Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 8

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 8

The final part of the 1966 school guide. For the rest, see:

Part 1
http://tonymusings.blogspot.com/2019/01/les-quennevais-school-1966-part-1.html

Part 2
http://tonymusings.blogspot.com/2019/01/les-quennevais-school-1966-part-2.html

Part 3
http://tonymusings.blogspot.com/2019/01/les-quennevais-school-1966-part-3.html

Part 4
http://tonymusings.blogspot.com/2019/01/les-quennevais-school-1966-part-4.html

Part 5
http://tonymusings.blogspot.com/2019/02/les-quennevais-school-1966-part-5.html

Part 6
http://tonymusings.blogspot.com/2019/02/les-quennevais-school-1966-part-6.html

Part 7
http://tonymusings.blogspot.com/2019/02/les-quennevais-school-1966-part-7.html

All student users of Les Quennevais belong to the Students' Association (Q.S.A.). Classes and clubs each choose a representative to make up the association's committee. The Q.S.A. Committee, with officers elected by the whole student body, is responsible for administering the funds and for promoting student activities, social and cultural.

Sir John Newsom is seen here finally with the Chairman of Q.S.A., Mr. Jack Stevens, at a reception arranged in his honour by the Association.

In Jersey, as in the United Kingdom, half the pupils would be taught in co-educational schools such as Les Quennevais. "And that;' said Newsom, "is half our future:' Newsom was completely in tune with the deeply held and propagated philosophy of the Jersey Education Committee, to plan for every child the opportunity for education in its fullest sense, without limits imposed by social or financial status or intellectual ability. The potential of every young mind can only triumph in the right environment and with constant encouragement.

Update

Les Quennevais School and Community Centre was officially opened on 6 June 1966, the school's first intake of students having already taken place on 5 January 1965, four months behind the originally planned date of September 1964. The students were drawn from the primary and all age parish schools west of a line drawn from north to south which roughly divided the island into two equal areas.

Throughout its history the school has had six headteachers:
John Watts 1964-1969
Ted Tranter 1970-1988
Tom McKeon 1988 - 1992
Jenny Hydes 1992 - 1999
John Thorp 1999 – 2013
Sarah Hague 2013 to present

An Alumni Association for former students is found at:
https://www.lesquennevais.sch.je/alumni

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 7

Here is the next part of the 1966 booklet produced on Les Quennevais School. If anyone knows the students named in the photos, I'd love to have memories of them for the next post.

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 7

A lot of work in the school leads directly into outside activities. The Gnome dingies and canoes seen in our workshop court are used by boys and girls.

Much of this work centres on St. Aubin's Fort, where Mr. Jennett, Organiser of Outdoor Activities, joins forces with school staff.

Mr. Jennett here gives instruction in abseiling on the wall of the Fort.

To round off a morning's work, pupils eat their midday meal in the school dining room.

Dinners are cooked for over a hundred pupils every day.

In the evening senior pupils may join adult activities.

There were fifty-seven classes and club sessions to choose from this session.

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 6

Here is the next part of the 1966 booklet produced on Les Quennevais School. If anyone knows the students named in the photos, I'd love to have memories of them for the next post.

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 6

All pupils spend time in the gymnasium, on the bars, ropes, trampoline, and other equipment.

Dance Drama

Second Year girls here are taking part in Dance Drama, directed by Mrs. Russell.

Athletics training can take place on the school grounds. Behind the high jump pit can be seen the tennis courts.

The instruction pool gives every boy and girl the chance to learn to swim. Boys here are under the instruction of Mr. Ridge.

Throwing the javelin.

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 5

Here is the next part of the 1966 booklet produced on Les Quennevais School. If anyone knows the students named in the photos, I'd love to have memories of them for the next post.

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 5

The art studios fit naturally in with the craft rooms and workshops around the courtyard.

Miss Le Rendu with fourth year girls who have been making plaster casts of their clay busts.

Pamela Marguerie finishes a pot at the wheel.

Music too has been supported from the workshops where boys and girls have made instruments like the Finnish lyre shown here by Susan Richard.

Using microscopes to study specimens.

Photography provides one link between the arts and Science. Peter Herbert in the dark room.

Mr. Horn in the General Science laboratory

  

Mr. Horn by the pool that pupils have made in the experimental garden.

Placed near the Rural Studies Laboratory, the garden provides a further area for practical science.

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 4

Here is the next part of the 1966 booklet produced on Les Quennevais School. If anyone knows the students named in the photos, I'd love to have memories of them for the next post.

Since posting the last piece, I've had various comments. It should be noted that the cane was also used at other schools, including the private schools, and I was clipped round the ears at my school in the 1970s with two rulers (one on each ear, ouch!) by my geography teacher, A.B. Harris, for day dreaming. So in context, the descriptions of the school below are not widely out from the rather harsher times of the 1960s.

Sue wrote: Love this- I was there in 1966 - aka Sue Waigh.

Kim wrote:

1966. The year before I started school there. It was a definitely a school in its early stages and you had to learn to stand on your own to feet. A time when you could either receive the stick across the knuckles or across the backside and a kick up the backside by the P.E teacher would motivate you in the cross country. But that was life in those days. You were there to learn . It was very much a different era to grow up in. Not just for the pupils but for the teachers also who were doing their best and treating us as they felt fit. Having a french teacher come up behind you and lift you out your chair by your ears certainly got your attention as did the blackboard rubber flying your way. But did I miss that school, well , they say the school days were the best days of your life. They probably were. Apart from educate you it also taught you to stand up on your own two feet.

Sue wrote:

I think more in Les Quennevais school when I was there in the 70's it was unruly and teachers could not control the class. Students were traumatised and pushed down the stairs. The school took the kids in that other schools rejected as in those days there weren't many secondary schools in Jersey.

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 4

Emile Goaziou at the forge.



Clive Coutanche at the lathe.



Leslie Rio welding.



Sir John Newsom watches boys at work on Quiver, our second Gnome class sailing dinghy.

The first of these, Quail, is on the left. Both were built by boys under the direction of Mr. Jones.

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 3

Here is the next part of the 1966 booklet produced on Les Quennevais School.

Since the first post went up, a few comments have appeared. Not all was sweet and light. Carmen wrote:

"I went to Les Q in sept in 1977 & the bullying was horrific! I was traumatised and desperately wanted to move to Hautlieu for exams but thankfully got a place @ Beaulieu Convent where I found sanctuary."

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 3



French - Mr. Poingdestre using Credif tapes and film strips with a first year class.

Social Studies - third year boys take readings from the school weather station.



Certtain other subjects occur as options in the fourth year, as do Business Studies. Here fourth year pupils work-with Miss August.

Anne says: The 2 girls either side of Miss August is Shirley & Sue McClure. I was also in the class. Still friends after all those years. Would have been 1966.

Every pupil learns a variety of crafts, finding out how to combine them to make things of practical value.

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 2

Here is the next part of the 1966 booklet produced on Les Quennevais School.

Since the first post went up, a few comments have appeared and you may find them interesting!

Dianah noted that the first post showed a picture of the young Dianah sitting at the table in the library!!

Trevor B: Some of the original teachers were still there when I went in 1975. Although it’s a while ago now, the following I remember:

MRS. S. WEBB (Senior Mistress)
A. L. HARRIS (Head of Art Department)
C. S. M. HILL (Careers Master and Technical Drawing)
W. J. HORN (Head of Science Department)
O. LARBALESTIER (Science)
MRS. D. PICKERING (Needlework)
F. H. POINGDESTRE (Modern Languages)
B. SLOUS (Technical Department)
W. L. M. SMALL (Mathematics)
R. STONIER (Head of English Department)

In terms of memories, I remember Brian Slous being very serious and seemed to have no sense of humour..my metalwork was horrendous to be fair and also Mr Stonier had a goaty beard and suffered from gout. The favourite though was Mr Labalestier whose nickname was “Bolly” and we used to sing a very unsavoury song about him in Chemistry!!! I think he retired is c1976.

Stephen Regal (of Regal Construction) notes that "The first job that I worked on!" and of course with Rok-Regal, his company is now involved in building the new school, which seems right and proper.

Janine B: I was in the first intake of students. Lovely school after we had all came from the parish schools, with coal fires etc. Particularly remember Miss August and her Morris minor car with the split windscreen. She would cart us around in it, this would never happen now.

Carole D: I too was there on day one, absolutely loved the school. We had a school reunion when we all turned 40!!! with some of the teaching staff.

And now some more photos and captions. Please share any more memories that I can put up next time.

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 2


Each morning the pupils and staff assemble either with the Headmaster as seen here, or in Year Groups with the Year Teachers.

The Hall will seat five hundred. - Note that back in 1966, that could mean all the school, but not now!



The Choir and Orchestra, seen here rehearsing with Mr.Ward, take part regularly in the assemblies.



Throughout the five year course at the school, certain subjects feature at all levels.

These include Mathematics - here a first year class works in the Maths Room



... and English - Miss Greenwood takes a second year class (which, incidentally, has made the puppets to use in the little theatre set up in their room by senior boys).

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 1

Les Quennevais School 1966 - Part 1

Here is the first part of the 1966 booklet produced on Les Quennevais School.

LES QUENNEVAIS SCHOOL

Opened 8th June 1966 by The Bailiff of Jersey, Sir Robert Le Masurier

EDUCATION COMMITTEE 1966

President

SENATOR JOHN LE MARQUAND

Vice-President

R. R. JEUNE, Deputy of St. Helier

Members

R. H. LE CORNU, Constable of St. Mary

A. C. QUEREE, Deputy of St. Ouen

J. R. C. RILEY, Deputy of St. Helier

J. LE S. GALLICHAN, Deputy of Trinity

P. G. CABOT, Deputy of St. Saviour

Director of Education

H. C. A. WIMBERLEY, M.A.

STAFF

Headmaster and Principal

J. F. WATTS, B.A.

Deputy Headmaster

C. D. MITCHELL

Adult Tutor

B. K. HUGHES

MRS. S. WEBB (Senior Mistress)

MISS M. Y. AUGUST (Business Studies)

MISS R. CARTER (Music)

H. A. FAUVEL (Department of Social Studies)

MISS M. GREENWOOD, B.A. (English)

A. L. HARRIS (Head of Art Department)

C. S. M. HILL (Careers Master and Technical Drawing)

W. J. HORN (Head of Science Department)

R. G. JONES (Head of Technical Department)

O. LARBALESTIER (Science)

W. B. LEGG (Scripture)

MISS A. LE RENDU (Art)

MRS. D. PICKERING (Needlework)

F. H. POINGDESTRE (Modern Languages)

MISS M. A. WALKER, B.A. (Modern Languages)

J. C. RIDGE (Boys Physical Education)

MRS. M. RUSSEL (Girls Physical Education)

B. SLOUS (Technical Department)

W. L. M. SMALL (Mathematics)

R. STONIER (Head of English Department)

J. H. TUPPER (Technical Department)

MRS. M. E. UNDERWOOD (Head Remedial Department)

MRS. H. UWINS (Homecraft)

J. S. WALKER (Social Studies)

E. WARD (Head of Music Department)

Secretary MRS. J. HILLYER

Caretaker A. GIBBINS

On the 8th June 1966, the Bailiff of Jersey, Sir Robert Le Masurier official opened the school by unveiling the plaque before the Governing Body, parents, pupils and staff.

The President or the Education Committee, Senator John Le Marquand, then introduced the Guest of Honour. Sir John Newsom. CBE, who is seen here giving the opening address.

Sir John Newsom, KL, CBE, was Chief Education Officer for Hertfordshire from 1940 to 1957. He has written books for children and books about children, perhaps the best known of which is “The Education of Girls". He has been Chairman of the Central Advisory Council for Education and Chairman of the Educational Advisory Council of the independent Television Authority. but is probably still best known for his Chairmanship of the committee that produced “ Half Our Future" — the Newsom Report of 1963, dealing with the education of .school children aged 13-16.

After the ceremony, visitors saw the extensive exhibition of school life set up in the building.

The pages that follow record something of the diversity of activities in this mixed Secondary Modern School which is built for 500 pupils, and its Adult Education wing to which some 600 students already belong.

Here in the library we see the first practical meeting point of school and neighbourhood.

The library is both public branch library and school library. The Branch Librarian is Mr. I. Sutherland, A.L.A.

Dianah Le Huray commented that this showed picture of the young Dianah sitting at the table in the library!!