Firth Park Grammar School had four school houses. These were:
- Beatty (light blue)
- Foch (red)
- Haig (green)
- Kings (dark blue)
School houses are still in evidence in most traditional educational establishments as a way of drawing together pupils and staff and developing bonds between members. They promoted healthy competition and developed leadership skills and gave a sense of 'belonging' together.
" The origin of the School Houses are names from the First World War. I was House Captain of Beatty in 1967 to 68 which was derived from Admiral Beatty. I never knew why Kings was so named, but the other two are obvious First World War heroes." - Andrew Guion
Class 1a of 1946 became class 2H of 1947 so it would have been in September 1947 when the renaming of the forms in the first two years according to membership of the four school houses took place. Haig house was under the auspices of TF Johnson and meetings/Monday morning assemblies took place in the small central lecture theatre to the left of the Physics laboratory (Mr Machen). In this theatre the school film society would meet after school on Wednesdays to see an hour-long programme, or thereabouts, which included a couple of 10 - 15 minute travel or information films followed by a longer comedy film of Charlie Chaplin etc. I am no longer sure where the other houses met but I suspect they met in the (Prod's) Chemistry laboratory, in the Physics lab and in the Main Hall/Gym where morning assemblies were held, and where a heavy canvas 'drugget' covered the wooden floor. Here after morning assembly Mr Benoy, the energetic Music teacher, would spend the first period teaching singing to the four first and second year forms. Occasionally someone whose voice was 'breaking' would sing a little discordantly - I know I did once - and dear old Benoy would divide the 240 boys into ever smaller and smaller groups trying to isolate and identify the culprit who, when the singing group had been reduced to 7 or 8 boys, would miraculously sing in tune or keep quiet much to the irritation of Mr Benoy who, in fact had a very fine ear and produced some excellent School Concerts at the Victoria Hall with his first and second form Choir and with his Special Choir which used to practice after school in the Music Room off the Staff Entrance under the stairs. It became Mr Hipkin's English room and the 6th Arts' form room before becoming an Office. In the round room at the base of the tower there was a special reading stand made to hold the Manchester Guardian on one side and The Times on the other in order that we might have daily access to current affairs. I still remember listening intently to an outside lecturer come at the invitation of 'Moke' to talk to us about the poetry of Gerald Manley Hopkins but he never did become a favourite of mine!
Bryan Woodriff
Back Row (Left to Right): Dave Smith, John Berry, Roger Horn, Michael Cook, Keith Thomas, Phil Ashton, David Ridge, ? ,? Hinchcliffe, Barry Longden. Centre Row: Mick Barrett, David Reedman, John Watkin, Brian Purseglove, Marshall, David Wood, ? ,Peter Coupe, David Rose, Andy Guion. Front row: John Fowler,Philip Wayne, Mick Rawson, Kenneth Allsebrook, Peter Swift, Steve Burns, David Cull, Norman Childs, Pongo Strong, Mick Kershaw.
(Above photo courtesy of Andrew Guion
and names recalled by Mick Rawson)
Other examples of Sheffield school houses:
Pomona Street County - named its four houses after local rivers: Loxley, Rivelin, Meersbrook and Porter. Pupils were awarded house-points for sporting or academic achievements - and occasionally for outstanding bravery
High Storrs in the fifties and sixties had six houses named after early Britons - Saxons, Picts, Jutes, Normans, Franks and Spartans
Related information: