Gateshead Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Gateshead Grammar School was a school in Gateshead
, Tyne and Wear
, England
, abolished by the Wilson
government of the 1960s.
It was renamed Gateshead Grammar School after World War II
, still coeducational, but it became boys only in 1956. The school was on the former A1.
at Dunston.
in his poem Works and Days
, Toil is no disgrace, it is idleness which is a disgrace. The motto is interpreted as Toil (is) No Soil (soil being a synonym of disgrace) Included in list of mottos
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, abolished by the Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
government of the 1960s.
History
The private school Gateshead High School For Boys opened in 1883 at the junction of Durham Road and Prince Consort Road. It was purchased by Gateshead School Board in 1894 and became a coeducational "Higher Grade School" called Gateshead Secondary School. Publicly owned Higher Grade Schools were a new breed of school, similar to the privately owned Grammar Schools but putting much more emphasis on science and art.It was renamed Gateshead Grammar School after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, still coeducational, but it became boys only in 1956. The school was on the former A1.
Comprehensive
It was rebuilt on the same site in 1963, and in 1968 it became Saltwell Senior High School - a coeducational comprehensive school which lasted until the 1990s when it was closed and mostly demolished, and the youngsters were transferred to Kingsmeadow Community Comprehensive SchoolKingsmeadow community comprehensive school
Kingsmeadow Community Comprehensive School is a school for 11 to 18 year olds based in Dunston, Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. It was opened in 1990 on the site of Dunston Comprehensive School, combining the existing Saltwell Senior High, Dunston Comprehensive and Hillhead Junior High schools...
at Dunston.
Headmasters
Past headmasters included Mr. John Bidgood, Mr. W. Walton, Mr. G.L.R. Brown and Dr. Caffrey.Teachers
Former teachers include:- Prof John Tuck, Professor of Education from 1974-76 at Newcastle University (taught English from 1936-8)
Traditions
Its motto "Toil No Soil" was unusually in English (not Latin, Greek or French) and was taken from a quote of the Greek Poet HesiodHesiod
Hesiod was a Greek oral poet generally thought by scholars to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. His is the first European poetry in which the poet regards himself as a topic, an individual with a distinctive role to play. Ancient authors credited him and...
in his poem Works and Days
Works and Days
Works and Days is a didactic poem of some 800 verses written by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod around 700 BC. At its center, the Works and Days is a farmer's almanac in which Hesiod instructs his brother Perses in the agricultural arts...
, Toil is no disgrace, it is idleness which is a disgrace. The motto is interpreted as Toil (is) No Soil (soil being a synonym of disgrace) Included in list of mottos
Notable alumni
- Prof H. T. DickinsonH. T. DickinsonHarry Thomas Dickinson FRSE is an English historian specialising in British eighteenth century politics. He got his BA and MA from the University of Durham and his PhD from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was Reader in History at the University of Edinburgh and Richard Lodge Professor of...
, Richard Lodge Professor of British History at the University of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghThe University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, and President from 2002-5 of the Historical AssociationHistorical AssociationThe Historical Association is an organisation founded in 1906 and based in London, England. The goals of the Historical Association are to support "the study and enjoyment of history at all levels by creating an environment that promotes lifelong learning and provides for the evolving needs of... - Muriel Forbes CBE, Chairman from 1960-1 of Middlesex County CouncilMiddlesex County CouncilMiddlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965.The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the county to constitute the County of London...
- Kathleen Gales, medical statistician
- Alex GlasgowAlex GlasgowAlex Glasgow was a singer/songwriter from Low Fell, Gateshead, England. He was educated at Gateshead Grammar School where he founded the Caprians, a choir that, 55 years on and still counting, is thriving. He graduated in German at the University of Leeds...
, songwriter - Alexander Harvey, Principal from 1946-68 of the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (part of Cardiff UniversityCardiff UniversityCardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
since 1988) - Arthur HolmesArthur HolmesArthur Holmes was a British geologist. As a child he lived in Low Fell, Gateshead and attended the Gateshead Higher Grade School .-Age of the earth:...
, geologist, forerunner in dating the Earth by radiometric datingRadiometric datingRadiometric dating is a technique used to date materials such as rocks, usually based on a comparison between the observed abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope and its decay products, using known decay rates... - Angus Monro, Chief Executive from 1996-2001 of MatalanMatalanMatalan is a British retailer that specialises in shoes and clothes. It was founded by John Hargreaves in 1985. It currently has 200 stores across the UK. The 200th store opened on 22 September 2006 in Croydon...
and from 2002-6 of PoundstretcherPoundstretcherPoundstretcher is a chain of discount stores operating in the United Kingdom. It is based in Deighton, England, near Huddersfield on the A62.-History:... - Joseph McNally, Chief Executive from 1984-2001 of Compaq Computer UKCompaqCompaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
- John Morton, Chief Executive from 2005-8 of the Engineering and Technology Board, and Professor of Engineering from 1986-93 at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
- Ken Norton (cricketer)Ken Norton (cricketer)Ken Norton was an English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and left-arm slow bowler who played for Northumberland...
- Prof Bruce Pattison, Professor of Education from 1948-76 at the Institute of EducationInstitute of EducationThe Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
- Sir George Russell CBE, Chief Executive from 1982–92 of British AlcanBritish AluminiumThe aluminium producer British Aluminium Ltd was originally formed as the British Aluminium Company Ltd on 7 May 1894 and was subsequently known as British Alcan Aluminium Plc...
, Chairman from 1988-92 of the Independent Broadcasting AuthorityIndependent Broadcasting AuthorityThe Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
and from 1991-96 of the Independent Television CommissionIndependent Television CommissionThe Independent Television Commission licensed and regulated commercial television services in the United Kingdom between 1 January 1991 and 28 December 2003....
, and now an ITV executive - David Skinner, Chief Executive from 1992-6 of the Co-operative Wholesale SocietyThe Co-operative GroupThe Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
- John Steel (drummer)John Steel (drummer)For other persons named John Steele, see John Steele .John Steel was the original drummer of the band, The Animals, and is the owner of the rights to the band's name, by virtue of a trademark registration.Steel went to the Gateshead Grammar School...
, with The AnimalsThe AnimalsThe Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London... - Dame Muriel Stewart, President from 1964-5 of the National Union of TeachersNational Union of TeachersThe National Union of Teachers is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress...
- Prof Alan Stuart, Professor of Geology from 1957-9 at the University of ExeterUniversity of ExeterThe University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
- Donald TyermanDonald TyermanDonald Tyerman CBE was an English journalist and editor.Tyerman was born in Middlesbrough. He contracted polio at the age of three and was paralysed from the neck down, although over the next ten years he did eventually get back full use of the whole of his body except his legs - he needed splints...
CBE, editor from 1956–65 of The EconomistThe EconomistThe Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843... - Sylvia WaughSylvia WaughSylvia Waugh is a British children's author.-Biography:Sylvia Waugh was born in Gateshead, County Durham in Northern England in 1935. She attended Gateshead Grammar School. Having worked full-time as a grammar teacher for seventeen years, Waugh began her writing career in her late fifties...
, writer of children's books - Peter Wilsher, journalist for The Sunday TimesThe Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
- E. H. YoungE. H. Young-Life:Although almost completely forgotten by recent generations, E. H. Young was a best-selling novelist of her time. She was born in Whitley, Northumberland, , the daughter of a shipbroker. She attended Gateshead Secondary School and Penrhos College, Colwyn Bay, Wales...
, novelist