Upper Hale Junior School

A Memory of Upper Hale.

I was a pupil of Upper Hale Junior School  from 1969 to 1971 when I transferred to Heathend Comprehensive. When I was there the Head Mistress was a Miss Carter and my teacher was Mr Macknight, a very talented Artist who taught me and others to draw. Mr Macknight also held unusual classes of of what would be termed E.S.P: he would send a pupil into the adjoining cloakroom with a pen and paper, draw a very simple picture on a 'rolling' blackboard and get all the other children to concentrate on the picture or symbol and try to "send it" to the child in the cloakroom! I'm not sure this would be allowed with children so young as 9 and 10 years old, but on a number of occassions the results were startling!
Gym sessions with Mr Macknight would get very daring and he would challange children to climb up the ropes, walk along the high metal support beams and get down the other rope, all without a safety net!! I took the challange along with others whenever we were allowed. This school also introduced First Aid to young children using a Dummy who's chest would rise when filled with the child's breath. It really was very exciting and made us feel more confident about helping in a real life situation. I wouldn't experience this again till I joined St John's Ambulance in 1973.
Also in the playground were two old Air-raid shelters which were supposed to be boarded up but at different times curious children would venture down there.
Unfortunately I cannot find the School on-line to seek out old school friends, namely Karen Lillis, Susan Watson, Christine Allen and others. I will have to assume it has been taken down or changed into something else.
Would appreciate any information regarding this school and its pupils.
Kris Codd (nee Allan)

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