City of Bath Technical School
Encyclopedia
The City of Bath Technical School. Its origin can be traced back to an educational establishment founded in the early 19th century. It obtained its official name when Technical schools were formally introduced in Bath between the years 1892-96. Along with many other fledgling schools it was located in a new extension of the Guildhall, Bath
, within the ceremonial county
of Somerset
, England. The school was transformed in the early 20th century, when it was combined with several other institutions, and evolved through various sites and roles until its closure at Brougham Hayes, Lower Oldfield Park in 1970.
In 1832 the Somerset Industrial School for Boys was founded to accommodate boys at Brougham Hayes on the Lower Bristol road. It was aided in 1833 by the First Treasury Grant for Education (£20,000 for education of poor children). To be housed in a building which had originally been built as a barracks. The stated object of the home was "to reclaim abandoned boys, and to rescue those whose unhappy circumstances would inevitably lead them to crime and profligacy", inmates being drawn not only from Somerset but also from places at a considerable distance.(As the Somersetshire Home for Boys, it was still in existence in 1927, but had evidently closed by 1931).
In 1851 the irst Government Grant was introduced for Technical Education, followed in 1866 by the passing of The Industrial Schools Act. The Somerset Certified Industrial School (previously known as the Somerset Industrial School), attendance rose to 180 pupils. The Elementary Education Act 1870
put in place the first Statutory System of Education in England which was mainly elementary. The school leaving age at that time was 10 years. In 1884 there was a Royal Commission
on Technical Education which was known as The Bryce Report.
1889 the Technical Instruction Act of Parliament was passed and in 1890 a scheme was introduced called "Whiskey Money". Local authorities could raise additional funds and use them for technical education. In 1892 technical training was started in Bath in a rented part of a large town house in Green Park, located near to the Somerset & Dorset line railway station, and a short distance from the city centre.
In 1893 the School leaving age was raised to 11 years. In 1896 the Bath Municipal Technical College opened in a newly built north wing of the Guildhall
, offering evening classes in various newly formed Technical Schools. Among other schools of that era, the Bath School of Art at The Paragon and the Technical School at Green Park were moved into this new building. By 1899 the Board of Education Act of Parliament established a board to supervise the education system in England and Wales.
laid down the system of secondary education, abolished school boards, and replaced them with the Local Education Authorities of county and county boroughs councils. In the following year,1903; the Bath Education Committee was formed and took over from the Bath and Twerton school boards. 1906 was the introduction of the Education (Provision of Meals) Act 1906
. Education committees were authorised to spend money on meals for children. A Report on technical education (the Haldane Report) was prepared. In 1907 the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act 1907
was passed. Local education authorities to provide medical inspection of children in elementary schools
.
In 1910 Long Acre, Walcot was taken over as additional accommodation for technical training mainly as a domestic science college
. In 1914 the Old Jail at Twerton was converted and opened as Twerton Technical Institute. 1 Stuart Place (formerly known as East Twerton Terrace), Caledonian Road Twerton, was built in 1842 as the governors house in front of the gaol built to replace the Bath City Gaol in Grove Street. It was one of the earliest single-cell prisons in the land; each cell was 13 feet (4 m) by 17 feet (5.2 m) by 9 feet (2.7 m) high and each had a water closet. The gaol had closed in 1878 and in 1883 the Governors House became a Technical Institute. Five years later in 1888 the gaol became Goddards Sweet Factory; the factory closed in 1901 and the premises remained empty until 1914 when the entire premises, including the former Governors House was refurbished and taken over as an outpost of the Bath Technical College catering for a wide range of technical classes.
In 1916 a Junior Commercial Day School opened at the Bath Technical College. In 1917 General School Certificate and Higher School Certificate were introduced. In 1918 the Education Act 1918
introduced a national system of public education. The school leaving age was raised still further to 14 years. 1920 became the year that State scholarships were instituted in many schools in Bath. In 1926 a Report of the committee on the education of the adolescent was commissioned, (The Hadow Report), the first government report to suggest the integration of the secondary and elementary systems in England.
In 1927, a new daytime Junior Technical School opened at Bath Technical College (to suppliment the original adult evening classes), and in 1929 a Junior School of Art, (Bath School of Art and Design
) followed with the Junior School of Homecrafts being established in 1933. On the ordinance survey map of 1932 a large field is shown in front of the Somerset Boys Home and by 1934 it had been transformed to become a hockey pitch and tennis courts for the Domestic Science College. In 1934 the Domestic Science College moved from Long Acre, Walcot
to Brougham Hayes and in 1935 Bath Technical College moved from the North Wing of the Guildhall to Lower Borough Walls, taking over the buildings that were vacated when the Royal United Hospital
moved to the new hospital in Combe Park.
In 1936 the Education Act 1936 is passed. It provided inancial help to local authorities for building new church schools. Two years later, in 1938, the Report of the committee with special reference to grammar schools and technical high schools (The Spens Report) recommended expansion of technical schools in England to keep pace with the ever changing logistical requiremant of the many outposts in the British Empire. The need to maintain a dominant role (with the aid of advanced technology) was deemed a necessary step to take just one year before the outbreak of World War 2.
took over many large buildings in Bath which included the Domestic Science College and the hockey pitch and tennis courts, and did not return them until late 1944. The hockey pitch (and tennis courts) were transformed when the Admiralty erected hutments upon them. In the Second World War, Messrs. W.G.Walters, a light engineering firm, took over part of the Twerton Institute and erected a temporary building in front of the former Governors House.
In 1942 Mr C.J. (Bill) Hayman transfers from the West Central School to Bath Technical School. In the following In year, 1943, a Report from the Committee on the curriculum and examinations in secondary schools (The Norwood Report) was published. A blueprint of the education act of 1944: Advocated that there be three types of secondary school. In 1944 the Education Act 1944
was passed by Parliament. It replaced almost all previous legislation and laid the foundations for the current education systems. In 1945 St. Peter’s Church Hall in Dorset Street, Twerton and the nearby annexe: In February the City Council agreed that the Hall be leased (from the church authority) for educational purposes for five years from September 1945.
, which proposed that the Secondary Technical School (at the Bath Technical College) would become a separate school. By 1947 he Bath Education Committee had erected more hutments at Brougham Hayes and redecorated the existing hutments. This school separation came into operation at St Peters Hall, Twerton in September 1947 when the first 52 11 year old pupils were admitted. The Further Education Sub-Committee (of the Bath Education Committee) agreed in 1947 that, in view of the use of St Peter’s Hall in September by the eleven year olds, a second classroom could not be made available to East Twerton Junior School (which was located next door to the hall) .They continued to use this building until Weymouth House in the city centre became available in September 1949.
In February 1948, the Council appointed Henry Burt Toft B.Sc., as Principle of the Technical College and Headmaster of the Secondary Technical School; he took up his duties when Major L.J. Castle retired in May 1948;. He was then Headmaster, Royal Latin School
, Buckingham
and a former rugby
international having captained the Barbarian F.C.
, Lancashire and England. Mr Toft was not in post long before a decision was made to allow him to concentrate on the College by appointing a separate Headmaster for the Secondary Technical School and the Council in March 1949 decided to advertise for this new post. Thomas John Nicholas MA B.Sc., headmaster of the Secondary Technical School, Wigan
was appointed, he was 44 when he started in September 1949. Mr, C. J (Bill) Hayman then becomes the deputy headmaster. in a press report at the time was the phase- "When the Bath Training College for Domestic Science moves out of the Brougham Hayes building, the Secondary Technical School will move in".
In 1949 Weymouth House School was the main base for the City of Bath Technical school from September 1949 until July 1960. The building was formerly used by The Bath and District National School. The site was formerly the gardens of Weymouth House (designed and built by William Killgrewin the early 1700s), part of the house was demolished and the remaining part was incorporated into the new school in 1816. There were 1000 pupils and it was one of the first to be conducted according to the educational philosophy of Dr. Andrew Bell. The school was of an unusual circular design and it was entirely demolished in 1896 when Weymouth House School was built on the site. The School and St James Church next to it were severely damaged in the Bath Blitz of April 1942; at the time the school had 120 senior pupils and 121 infants. All the children were temporally transferred to other schools (many of the seniors went to Walcot Parochial School) while the building was made safe. Infants used the ground floor until July 1949, when satisfactory arrangements had been made to enable the infants school to close. The upper floors were used by the Technical College for evening classes until 1950, and from that date the Technical School was the sole user. In 1957 St. James Church next to the School was demolished, and the site around the school was redeveloped. In 1962 Weymouth House School was demolished, and Marks and Spencer and Woolworths (now Littlewoods) developed their stores to cover the site of the school, the playgrounds, St James Street South, Weymouth Street and the site of St James Church.
In 1954 pupils from surrounding areas in South Gloucestershire
, Somerset
and Wiltshire
were included into the intake for the first time in its role as a specialist secondary technical school. A sixth form was introduced and a full range of clubs had developed. At this time there were few state educational schools in the west of England offering such facities. The changes in technology that are taken for granted today, and the equipment found in modern educational establishments, (2009) were a direct result of contributions made by pupils that attended these specialist schools.
In 1960 the City of Bath technical School moved to Brougham Hayes into the building formerly used by the Domestic Science College. A new gymnasium block was added to the building. In 1964 the new workshop block was completed, as a result the hutments were demolished and the grounds restored to former use as a small sports facility at Brougham Hayes. Twerton Technical Institute closed shortly afterwards and in 1990 it was transformed into forty one flats and two bungalows. The main sports facilities were now located at Bradford road, Combe Down; some considerable distance from the school building. Annual sports day events were held at the Norwood running track situated where the University of Bath has now been built. The many pupils that travelled to school from outlying districts benefited from the fact that the new school was adjacent to the main Great Western Railway line. The Oldfield Park Halt station was only a short walk away. The car was not the primary form of transport at that time, most people relied upon public transport such as Trains and Buses.
In 1965 The labour government declared its intention of ending pupil selection (at 11 years of age) and eliminating separation in secondary education. As a result in 1966 Bath Education Authority issued a report on secondary education in the city which was followed by various proposals but ultimately led to this school being disbanded.
. Early in the 1970s a purpose built Culverhay School facility was adapted from the existing West Hill Boys School building constructed in 1956. This took place despite a protest letter to the Bath Education Authority (from the then headmaster F.T. Naylor and the teaching staff) that the proposal to introduce a new system of technical education in Bath would possibly result in a lowering of educational standards.
The badge has the Book of Knowledge open to show the motto, over the City wall with the Avon beneath. The open pages are white with yellow ends, the City wall is yellow, the river Avon white and the background a shade of blue
Dr. Peter James Bigg - p.7 MSc in Applied Micropalaeontology
Colin Barrett Mayor of Bath 2009
Mike Holvey FAIA Assoc of International Accountants
Michael Dennis Stagg B.Sc.Wales M.Sc Senior Lecturer graded consultant / Hydrologist
Nick McCamley Writer - Lecturer
Peter Burke Artist
Steve Hall Writer and Artist
Guildhall, Bath
The Guildhall in Bath, Somerset, England was built between 1775 and 1778 by Thomas Baldwin to designs by Thomas Warr Attwood. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
, within the ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England. The school was transformed in the early 20th century, when it was combined with several other institutions, and evolved through various sites and roles until its closure at Brougham Hayes, Lower Oldfield Park in 1970.
19th Century
The City of Bath Technical School has a complex history. Its evolution into a specialist school stems from early experiments in Technical Education in Somerset. Its creation arose out of the need to encourage young people to take an interest in the Sciences, and for them to be made aware of the Technical innovations that were occurring in the 19th century.In 1832 the Somerset Industrial School for Boys was founded to accommodate boys at Brougham Hayes on the Lower Bristol road. It was aided in 1833 by the First Treasury Grant for Education (£20,000 for education of poor children). To be housed in a building which had originally been built as a barracks. The stated object of the home was "to reclaim abandoned boys, and to rescue those whose unhappy circumstances would inevitably lead them to crime and profligacy", inmates being drawn not only from Somerset but also from places at a considerable distance.(As the Somersetshire Home for Boys, it was still in existence in 1927, but had evidently closed by 1931).
In 1851 the irst Government Grant was introduced for Technical Education, followed in 1866 by the passing of The Industrial Schools Act. The Somerset Certified Industrial School (previously known as the Somerset Industrial School), attendance rose to 180 pupils. The Elementary Education Act 1870
Elementary Education Act 1870
The 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...
put in place the first Statutory System of Education in England which was mainly elementary. The school leaving age at that time was 10 years. In 1884 there was a Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
on Technical Education which was known as The Bryce Report.
1889 the Technical Instruction Act of Parliament was passed and in 1890 a scheme was introduced called "Whiskey Money". Local authorities could raise additional funds and use them for technical education. In 1892 technical training was started in Bath in a rented part of a large town house in Green Park, located near to the Somerset & Dorset line railway station, and a short distance from the city centre.
In 1893 the School leaving age was raised to 11 years. In 1896 the Bath Municipal Technical College opened in a newly built north wing of the Guildhall
Guildhall, Bath
The Guildhall in Bath, Somerset, England was built between 1775 and 1778 by Thomas Baldwin to designs by Thomas Warr Attwood. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
, offering evening classes in various newly formed Technical Schools. Among other schools of that era, the Bath School of Art at The Paragon and the Technical School at Green Park were moved into this new building. By 1899 the Board of Education Act of Parliament established a board to supervise the education system in England and Wales.
20th Century
1900 saw the School leaving age raised to 12 years. The Education Act 1902Education Act 1902
The Education Act 1902 , also known as Balfour's Act, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting education in England and Wales. At the time of passage of the Act, the Conservative Party was in power...
laid down the system of secondary education, abolished school boards, and replaced them with the Local Education Authorities of county and county boroughs councils. In the following year,1903; the Bath Education Committee was formed and took over from the Bath and Twerton school boards. 1906 was the introduction of the Education (Provision of Meals) Act 1906
Education (Provision of Meals) Act 1906
The Education Act 1906 is an Act of the Parliament of the United KingdomMargaret McMillan and Fred Jowett were members of the School Board which introduced free school meals in Bradford. This was actually illegal and the School Board could have been forced to end this service...
. Education committees were authorised to spend money on meals for children. A Report on technical education (the Haldane Report) was prepared. In 1907 the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act 1907
Education (Administrative Provisions) Act 1907
The 1907 Education Act was an Act of Parliament passed by the Liberal government as part of their Liberal reforms package of welfare reforms. The Act set up school medical services run by local government....
was passed. Local education authorities to provide medical inspection of children in elementary schools
School health services
School health services are services from medical, teaching and other professionals applied in or out of school to improve the health and well-being of children and in some cases whole families...
.
In 1910 Long Acre, Walcot was taken over as additional accommodation for technical training mainly as a domestic science college
Bath College of Domestic Science
Bath College of Domestic Science was a small college in Bath, Somerset, England.The teaching of domestic subjects in Bath started in 1892 at 19 Green Park with the founding of the Bath Technical Schools. The Technical Instruction Act of 1889 had given local authorities power to levy a rate to...
. In 1914 the Old Jail at Twerton was converted and opened as Twerton Technical Institute. 1 Stuart Place (formerly known as East Twerton Terrace), Caledonian Road Twerton, was built in 1842 as the governors house in front of the gaol built to replace the Bath City Gaol in Grove Street. It was one of the earliest single-cell prisons in the land; each cell was 13 feet (4 m) by 17 feet (5.2 m) by 9 feet (2.7 m) high and each had a water closet. The gaol had closed in 1878 and in 1883 the Governors House became a Technical Institute. Five years later in 1888 the gaol became Goddards Sweet Factory; the factory closed in 1901 and the premises remained empty until 1914 when the entire premises, including the former Governors House was refurbished and taken over as an outpost of the Bath Technical College catering for a wide range of technical classes.
In 1916 a Junior Commercial Day School opened at the Bath Technical College. In 1917 General School Certificate and Higher School Certificate were introduced. In 1918 the Education Act 1918
Education Act 1918
Education Act 1918 , often known as the Fisher Act, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was drawn up by Herbert Fisher. Note that the "Education Act 1918" applied to England and Wales, whereas a separate "Education Act 1918" applied for Scotland.This raised the school leaving age...
introduced a national system of public education. The school leaving age was raised still further to 14 years. 1920 became the year that State scholarships were instituted in many schools in Bath. In 1926 a Report of the committee on the education of the adolescent was commissioned, (The Hadow Report), the first government report to suggest the integration of the secondary and elementary systems in England.
In 1927, a new daytime Junior Technical School opened at Bath Technical College (to suppliment the original adult evening classes), and in 1929 a Junior School of Art, (Bath School of Art and Design
Bath School of Art and Design
Bath School of Art and Design is an art college in Bath, England. It forms part of the Bath Spa University whose main campus is located a few miles from the City at Newton Park, near Corston, Somerset.-History:...
) followed with the Junior School of Homecrafts being established in 1933. On the ordinance survey map of 1932 a large field is shown in front of the Somerset Boys Home and by 1934 it had been transformed to become a hockey pitch and tennis courts for the Domestic Science College. In 1934 the Domestic Science College moved from Long Acre, Walcot
Walcot, Bath
Walcot is a suburb of the city of Bath, England. It lies to the north-north-east of the city centre, and is an electoral ward of the city.The parish church, on The Paragon is dedicated to St Swithin and was built in 1779-90 by John Palmer....
to Brougham Hayes and in 1935 Bath Technical College moved from the North Wing of the Guildhall to Lower Borough Walls, taking over the buildings that were vacated when the Royal United Hospital
Royal United Hospital
The Royal United Hospital is a major acute hospital, located in the Weston suburb of Bath, England, which lies approximately miles west of the Bath city centre. The hospital currently has 565 beds and occupies a site...
moved to the new hospital in Combe Park.
In 1936 the Education Act 1936 is passed. It provided inancial help to local authorities for building new church schools. Two years later, in 1938, the Report of the committee with special reference to grammar schools and technical high schools (The Spens Report) recommended expansion of technical schools in England to keep pace with the ever changing logistical requiremant of the many outposts in the British Empire. The need to maintain a dominant role (with the aid of advanced technology) was deemed a necessary step to take just one year before the outbreak of World War 2.
Second World War
In 1939 the AdmiraltyAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
took over many large buildings in Bath which included the Domestic Science College and the hockey pitch and tennis courts, and did not return them until late 1944. The hockey pitch (and tennis courts) were transformed when the Admiralty erected hutments upon them. In the Second World War, Messrs. W.G.Walters, a light engineering firm, took over part of the Twerton Institute and erected a temporary building in front of the former Governors House.
In 1942 Mr C.J. (Bill) Hayman transfers from the West Central School to Bath Technical School. In the following In year, 1943, a Report from the Committee on the curriculum and examinations in secondary schools (The Norwood Report) was published. A blueprint of the education act of 1944: Advocated that there be three types of secondary school. In 1944 the 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...
was passed by Parliament. It replaced almost all previous legislation and laid the foundations for the current education systems. In 1945 St. Peter’s Church Hall in Dorset Street, Twerton and the nearby annexe: In February the City Council agreed that the Hall be leased (from the church authority) for educational purposes for five years from September 1945.
Post War
It was December 1945 before the Bath Technical College resumed control of the entire building at Stuart Place and by September 1946 it was called the headquarters of the School of Building. The Twerton Institute remained an important part of the Bath Technical College, metal-work and wood-working classes were held there for the pupils of the Bath Technical School. After the Second World War, the College began a new life with the Departments of Engineering, Commerce, Languages and Home craft all based at the Lower Borough Walls while the Department of the Building stayed on at the Twerton Institute and took over the hutments at Brougham Hayes. In 1946 Bath City Council published its plans for education in response to the requirements to the education act of 1944Education 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...
, which proposed that the Secondary Technical School (at the Bath Technical College) would become a separate school. By 1947 he Bath Education Committee had erected more hutments at Brougham Hayes and redecorated the existing hutments. This school separation came into operation at St Peters Hall, Twerton in September 1947 when the first 52 11 year old pupils were admitted. The Further Education Sub-Committee (of the Bath Education Committee) agreed in 1947 that, in view of the use of St Peter’s Hall in September by the eleven year olds, a second classroom could not be made available to East Twerton Junior School (which was located next door to the hall) .They continued to use this building until Weymouth House in the city centre became available in September 1949.
In February 1948, the Council appointed Henry Burt Toft B.Sc., as Principle of the Technical College and Headmaster of the Secondary Technical School; he took up his duties when Major L.J. Castle retired in May 1948;. He was then Headmaster, Royal Latin School
Royal Latin School
The Royal Latin School is a co-educational grammar school in Buckingham, England. In September 2011 the school became an Academy.. It takes children from the age of 11 through to the age of 18 and has over 1260 pupils, including a sixth form of 390 pupils. It maintains a staff of over 160...
, Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
and a former rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
international having captained the Barbarian F.C.
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
, Lancashire and England. Mr Toft was not in post long before a decision was made to allow him to concentrate on the College by appointing a separate Headmaster for the Secondary Technical School and the Council in March 1949 decided to advertise for this new post. Thomas John Nicholas MA B.Sc., headmaster of the Secondary Technical School, Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
was appointed, he was 44 when he started in September 1949. Mr, C. J (Bill) Hayman then becomes the deputy headmaster. in a press report at the time was the phase- "When the Bath Training College for Domestic Science moves out of the Brougham Hayes building, the Secondary Technical School will move in".
In 1949 Weymouth House School was the main base for the City of Bath Technical school from September 1949 until July 1960. The building was formerly used by The Bath and District National School. The site was formerly the gardens of Weymouth House (designed and built by William Killgrewin the early 1700s), part of the house was demolished and the remaining part was incorporated into the new school in 1816. There were 1000 pupils and it was one of the first to be conducted according to the educational philosophy of Dr. Andrew Bell. The school was of an unusual circular design and it was entirely demolished in 1896 when Weymouth House School was built on the site. The School and St James Church next to it were severely damaged in the Bath Blitz of April 1942; at the time the school had 120 senior pupils and 121 infants. All the children were temporally transferred to other schools (many of the seniors went to Walcot Parochial School) while the building was made safe. Infants used the ground floor until July 1949, when satisfactory arrangements had been made to enable the infants school to close. The upper floors were used by the Technical College for evening classes until 1950, and from that date the Technical School was the sole user. In 1957 St. James Church next to the School was demolished, and the site around the school was redeveloped. In 1962 Weymouth House School was demolished, and Marks and Spencer and Woolworths (now Littlewoods) developed their stores to cover the site of the school, the playgrounds, St James Street South, Weymouth Street and the site of St James Church.
In 1954 pupils from surrounding areas in South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary district in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, in South West England.-History:The district was created in 1996, when the county of Avon was abolished, by the merger of former area of the districts of Kingswood and Northavon...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
were included into the intake for the first time in its role as a specialist secondary technical school. A sixth form was introduced and a full range of clubs had developed. At this time there were few state educational schools in the west of England offering such facities. The changes in technology that are taken for granted today, and the equipment found in modern educational establishments, (2009) were a direct result of contributions made by pupils that attended these specialist schools.
In 1960 the City of Bath technical School moved to Brougham Hayes into the building formerly used by the Domestic Science College. A new gymnasium block was added to the building. In 1964 the new workshop block was completed, as a result the hutments were demolished and the grounds restored to former use as a small sports facility at Brougham Hayes. Twerton Technical Institute closed shortly afterwards and in 1990 it was transformed into forty one flats and two bungalows. The main sports facilities were now located at Bradford road, Combe Down; some considerable distance from the school building. Annual sports day events were held at the Norwood running track situated where the University of Bath has now been built. The many pupils that travelled to school from outlying districts benefited from the fact that the new school was adjacent to the main Great Western Railway line. The Oldfield Park Halt station was only a short walk away. The car was not the primary form of transport at that time, most people relied upon public transport such as Trains and Buses.
In 1965 The labour government declared its intention of ending pupil selection (at 11 years of age) and eliminating separation in secondary education. As a result in 1966 Bath Education Authority issued a report on secondary education in the city which was followed by various proposals but ultimately led to this school being disbanded.
Closure
In September 1970 The City of Bath Technical School closed when it was amalgamated with Westhill Boys School (founded in 1956) to become Culverhay Comprehensive SchoolCulverhay School
Culverhay School is a boys secondary school situated at Rush Hill, Odd Down in Bath, England. There are around 348 students, boys in years 7 to 11 and a co-educational sixth form. The school was scheduled to close, with new admissions ceasing in September 2012...
. Early in the 1970s a purpose built Culverhay School facility was adapted from the existing West Hill Boys School building constructed in 1956. This took place despite a protest letter to the Bath Education Authority (from the then headmaster F.T. Naylor and the teaching staff) that the proposal to introduce a new system of technical education in Bath would possibly result in a lowering of educational standards.
Emblem
The school had three badges during its history. The first was the Bath Technical College badge which was a simple design- BTC in thin red letters within a shield outlined with a thin red line- and this lasted until the Bath Technical School was renamed in 1949 The second badge lasted until early 1954 and the only record of it is on the school photograph of March 1950 The third badge, which lasted until 1970, was designed in early 1954 by Mr Ken Box, Head of Art and included the motto, 'NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA '. The literal translation is 'UNLESS THE LORD IN VAIN'. This is not much help. The motto is based on Psalm 127 and the more usual translation is 'EXCEPT THE LORD APPROVE WE LABOUR IN VAIN' while another translation might be 'UNLESS THE LORD IS WITH US OUR EFFORTS ARE IN VAIN'The badge has the Book of Knowledge open to show the motto, over the City wall with the Avon beneath. The open pages are white with yellow ends, the City wall is yellow, the river Avon white and the background a shade of blue
Alumni
David Wyrko High Sheriff of Leicestershire 2008/2009Dr. Peter James Bigg - p.7 MSc in Applied Micropalaeontology
Colin Barrett Mayor of Bath 2009
Mike Holvey FAIA Assoc of International Accountants
Michael Dennis Stagg B.Sc.Wales M.Sc Senior Lecturer graded consultant / Hydrologist
Nick McCamley Writer - Lecturer
Peter Burke Artist
Steve Hall Writer and Artist
See also
- Bath College of Domestic ScienceBath College of Domestic ScienceBath College of Domestic Science was a small college in Bath, Somerset, England.The teaching of domestic subjects in Bath started in 1892 at 19 Green Park with the founding of the Bath Technical Schools. The Technical Instruction Act of 1889 had given local authorities power to levy a rate to...
- Bath School of Art and DesignBath School of Art and DesignBath School of Art and Design is an art college in Bath, England. It forms part of the Bath Spa University whose main campus is located a few miles from the City at Newton Park, near Corston, Somerset.-History:...
- Beechen Cliff SchoolBeechen Cliff SchoolBeechen Cliff School is a boys' secondary school in Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in 1896, it has 1,145 students aged 11 to 18.There are around 830 boys in years 7 to 11 and a co-educational sixth form of over 200 students...
- City of Bath CollegeCity of Bath CollegeCity of Bath College is a Further Education college in the centre of Bath, Somerset, England.-History:The college was formed in 1892 under the combined names of Bath City Science, Art, and Technical Schools...
- Culverhay SchoolCulverhay SchoolCulverhay School is a boys secondary school situated at Rush Hill, Odd Down in Bath, England. There are around 348 students, boys in years 7 to 11 and a co-educational sixth form. The school was scheduled to close, with new admissions ceasing in September 2012...
- Education in Bath, SomersetEducation in Bath, SomersetBath, Somerset has a large number of educational establishments for a city of its size. It has two universities, a further education college and five independent schools as well as state-funded school provision...
- Hayesfield Girls' School