East Leeds Family Learning Centre
Encyclopedia
East Leeds Family Learning Centre was a large Adult Education Centre in Seacroft
, Leeds
, England
. The buildings were originally used as a secondary school, Foxwood School. The school is notable for its use for filming The Beiderbecke Trilogy
between 1984 and 1988. Demolition of the buildings began in December 2009 and was completed early in 2010.
becomes a mixed school in 2010.
Pupils from the Seacroft area often attend John Smeaton Community College, Wetherby High School
, Boston Spa School
and Garforth Community College
the latter three which are served by school bus routes operated by the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
.
programmes The Beiderbecke Affair
, The Beiderbecke Tapes
and The Beiderbecke Connection
. The shots used of the staff room and hall in the Beiderbecke Tapes were in actual fact that of Moor Grange County Secondary School
in Ireland Wood
. The series often made reference to the run-down nature of the fictional inner-city school (the actual name of which is never revealed), reflecting the poor state of conditions the buildings were in in the later decades of their use.
exploited for filming.
Demolition began on the northern sections of the building in December 2009, following a decision by Leeds City Council that the building was unfit for purpose and uneconomic to repair.
No plans have as yet being put forward for the redevelopment of the site. Many prefabriated 'Cedarwood' houses in the area are abandoned and likely to be demolished in the near future raising the possibility that the site may be redeveloped as part of a wider scheme.
MP Colin Burgon
(for neighbouring Elmet Constituency between 1997 and 2010) was a history teacher at the school and grew up in neighbouring Gipton
.
Seacroft
Seacroft is an outer-city suburb consisting mainly of council estate housing covering an extensive area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is east of Leeds city centre and lies in the LS14 Leeds postcode area....
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The buildings were originally used as a secondary school, Foxwood School. The school is notable for its use for filming The Beiderbecke Trilogy
The Beiderbecke Trilogy
The Beiderbecke Trilogy refers to three television serials written by Alan Plater and made by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network in the United Kingdom between 1984 and 1988. Each serial centres around schoolteachers Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne who work at a rundown comprehensive...
between 1984 and 1988. Demolition of the buildings began in December 2009 and was completed early in 2010.
History
The centre was in the buildings of the former Foxwood School, later East Leeds High School. The school originally opened as an all-boys school, but changed in September 1971 to a mixed gender school. The David Young Academy is now the largest school in Seacroft and effectively replaced East Leeds High School. State-run single gender education in Leeds will end when Parklands High SchoolParklands High School, Seacroft
Parklands High School is a secondary school in the Seacroft area of Leeds, West Yorkshire. The school is an all-girls school, being the last single-sex school in Leeds...
becomes a mixed school in 2010.
Pupils from the Seacroft area often attend John Smeaton Community College, Wetherby High School
Wetherby High School
Wetherby High School is a secondary school in the Hallfield area of Wetherby, West Yorkshire. It is run by the City of Leeds Local Education Authority. The school is situated on Hallfield Lane, on the Hallfields Estate in Wetherby...
, Boston Spa School
Boston Spa School
Boston Spa School and specialist Sports College is a mixed-gender school aged 11–19 years old on Clifford Moor Road in Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, England. It is larger than other secondary schools in the area, with 1,880 students on roll, including 350 in the sixth form...
and Garforth Community College
Garforth Community College
Garforth Academy is a secondary school and sixth form for pupils aged 11–18 and is located on Lidgett Lane in Garforth, West Yorkshire, England.The college has specialist Arts College status...
the latter three which are served by school bus routes operated by the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and was originally formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport...
.
Use in Television
The buildings were most notable for their use as 'San Quentin High', in the Yorkshire TelevisionYorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
programmes The Beiderbecke Affair
The Beiderbecke Affair
The Beiderbecke Affair is a television series produced in the UK by ITV during 1985, written by the prolific Alan Plater, whose lengthy credits to British Television since the 1960s included the preceding 4 part mini series Get Lost! for ITV in 1981...
, The Beiderbecke Tapes
The Beiderbecke Tapes
The Beiderbecke Tapes is a two-part British television drama serial written by Alan Plater and broadcast in 1987. It is the second serial in The Beiderbecke Trilogy and stars James Bolam and Barbara Flynn as schoolteachers Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne...
and The Beiderbecke Connection
The Beiderbecke Connection
The Beiderbecke Connection is a four part British television serial written by Alan Plater and broadcast in 1988. It is the third and final part of The Beiderbecke Trilogy and stars James Bolam and Barbara Flynn as schoolteachers Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne...
. The shots used of the staff room and hall in the Beiderbecke Tapes were in actual fact that of Moor Grange County Secondary School
Moor Grange County Secondary School
Moor Grange County Secondary School was located in the Leeds postal district of Leeds 16 at the junction of Parkstone Avenue and the West Park section of the Leeds Ring Road . Although it was named Moor Grange it was actually located in the Ireland Wood area with Moor Grange Estate being located...
in Ireland Wood
Ireland Wood
Ireland Wood is a small residential area in north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately to the north west of Leeds city centre. The original planning for Ireland Wood began in 1950....
. The series often made reference to the run-down nature of the fictional inner-city school (the actual name of which is never revealed), reflecting the poor state of conditions the buildings were in in the later decades of their use.
Demolition
The buildings were in a somewhat derelict state, built six storeys high at their tallest and set around a central courtyard. Much of the building surfaces were glazed, providing natural light throughout the corridors, which largely ran along the edge of buildings, a feature Yorkshire TelevisionYorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
exploited for filming.
Demolition began on the northern sections of the building in December 2009, following a decision by Leeds City Council that the building was unfit for purpose and uneconomic to repair.
No plans have as yet being put forward for the redevelopment of the site. Many prefabriated 'Cedarwood' houses in the area are abandoned and likely to be demolished in the near future raising the possibility that the site may be redeveloped as part of a wider scheme.
Former Staff
Former LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP Colin Burgon
Colin Burgon
Colin Burgon is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Elmet from 1997 until he stood down at the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
(for neighbouring Elmet Constituency between 1997 and 2010) was a history teacher at the school and grew up in neighbouring Gipton
Gipton
Gipton is a suburb of East Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, between the A58 to the north and the A64 to the south. It is joined with Harehills as a City Council Ward...
.
External links
- http://www.foxwoodhighschool.co.uk/History.htm