Aireborough Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Aireborough Grammar School was an English state Grammar school situated on the Yeadon / Guiseley border in Aireborough
, West Yorkshire
. The school was founded in 1910 and closed in 1991.
, Guiseley
and Menston
councils discussed a proposal to create a secondary school
at Guiseley. The following May the first meeting of the governing body of Guiseley Secondary School took place. In April 1907, the school name was amended to become Yeadon and Guiseley Secondary School. Plans were agreed in October 1907 and construction began.
The school opened on 14 September 1910 with 71 pupils, and the official opening of Yeadon and Guiseley Secondary School took place on 4 November 1910. In 1937, the townships of Rawdon, Yeadon and Guiseley were amalgamated to form the Aireborough Urban District, at which time the name of the school changed to Aireborough Grammar School.
When the Butler
Education Act 1944
came into force in 1945, the school became a county maintained secondary grammar school
, and only admitted pupils who had passed the Eleven plus exam. There was considerable building extension work undertaken in the early 1960s which was accompanied by significant increase in pupil numbers and, from 1974, facilitated the school's evolution into a comprehensive school
. The Jubilee Review in 1985 alluded to the fact that "the future may well be uncertain". This prophecy became true in May 1991 when the school closed, following which it was demolished and the land was developed as housing. There is some link with the old school, however, as the boundary wall incorporates the carved Rawdon, Yeadon, Guiseley and Menston stones from the facade of the school, and the street names of Coverley Rise and Fairfax Grove in the development pay a passing homage to two of the school houses.
In 1937, at the time the school name changed to Aireborough Grammar School, a further house was introduced. This was Cavendish, named after the family name of the Duke of Devonshire
, who owned land at nearby Bolton Abbey.
At some time before the early 1960s the house colours became:
Aireborough
Aireborough was an urban district in the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1937 to 1974, to the north of Leeds, England. It covered Guiseley, Yeadon and Rawdon, and was created as a merger of those three urban districts along with part of Wharfedale Rural District. The district was named after the...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
. The school was founded in 1910 and closed in 1991.
History
In January 1906, a meeting of Rawdon, YeadonYeadon, West Yorkshire
Yeadon is a town within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. It is home to Leeds Bradford International Airport.-History:...
, Guiseley
Guiseley
Guiseley is a small town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Situated south of Otley and Menston, it is a suburb of north west Leeds. At the 2001 census, Guiseley together with Rawdon had a population of over 21,000. The A65, which passes through the town, is the...
and Menston
Menston
Menston is a village and civil parish in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Burley in Wharfedale, Menston is part of Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford. It has a population of 4,660.-Landmarks:...
councils discussed a proposal to create a secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
at Guiseley. The following May the first meeting of the governing body of Guiseley Secondary School took place. In April 1907, the school name was amended to become Yeadon and Guiseley Secondary School. Plans were agreed in October 1907 and construction began.
The school opened on 14 September 1910 with 71 pupils, and the official opening of Yeadon and Guiseley Secondary School took place on 4 November 1910. In 1937, the townships of Rawdon, Yeadon and Guiseley were amalgamated to form the Aireborough Urban District, at which time the name of the school changed to Aireborough Grammar School.
When the Butler
Rab Butler
Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, KG CH DL PC , who invariably signed his name R. A. Butler and was familiarly known as Rab, was a British Conservative politician...
Education Act 1944
Education Act 1944
The Education Act 1944 changed the education system for secondary schools in England and Wales. This Act, commonly named after the Conservative politician R.A...
came into force in 1945, the school became a county maintained secondary grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
, and only admitted pupils who had passed the Eleven plus exam. There was considerable building extension work undertaken in the early 1960s which was accompanied by significant increase in pupil numbers and, from 1974, facilitated the school's evolution into a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
. The Jubilee Review in 1985 alluded to the fact that "the future may well be uncertain". This prophecy became true in May 1991 when the school closed, following which it was demolished and the land was developed as housing. There is some link with the old school, however, as the boundary wall incorporates the carved Rawdon, Yeadon, Guiseley and Menston stones from the facade of the school, and the street names of Coverley Rise and Fairfax Grove in the development pay a passing homage to two of the school houses.
School Houses
The school was divided into three houses in 1921, these being- Coverley (Purple and Gold). The Calverley family once owned the school land. Dobson suggests there is some link from this family to Sir Roger de Coverley.
- Fairfax (Green and Yellow) named after the Fairfax family who once owned the village of Menston
- Forster (Dark- and Light Blue) named after William Edward ForsterWilliam Edward ForsterWilliam Edward Forster PC, FRS was an English industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party statesman.-Early life:...
who lived at Rawdon and drafted the Elementary Education Act 1870Elementary Education Act 1870The Elementary Education Act 1870, commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between ages 5 and 12 in England and Wales...
.
In 1937, at the time the school name changed to Aireborough Grammar School, a further house was introduced. This was Cavendish, named after the family name of the Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and have been rivalled in political influence perhaps only...
, who owned land at nearby Bolton Abbey.
At some time before the early 1960s the house colours became:
- Cavendish: Red
- Coverley: Yellow
- Fairfax: Green
- Forster: Blue
Notable former pupils
The School alumni includes:- Hedley VerityHedley VerityHedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and in 40 Tests he took 144 wickets at an average of 24.37...
(1905–1943) an England cricketer whose 1932 innings analysisBowling analysisIn the sport of cricket, a bowling analysis usually refers to a notation summarising a bowler's performance in terms of overs bowled, how many of those overs are maidens , total runs conceded and number of wickets taken...
of 19.4-16-10-10 remains a world record in a first-class match. - Brian CloseBrian CloseDennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
(1931 - ) the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. - Vice Admiral Sir Richard Jeffrey IbbotsonRichard IbbotsonVice Admiral Sir Richard Jeffrey Ibbotson KBE CB DSC is a former Royal Navy officer who served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet.Educated at Durham University, Ibbotson joined the Royal Navy in 1975 and specialized in underwater warfare...
KBE CB DSC, MSc, RNRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
(1954 - ) who was awarded the Distinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
for operations in the First Gulf War 1991. - Marc AlmondMarc AlmondMarc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
(1957 - ) a popular English singer and recording artist, who found fame as a member of the duo Soft Cell. - Nigel MelvilleNigel MelvilleNigel David Melville is a former England national rugby union team scrum half and captain.He became the youngest player to captain England on his début when he led them against Australia in November 1984. He went onto make another twelve appearances over the next four years.He attended Aireborough...
(1961 - ) one of the few players to captain England Rugby team on his debut appearance - Richard StarkingsRichard StarkingsRichard Starkings is a British font designer and comic book letterer, editor and writer. He was one of the early pioneers of computer based comic book lettering and as a result is one of the most prolific creators in that industry.-Career:...
(1962 - ) creator of the Image Comic book series ElephantmenElephantmenElephantmen is an American ongoing monthly comic book published by Image Comics and written by Richard Starkings with art by Moritat and a number of other artists...
and Hip FlaskHip flaskA hip flask is a thin flask for holding a distilled beverage; its size and shape are suited to a trouser pocket.-Description: Hip flasks were traditionally made of pewter, silver, or even glass, though most modern flasks are made from stainless steel...
; founder of the ComicraftComicraftComicraft is a company which provides graphic design and lettering services to various companies.-History:The company was founded by Richard Starkings in 1992. Starkings had been working for Marvel UK for five years, but left London for New York, circa 1990...
design and lettering studio and comicbookfonts.com.
Notable staff members
- Ernest Tillotson MSc. FRASRoyal Astronomical SocietyThe Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
. FGSGeological Society of LondonThe Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
. (1904–1981) was Physics teacher from 1927 to retirement. He was an authority on British earthquakes, a member of the Seismological subcommittee of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
and represented the United Kingdom at meetings of the European Seismological Committee.
Reunions
Two reunions have taken place since the closure of the school, both of which have been on Nunroyd Park, which is opposite the former school site.- The first reunion was in 1992
- The 2002 reunion is reported in the Keighley News archive. The school's opening and closing dates in this report are inaccurate.
Further reading
- West Yorkshire Archive Service, Leeds - Aireborough Grammar School, Yeadon, records [1908-1991] - ref. LC/ED http://www.dserve.wyjs.org.uk/dserve.exe?&dsqIni=dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo='LA03408%20%20%20')and(Level='Collection')
- The E. Tillotson Collection now in the possession of the British Geological Survey. The BGS E. Tillotson Archive
- The Aireborough Grammar School section of Friends Reunited