Chamberlayne Road Boy School

I was a pupil at Nightingale infants School when it opened in 1954, after spending my first school year at Chamberlayne Road Boys School Eastleigh. I return to Chamberlayne Road Boys School for my Junior School years. The headmaster’s name was Mr B L Shotton although I think he was replaced by one Varco Bayliss before I left. I remember a teacher called Mr Davis who would punish boys who miss behaved by slapping them on the back of the legs (all boys wore short in those days).There was always some rivalry at the school between the boys going to Toynbee Secondary School and those, like me, going to North End Secondary Modern in Leigh Road. The playground was all tarmac and surrounded by a high brick wall and one particular corner was fought for by the two rival groups. Those in possession were the winners. The school had a tall chimney and a tower whilst I was there, however the tower was subsequently pulled down. The school had no indoor toilets, they were in the south west of the tarmac playground. The urinals had no roof but the cubicles as far as I can remember were covered. There was also a covered shelter in the playground with steel cross members supporting the pitch roof. The boys, including me, would often swing Tarzan fashion across these bars. On the east side of the school there was a small fence from which boys would view the girls in their playground of the Chamberlayne Road Girls (secondary) school.