Broxhill Secondary Modern School

A Memory of Harold Hill.

I lived in Heaton Avenue from when I was 2 to when I was 14. I had the good luck to be part of the first pupils to go to Broxhill in the 60's when it was first built, we were at Harrowfield's huts at the start of the school year in the September because Broxhill wasn't finished. When you walked into the school you could still smell the fresh wood, paint and newness, the assembly hall and lunch area were on the right hand side. To the left of the entrance were classrooms, offices and toilets, facing you and slightly to the left was the library where the pupils who didn't take assembly usually went until it was over. We would all then go to our main classrooms, mine was upstairs, if you ever see a picture of the front of the school, it was top left and the teacher was Mr Labone.

When we had PE we would change in the downstairs toilets and go out to the playing field or the gym which was a bit further away, chucking bean bags, hitting balls for rounders, did the odd high jump, I practiced for that by jumping the garden gate, but wasn't much good at doing it on the sports field.

One year we got a new teacher, Mr Skinner, he was only 21 so some of us girls were interested, he was nice but a bit nerdy and if I remember correctly he already had a girlfriend anyway, but you could have a laugh with him.

Xmas' and end of year were good, we were allowed to take records and players for class parties along with all types of food, food in the classroom, wow, unheard of.

I did actually enjoy my time at Broxhill and was sad that it got torn down, however I did get the chance to go back there some years ago as a temporary office assistant and was in the same part of the school where my old classrooms used to be. Seeing it getting so unloved makes nostalgia kinda painful.