Heber primary school memories

[jamdowne1]

I went to Heber School, I left in 1967 and went to Friern Girls.

please send me the dedicated chapter on this thred. Thank you

[jamdowne1]

I have access to some class year group photos taken at Heber School in 1968. I would like to obtain class photos taken in 1965 and 1966 and 1970. Can anyone help?

[funkymadam]

I went to Heber for a short time in the early 1990s (when i was around 9 years old) having been moved from St Johns and St Clements because some nasty little child was doing obscene things to me and another girl in the playground and the school refused to do anything saying boys will be boys - that was when Mr Marks was head of ST Johns.

I remember there being 3 halls at Heber and walking down to Dulwich Baths for swimming lessons. Mr Dacey was head and i remember him having a bad foot!

I remember Mr Shields who was lovely and Mrs Kapil who was awful - a really vile Classist lady who once told my mother that all the children in the school were of low class and at the lowest depths of social deprivation.

Oh and i cried a lot because i didn't want to go to school and my poor mother had to walk up goodness knows how many flights of stairs right to the top where Mr Shields room was to drop me off then all the way back down again. I also remember getting lost a lot at Heber especially at home time and ending up in the playground with the large mural in the corner and not being able to get out!

[the-e-dealer]

Alice the Pantomime Yesterday! Very Good!

[Charles Martel]

Does anyone remember the Heber Carnival? I think this was around 1974 or 75. It only happened once when I was at the school and I was ill with a bad case of chicken pox so I did not take part. My father took this photo near the annex on Darrell road, now the community centre.

[bevvie]

I went to Heber Junior school in 1951 and had a wonderful time; the teachers were dedicated and obviously liked children and they introduced all sorts of innovations to improve the school.One such was the house system, with houses named after local roads and coloured ties or belts to indicate your house, clearly the staff had happy memories of their own probably public school days. The building on the other side of the playground was still a science block and we learnt all sorts of stinks and bangs there. The classes were made up of 40 children with "a remove" for those who needed a bit more help. The masters had gone through the government training scheme for returning ex-servicemen and the man who taught the remove , a Mr Gore, had a superb RAF handlebar moustache. Everyone loved him as he was very jolly and kind. My own teacher, Mr Musgrove, had served in the army in the far east and he was a lovely man who always prefaced his remarks to us with "Now people...". In our last year he taught us some French so we wouldn't be at a loss when we went to our secondary schools, and the Latin Gaudeamus Igitur song. We were children from very ordinary homes remember! Like Wardy, I could reminisce for pages about those days, but, unlike Wardy, my memories are all happy ones.

[Martin-Bailey]

I went to Heber Road between 1950 and 1954, and still have some very vivid memories, mostly of things happening against a very dreary background. I can clearly remember getting into fights, both in the playground and on the way home - but I haven't the faintest recollection of what any of them were about. I can still picture the scene during an especially bruising encounter with a kid called Billy Reckitts (I believe), and excited boys formed a ring around us in the playground, cheering us on. My first two years were passed in a kind of haze: I had several women teachers (including supply teachers) who seemed to dislike me - one, Mrs Perkins, told my Mother I was supercilious. It may have been true, but I had no idea what she meant. I then had a very exciting and rather frighteningly unpredictable man for two years, who really got me excited by subjects like history, English, music, and science. I still remember his full name: Alfred Frederick David John Hatton. He was a church organist and choir master, and a superb pianist. But his temper was both very fragile and violent - and I mean violent. He would lash out at boys who annoyed him, and indeed once crashed a desk down on someone's foot - a boy from Glasgow called John Connor, who seemed often to incur Mr Hatton's displeasure.

He had an astronomical telescope, a huge brass affair, that he brought into school (how? No car... did he lug it on a bus?) so we could witness a partial eclips of the sun.

Perhaps most excitingly of all, he once had a ferocious row with the aforementioned Mrs Perkins, in front of the whole class - and pursued her down the corridor, roaring and shouting.

Heber Road was a pretty rough and ready place. The boys' lavatories were a sordid, smelly disgrace, open to the skies and seemingly never cleaned. I can't vouch for the girls', but I bet they were as bad. School dinners were uneatably dreadful - cold, congealed fat, and lumpy jelly made from some sort of powder, were the main themes. Boys were regularly punished with the cane, a fate I managed to avoid. Many kids came from very poor and deprived backgrounds. Only one kid in our class (3HT and 4HT) had a car in their family, and his Dad was a commercial traveller who had it for work. I remember that the rather grim headmaster, a Mr Hester, had a Vauxhall that was parked in the playground sometimes. Food was indeed in short supply generally, and we kids used often to buy bags of chips from the chippy (three old pennies), or lumps of thick stodgy bread pudding from a very flyblown baker's shop.

I'm talking about life more than sixty years ago. Only one child had a television in our class, sweets were rationed for most of my time there. The greatest event of our lives to date was the Coronation, on June 2nd 1953. Every kid had a small pack of freebies from the LCC, the then London governing body: a cup and saucer with murky pictures of the Queen and Prince Philip, and a royal blue ballpoint pen. My pen snapped in a week, and the cup and saucer soon followed. I bet none survived very long. The actual day was a national holiday, and it poured heavily. Later that summer, the whole school was marched to Dulwich Village to watch the Queen drive past. The street was cleared of all traffic, we waited for ages while nothing happened, a couple of coppers on motor bikes drove past to loud cheers, and then finally a posh car whizzed by with someone waving a gloved hand. That was it - a swindle! I think I became a secret republican on that hot, dusty, afternoon in 1953!

The eleven-plus was the great worry that hung over us all. Under Mr Hatton's ministrations I was lucky and "did well" (for which I should have thanked him, I suppose), but many of my friends were counted as failures. Fancy telling a child of ten that he or she is a failure in life. It was a very cruel and wasteful system - and I'm not sure that we have a system that's significantly better at educating our children sixty years on. Wake up, Britain - we're still divided and held back by a menacing class system.

[JackBauer24]

I attended Heber in the early 60s. Mr Hatton was my teacher and yes he had a temper on him. He used to throw anything he had in his hands at us chalk, blackboard eraser and even coins out of his pocket if he had nothing else to hand. The good old days. Teaching seems to have gone from one extreme to another.

[Martin-Bailey]

I'm glad Mr Hatton didn't mellow as he grew older! I'm also glad that my recollections of his violent temper seem to be accurate: it's hard to know what is a real memory, and what has become embroidered in your own head. I can still remember an incident that left me feeling very hard done by: knowing I was interested in such things, he gave me a shoebox of chalk fossils. I put it under my desk. At going home time, he shouted at me for having a messy box of rubbish under my desk, and kept me back until last. Oh, the miscarriages of justice that follow us down the years!

Like all my teachers from those days, he must be long dead - but he was certainly a very vivid character who lives on in his ex-pupils' heads.

[pamelamcnamara]

Click on the image to view. I am the one far left at the front, kneeling. This would be between 1958 and 1961

[Martin-Bailey]

Oh my - that photo brings back the boys' playground, with the science lab on brick pillars. I don't think I have any school photos from my time in the early 1950s.Timeless, your picture: it could have been my kids in their North London school in the early 1980s, smiling at the camera, filled with an innocent optimism...

[jim_the_chin]

Interesting photo Pamela, is that shot towards Heber Road? If so, what is the building on the right? It doesn't exist now.

[pamelamcnamara]

Hello Jim, I can't remember what the building was I'm afraid. It's great this forum exists - so good to hear other folks views :)

[Martin-Bailey]

The building on the right, in the early 1950s, was Heber Road's pride and joy. It contained a well-equipped science laboratory, and we were told Heber was the only primary school in London to have one. There was a specialist science teacher called Mr Funnell (Spelling may be wrong) who taught us about magnetism and electricity: we constructed electromagnets, made simple electric motors, watched magnesium being ignited... I guess the school was well ahead of its time in that respect. Heaven knows why the laboratory was closed... cost-cutting, probably.

[jacqui t]

luv this thread,I remember having science lessons with Mr Funnell,Mr Heester was headmaster when I was at the school,Mr Reagan was one of my teachers think he had a son called Warren,other teachers were Mr Gore,Mr Musgrave,Mrs Perkins,Mr Hutton,wasnt there a Miss Rabatts?digging deep into the old gray matter now.I think we had cookery classes in same block as science lab.Getting the cane and having things thrown across the classroom was pretty normal.Have yet to find someone who attended school same time as myself.Have lived in Australia for past 46 years but always interesting to read about past experiences of people who lived in same area and went to same schools.

[geneie]

I was at Heber around that time, jacqui t, well I certainly recognise all those teachers' names. One you didn't mention was Mrs Sanderson, who was my form teacher for my last two years there. My sister and twin brothers were there before me, too.

Somewhere on this forum I recently read that the school keeper's house is being ?renovated? When I was a pupil, Mr Norgrove was the school keeper and his son David was in my class. To quote Wikipedia, " David Ronald Norgrove[1] (born 1948) is an English businessman, former chair of The Pensions Regulator and current chair of PensionsFirst, the Family Justice Board and the Low Pay Commission."

[JOHNNYBOY]

Absolutely fantastic photo Pam, the boy on the right, end, looks like Phillip Ramsey, I attended Heber Road School from 1957-1963, my brother, Dad & Uncles also attended Heber Road School, my dad & his brothers lived in Rodwell Road, I grew up in Underhill Road in a Prefab, we lived there for 17 years, we then moved to Greendale Close, My dad worked for the Council on the Parks & Gardens and my Mum worked for Everitt Veros at the bottom of Crystal Palace Road. I remember Mr Reagan who had a ring on every finger, I remember that because he used to hit me over the head with rings, he also lifted me off the floor once by my ear, I was under the Childrens Hospital, Ear,Nose & Throat, he had a son Keith who was good at Cricket, we used to have Games in Dulwich Park, I remember Miss Dyson, she was lovely, Mr Heester was the Headmaster, Don's sweet shop, fantastic times. I'd love to see more of the photos you have, I have a couple of photos of Heber Road School, one is of my brother in one of his lessons, approx date 1954/55, and another one outside the school,(Group Photo) I have another one of my Dad, also outside the school (Group Photo), I still have most of my old school reports from Heber Road & Thomas Calton. I have set up a website and I am looking for any help with photos, cine film, etc, if you can help in any way at all Pam that would be great, I am hoping eventually to put together a DVD about East Dulwich, I shall be uploading the school photos/reports as soon as possible, my website is about Camberwell Borough Council, East Dulwich, Surrounding Areas, etc, the web address if you want to have a look is camberwellboroughcouncil.co.uk

[pamelamcnamara]

Hi Johnny, that photo is the only one I have. I'm glad you like it. You must have been in the year above me - I was born in 1951 and started at Heber in 1956. I lived in Friern Road. I remember 2 boys in particular - Paul England and Peter Morris. I was friends with them. I remember that I was neither happy nor unhappy at the school. It was just school! You are welcome to use my picture on your website if you wish.

Pam

[JOHNNYBOY]

Hi Pam

Many thanks, I will upload your photo if that's ok, do you have a small memory/description/school life to go with it ? I lived just near the junction of Friern & Underhill Road, on the corner of Friern Road used to be Derek Stores where you could buy a pint of milk, a slab of Cheese cut with the wire, etc, do you remember that store ? my Prefab was up a small alley at 198, next door at 200 lived Mrs Smith & her 2 Daughters, Pat & Jean, Jean Married Francis Rossi from Status Quo, 196 lived Mrs Burns with her Daughter Jean, 194 lived Mr & Mrs Moy with their son Bobby, Don't know if you recognize any of these names, Thanks again Pam, Best Wishes, John

[pamelamcnamara]

Hi Johnny, Well I don't remember much but Miss Bromley was lovely. And I remember Mr Ibbotson slippering the boys. I was always last in any sports as I was the smallest person in my year (probably in the whole school!!). I hated PE and sports and always tried to get out of them. I don't recognise any of the names you mentioned but I remember the shop. I think I remember a shop called Bradshaws which was on Goodrich Road. I remember the two off licences opposite each other on Goodrich Road too - one run by Mr Cross and the other by Mr Evans.

Best wishes, Pam

[JOHNNYBOY]

Many thanks Pam, I will upload your photo + info, I also remember Mr Ibbotson, he told me to go and wait outside his office once, he was going to slipper me, I didn't go, just kept out of his way and luckily for me he forgot about it, Best Wishes, John

[JOHNNYBOY]

Glad you like the Prefab pics Pam, they were lovely were'nt they, I loved living in our Prefab and really sad when we had to leave, I was 17 when we moved out, damp was starting to come through. The name Peter Morris rings a bell, I have now uploaded your photo with your memory on my website, it's on the My School page, Thanks again for your help Pam, All the best, John

[prefabgirl]

Just joined the forum. I now live in NW London but went to Heber Road School in about 1955 - 1961 (56 -62?)and lived in a prefab in Friern Road. My grandparents ran the laundry/dry cleaners in Crystal Palace Road and I spent the first year of my life in rooms behind Dee's, the grocer, opposite. All my aunts and uncles lived locally and most, plus my mum and my grandad had gone to Heber.

I remember being terrified on my first day and, not knowing where the loos were, asked a boy of about my own age who, naturally, pointed to the boy's. They weren't very clean or sweet-smelling!

I had Mrs Sanderson as form teacher who managed to get 50 of us in her class of 52 kids, successfully through the 11+.

Very strict and very religious - I remember her saying she'd rescue her bible first in a fire and I'd thought "why not just buy a new one? - she smacked freely and I used to get a whack across the ear for having untidy handwriting. She went with us to Swanage in 1958(?).

My best friend was Valerie Fuller, a gifted artist who made the tile picture of Hansel & Gretel that was hung in the assembly hall. Mr Heester was the headmaster who wore white plimsolls and was keen on the cane. I remember Mr Regan who I think taught maths and was notorious for throwing a blackboard eraser at anyone not quick enough to answer.

The girls and the infants had their playground on the left, from Jennings, and the boy's on the right, next to the science block.

Memories! In winter, a patch of ice would form next to the caretaker's house which everyone fought over as a makeshift, tiny ice rink! Hated the compulsory milk and still throw up if I drink any. I was one of those who had to have cod liver oil tablets; my health was never brilliant and we were quite poor, I suppose. I remember being one of the few girls who wore a gymslip, tied with the red belt of Rodwell House. I'll try and find some pics!

I remember the fancy dress parties at Christmas and being dressed as a Christmas cracker and hardly able to walk in it! I also remember a production of 'Wind in the Willows' in which I was cast as a duck. And being bitterly disappointed as illness yet again prevented me from being in it. After school we used to spend our 3p a week pocket money in the sweatshop round the corner in Crystal Palace Rd, a few doors down from, Norton's, the hardware shop on the corner. Yvonne Norton was in my class.

I was bullied quite a bit as I was quite a skinny, shy thing although I will always be grateful to Mrs Sanderson who never stopped believing in my (latent!) abilities.

[pamelamcnamara]

Hi, I remember Valerie Fuller. I was born in 1951 so would have been at the school at a similar time to you. What is your name? I was the smallest pupil in the whole school for the whole duration of my education there !!!

[prefabgirl]

Lynda Lipman. I think you're name rings a bell. Valerie and I were also quite tiny (I'm still only 5' 2"!) I was born Dec 1949 but 2 of my cousins were born in 1951 and went to Heber: John Owen and John Bull. I'm so thrilled to have found the forum!