunately he wasn’t there.
Last edited by spitnolan on 24 Oct 2013 03:08, edited 5 times in total.
brian stimson
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Joined: 28 Jun 2008 14:14
Location: forest of dean

Re: St Phillip's Infant School and St Barts junior school

Post by brian stimson »

Eagle wrote:I attended the above
St Phillips up to 1956 and St Barts up to 1960.
St Phillips is now a community centre on Wells Park Road and the old St and good old Mr Williams
Did anyone go on the great school journey to Swanage in 1960 with Mr Timms and Miss Coggin
I was at St. Barts from 1945 until 1951 I remember Mr Williams and all the pink on the world map "You know what all that is children, don't you" he would say. I also remember queueing (have I spelt that right) for daily doses of cod liver oil and malt and bottle of milk, just round from the Head Master's study I think. No school trips then.
Eagle
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Joined: 7 Oct 2004 06:36
Location: F Hill

Post by Eagle »

Hello Brian
You beat me by a few years.
Yes Mr Williams was amazing. Heard he had been in The Black and Tans and used to explode in temper from time to time.
You mention The Headmaster . Was that then Mr Bleasdale. He was there when I was but may have just arrived.
Used to tell us a story every assembly about British heroes and heroines.
Must have heard the story about Grace Darling a dozen times.
It was a tough regime but it did not do us any harm. Modern schools take note.
I remember Miss Coggin ( very large lady about 55 who taught the 8 year olds whacking my friends hand with a ruler beacuse he could not spell because. He got one whack for each letter. He has never forgotten how to spell because.
School dinners were also great and everyone had them . None of these finicky we get now or overweight tubbies going out to pie shops.
Barty
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Location: With Mrs Barty, or at work texting Mrs Barty

Post by Barty »

Eagle wrote:overweight tubbies going out to pie shops.
<COUGH> <Ahem>
Annie
Posts: 1187
Joined: 13 May 2006 11:08
Location: Sydenham

Post by Annie »

:)

The school meals have gone back to better days.

Good old fashioned food, But do the children want it? no!
I'ts quiet shocking what the children won't eat,
but everyone is ignoring it.(council etc)
So the schools dish up decent food, and the kids bin it.



Over to you parents!
leaf
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Joined: 6 Jul 2006 16:17
Location: Not so far away.

Post by leaf »

Good old fashioned food???!!!!!!

well i remember old style school dinners which i loved, i have tasted current offerings and they do NOT compare!!

Current school dinners are devoid of flavouring as they are not allowed to use salt etc etc etc

Dont get me started on the pathetic miniscule portions they serve up now!!!

Whatever happened to seconds??

no wonder the kids want to rush out of school and eat junk...they are starving!!!

* Mine dont get to eat junk straight out of school, but they do come out complaing of hunger.
Annie
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Joined: 13 May 2006 11:08
Location: Sydenham

Post by Annie »

leaf wrote:Good old fashioned food???!!!!!!

well i remember old style school dinners which i loved, i have tasted current offerings and they do NOT compare!!

Current school dinners are devoid of flavouring as they are not allowed to use salt etc etc etc

Dont get me started on the pathetic miniscule portions they serve up now!!!

Whatever happened to seconds??

no wonder the kids want to rush out of school and eat junk...they are starving!!!

* Mine dont get to eat junk straight out of school, but they do come out complaing of hunger.
Leaf i'm shocked by what you say about the school meals today.
I obviously do not know what school your children/child go to but i can assure you that eveything is portioned out,the school meals are all balanced,The government guidelines must be adhered to.
No they are not allowed salt, Is that bad? much of the food contains salt before it is even cooked.
Today for example in Lewisham there was a choice of home made pizza with corn /peppers and onion topping,home made Fishermans pie,Fresh roasted veg ie-leek,onion peppers broccoli,courgette,mushrooms,etc.and baked beans.
Chocolate fudge cake of course with Choc sauce,Fresh fruit salad,yoghurt with fruit,or whole fruit ie apple,orange etc,

The reason they may come out starving is not because of the type of food they are offered, or the portion size but the fact they just put it in the bin,
Believe me i eat in schools on a daily basis and have done so for over 20 yrs.I KNOW there is a vast difference in todays food compared to 2-3 yrs ago.
So please do not put down all the hard work that is taking place to try and ensure the children eat a healthier type of meal.

If you put salt in your childs food perhaps you should think again.
Annie
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Joined: 13 May 2006 11:08
Location: Sydenham

Post by Annie »

:D
Oh leaf one more thing------------do you pay for 1 meal or 2?
I ask because you seem to expect seconds for nothing?
If you want to pay for extra i am sure that could be arranged.
Annie
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Joined: 13 May 2006 11:08
Location: Sydenham

Post by Annie »

:(
Sorry Eagle, I did not intend to change the subject of your original post.
bensonby
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Location: Kent

Post by bensonby »

I loved my school dinners......yum yum
leaf
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Location: Not so far away.

Post by leaf »

Annie wrote::D
Oh leaf one more thing------------do you pay for 1 meal or 2?
I ask because you seem to expect seconds for nothing?
If you want to pay for extra i am sure that could be arranged.
I pay for one meal of course.

My oldest child is at secondary school so i have experience of school dinners going back quite a few years in more than one school.

My children like 'healthy' food, they are used to good food at home, they never throw away their school dinner, they do actually like the school food just not the small amounts they are served, maybe my kids have big appetites? maybe but they are not overweight by any stretch of the imagination so?...

Im not talking about salt on the table i mean not using salt to cook potatos for example, they dont season anything, my children are used to flavour!


*actually i did enquire a few years ago about the older children having a larger meal and suggested it be charged on a different scale..but it was pooh poohed!

sorry for the disjointed post went away and came back to this several times.

Apologies for highjacking the thread
Eagle
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Joined: 7 Oct 2004 06:36
Location: F Hill

Post by Eagle »

Leaf no problem slightly changing the thread I do it often.
Good to see you are bringing up your children to eat a good diet and never through away food.
My parents , like all parents of my era , lived through the war and rationing and to leave any food was a sin. When I very occasionally left something it usually came out at next meal. I soon learnt.
We have , generally but not in all cases , a very pandered generation. They dictate parents do as they are told.
Supermarkers have special sections for children . They are not a separate species not a smaller adult and should have the same meals as their parents.
I will expect a rant now from parents but makes life interesting
Annie
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Joined: 13 May 2006 11:08
Location: Sydenham

Post by Annie »

[quote="leaf"]Good old fashioned food???!!!!!!

well i remember old style school dinners which i loved, i have tasted current offerings and they do NOT compare!!)



Why say the above Leaf?
They still use pepper ,herbs,spices,also the gravy mix has salt in it i don't see why there isn't any taste?
Then you state your children do actually like School meals.I'm confused.

Today I had a choice of Beef Cobbler or Cheese and pepper whirls,Broccoli,Sweetcorn,Mash or parsley potaoes,
Rice pudding with sultanas,or the old favourite Yoghurt with apple/orange/melon
Fresh fruit salad.

I know i might be going on about it but i am a great advocate of school meals, the people who work in the kitchens work extremely hard trying to feed and satisfy all the children.

By the way its burger and chip day tomorrow!
how much waste in the bins will there be?
:wink:
leaf
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Joined: 6 Jul 2006 16:17
Location: Not so far away.

Post by leaf »

Thanks Eagle, i know what you mean..i still find it hard to leave food on my plate, we werent allowed to leave the table until our plates were empty! waste not want not !!

i know what you mean about pandered children, i find children that are fussy about food very difficult! i think too much choice is given too often.

Annie

sorry if it appears that i am contradicting myself, maybe i should say my children like food full stop!, they DO like school dinners, but in their own words they 'wish they tasted more tasty'!!

Im not knocking the cooks/kicthen staff at all, they do what they are instructed to do i know, i have been in to the school before for a parents 'taster' event, we got to taste the newer menu a few years back put on by the company that do the dinners wont mention them but the name begins with S.

The food was nice, but they didnt want the children to taste the food they cooked for the parents, i thought that odd and gave my son a few mouthfulls, strangely he said it didnt taste like the food they were served...he said it was tastier?! make of that what you will!

re the portion size and lack of seconds.....often my children would tell me that they didnt get to have any of xxx or xxxx because it had run out, or they couldnt have any xxxx because they had to save it for the next sitting.

my son [a vegetable lover] told me there would be one small bowl of peas [for example]...maybe this was because lots of children wouldnt eat them, but they should be available for children who DO want them!

none of that is the fault of dinner ladies/cooks and from speaking with some of them i know they were a bit frustrated at some issues.

I love dinner ladies/cooks, i loved school dinners and can remember the names/faces of all who fed me at school! and that they appreciated a child that ate well, they reminded me of my nanny who loved feeding me up and they always gave me seconds! :D

I am off to bed now to dream about those big metals urns of custard and the last bits of cake with pink icing on top mmmmmmmmmmmmm :D
Annie
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Post by Annie »

:D
Pink custard-------------------------yummy!
gillyjp
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Location: Sydenham

Post by gillyjp »

Who remembers Gipsy Tart? - extremely yummy indeed. I had it last week in the garden centre cafe in Farnham, but this was the first time since my school days - delicious. I have tried to make it myself but it didnt come out quite right - probably my ingredients were not exactly the same as the school used.

If anyone has a recipe please let me know......
Annie
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Post by Annie »

:D
What about caramel tart then?
gillyjp
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Location: Sydenham

Post by gillyjp »

Annie - I think they may have been the same tart by the sounds of it. Whatever it was called it was really yummy. I think it was made with brown sugar and evaporated milk. Deadly in terms of calories but no one cared then like they do now - watching every mouthful. Those were the days.....
Annie
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Joined: 13 May 2006 11:08
Location: Sydenham

Post by Annie »

:D
No Gilly,

Caramel tart is a tin of condensed milk lid opened,cover with a saucer and steamed then spread into a pastry case.


The Gipsy tart was made with evaporated milk.

Small difference i no but makes it different types of tart.
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