| Date | 6 April 2012 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | VP-0022 |
| Volume | Views of the Past |
| Collection | Views of the Past |
Transcript
Back to the school days
Views of the past by Elias Kupfermann
THIS year sees the centenary year of the opening of Slough Grammar School, originally known as Slough Secondary School, in January 1912.
In 1909, land was purchased from Slough Farm and elementary and secondary schools were built side by side in the area now occupied by the soon-to-be-demolished Thames Valley University buildings fronting onto what was William Street. Shortly after the opening of the elementary school, it was renamed Tonman Mosley School after the educationalist and one-time leader of Bucks County Council.
The school was originally going to be called Slough Grammar School, but at the time, it was thought to be too elitist for Slough and was changed to Slough Secondary School. When the school first opened, both boys and girls were taught under headmaster Mr WF Smith.
The school consisted of a two-storey building and had five classrooms, two laboratories and a cookery room together with a kitchen on the ground floor.
The first floor included a further five classrooms, an art room and library. There were two playing fields, one for girls for hockey and tennis and another for boys to play football or handball.
By the 1920s there was a need for a larger school to cope with rising numbers of pupils. A new school was built in the eastern part of Slough on land belonging to Upton Court Farm.
Due to the economic climate of the late 1920s, the school did not move until 1936. In the meantime, temporary buildings were put up on the William Street site between 1930-32.
In July 1936, boys and girls were segregated and the school operated from two separate sites. The girls remained at the old William Street School, while the boys moved into the new school in Lascelles Road, which was now known as Slough Grammar School for Boys. The girls’ school was renamed Slough High School for Girls. In 1938, the girls moved into a new school at Twinches Lane.
The schools remained at separate locations until 1982, when they merged into one school at the Lascelles Road site. It was named Upton Grammar School, after its location in the Upton ward of Slough. It was not until 1993 that the school name reverted back to Slough Grammar School.
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