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Class 3A c1954

St. Nicholas Junior Church of England School it was located on Locks Hill, Portslade at the ‘Southern Cross’ intersection, next to it was St. Nicholas Infant School. Opposite was the extension of St. Nicholas Infant School. When in the junior school, we had to attend church at the old St. Nicholas Church every Wednesday morning. We walked in lines of twos up Locks Hill to the church, whatever the weather.

I attended all three schools, from 1949 through 1955 then went on to attend Portslade Modern Girls School, Chalky Lane, Mile Oak till 1959. I knew many of the kids as we travelled through the classes together, and being declared a ‘nuisance’ at times, by the headmaster of the junior school I was always, it seemed, in trouble.  I really never went looking for trouble, it just happened. Bonny Cother/Veronica Bentley

Class 3A St Nicholas School c1954
From the private collection of Veronica Bentley

Comments about this page

  • From left to right, starting at the front row, I think I have named many of my class mates.
    Front row:Carol Bide,Margaret Goldsmith,Marilyn Smith, Bonny Cother,Adrian Long,Enid Setters,Joan?, Maureen?.
    2nd row of girls:Eileen Gobbels, Jean Parker, Pam Packer,
    ? Green, Ms. Turnoth, Julie Christmas,? , Margaret Geeter, ?, Daphne Reynolds
    1st row boys:Robin Root, ?,Roger B,? ,? ,? , Richard Pikethly, Robert Andrews,? ,?.
    Backrow:?, Alan Heasman,? ,Colin Worley, ?, ?, ?, ?, Colin Richardson, ?, ?.
    Taken in the boy’s playground at the back of the school.

    By Bonny Cother/ Veronica Bentley (31/10/2007)
  • Thought I would have a look at St Nicholas School, Pam Packer is my husband’s cousin. I remember Julie Christmas – didn’t she swim and win medals? Robert Andrews lived in Mile Oak as did Julie. Nice to see the picture of Mrs Turnoth – I liked her, her husband was Headmaster. I lived at 79 Old Shoreham Road and moved to Wickhurst Road in about 1952 as the new development, I think by Braybons, was offered by the council to buy. Stonery Road was a track and originally a market garden with a orchard. There was just an old track to Mile Oak Road 15b bus. I went back to St Nicholas School quite a few years ago when Mr Slack retired, with lots of other people from my year. Everything seemed smaller. Mr Lawrence was there with a beard. In my year was Maureen Davey, Rita Sugg, Sonia Stringer whose parents ran the pet shop in Wolsley Road, and Joan Dunstall. I remember well the trek up to St Nicholas Church where I was christened. I was in the choir and would climb the narrow stairs to the balcony where the choir sang – occasionally pages would fall out of our books to beneath. The toilets at St Nicholas School, because they were outside, would often freeze up in the winter which meant we could go home.

    By Linda Packer (Rowley) (19/03/2008)
  • It was lovely to find this page and to see the school photograph. I remember Pam Packer very well and was a good friend in our childhood. It would be great to be in touch again after all these years, is she still living locally? I live in Woodingdean now, and my great niece now goes to St Nicholas school, time has passed so quickly. I wonder if she does hand stands against the walls like we used to. I always remember the Wednesday morning walks up the hill to our weekly church service. I also remember very well getting caned by Mr Turnouth for hurting Nicholas Window; I was a little larger than him! He had been unkind to me I remember and he didn’t expect me to retaliate.

    By Julie Lay (nee Christmas) (05/06/2008)
  • My friend, Timothy Root or Tim Root, came to Australia in the 1960s, his sister Lyn Root and brother Christopher Root also came to Australia. Robin Root is still in England though. Anyway Tim would be very keen to hear from any classmates from St Nicholas. I will ask him to compose a story of his days at Portslade by the Sea and Hove and Brighton.

    By Susan Davies (13/08/2008)
  • I attended St Nicolas Junior School from 1946-1950 before going on to Hove CGS for Boys. Photgraphs in my collection I hope to add to the site in due course.

    By Tony Betteridge (03/09/2008)
  • A school is hoping to become detention-free after calling in a top behaviour expert. Education trainer Paul Dix is advising staff at Portslade Community College in Chalky Road how to address problems with low-level disruption in the classrooms. It is hoped the council-funded sessions, which have so far cost £2,000, will enable staff to stop handing out detentions to pupils by September. Instead children will be encouraged to use “restorative justice” in which they must admit what they have done, apologise and make amends for it. Mr Dix, who runs Pivotal Education, has also encouraged staff to remain un­ruffled in the face of misbehaviour, rather than shouting at pupils. The visits have been paid for by Brighton and Hove City Council using money received from the government as Portslade is in the National Challenge programme, after just 26% of its students gained five or more A* to C GCSE grades, including English and Maths, in 2009. I have just read the above article in the Argus….AHHHHHH why was there none of this type of remedial teaching when I was at the then Girls School? And also at St. Nicholas. I was one of the most unliked girls by the teachers it seemed and so retaliated by being one of the most naughtiest…… disruptive … class clown…… girls throughout both schools. I believe most of my time was spent outside the door, getting walloped by the headmaster in the junior school… and tossed out of Year 3 in the senior school. To sit in Ms. Hawkins class, all for simple reasons and the fact the Scripture teacher, our form teacher, hated me….. my sin? I got confirmed at age 13 and wanted to show her my newly acquired prayer book. She cooked up a load of complaints and the then headmistress believed her, though no one backed up the accusations. Life was tough then for kids……. I think. The article suggests teachers not shout at the students…….ahhhh, what a laugh, they had to shout to be heard over the noisy classroom in the girls school…….specially poor Ms. Taylor. Obla doo, life goes on.

    By Bonny Cother (15/02/2010)
  • Can anyone tell me anything, or best of all, lend some pictures of St Nicholas School around 1914? I know Bertha Bedford who is 101 and living in a Home in Worthing. She is bright and with it, and I would love to be able to take some records, pictures, old reports, school magazines etc to show her. Can anyone help, please?

    By Shirley Jaffe (02/06/2010)
  • Re the information on St. Nicholas School 1914. My only suggestion is to contact Lewis Education Archives. At least for possible class registers and head teacher log book. I did this for the Mile Oak Girls School for a friend Margaret Blythe who so wanted information re her years at that school. It was all there for her, I passed on the information, she sent for copies. All’s well that ends well. I wish you luck.

    By Bonny Cother (31/03/2011)
  • Hi, it’s good to find this page and look back at old times. When I was at this school I was there about 1955-56,I was 5 years or there abouts. I will be 60 next year and having a good life. I’ve been around a lot of the world, have had a partner for 33 years and own our house in Ipswich. Please have you any pictures of me- my name Robin Charles Stallard White, now just White. Love to hear from you, all the best. 

    By Mr Robin C White (29/11/2011)
  • I attended this school during the war years and well remember the headmaster, Mr Figgins (Higgins) I think, running around getting everyone and their bottle of milk into the air raid shelter until the All Clear. He would then become an enemy aircraft spotter (with the ROC?) and sit on the roof with his binoculars. I remember classmate Chris Root, who for punishment as a miscreant of some sort, had to stand in front of the class with cotton wool sticking out of his ears. I have several photos of class outings to Poynings which I will later scan and submit to this site. I can remember most members of the class I was in and am still in regular contact with Chris Cotton who lived across the rec at 110 Victoria road. I have extremely fond and warm memories of those days in Portslade and after all my travels around the globe, still think it was a wonderful place to live and grow up.

    By Barry Flahey (21/08/2012)
  • Hello Barry. Yes remember Chris Cotton also Phillip and Mandy, met Chris this year when he came to visit Mandy. I used to take Mandy out when she was a baby, I was about 9 years of age. Can you imagine anyone in this day and age allowing that! I am very friendly with Mandy, go out all together quite often – do you remember Barry and Sandra Woodward? Also Sandra and Simon Slenders? I remember you married a Southwick girl. Ye, the Eades lived next door to us and the Goldsmiths next door but one, what good times they were when all neighbours rallied round together. Love to hear more about how you are.

    By Maureen nee Cannons Harvey (15/02/2014)
  • Mr Figgins, ex head master of St. Nicholas Junior School, went on to become the greengrocer at Mile Oak prior to Mr. Earle taking over. Robin Root was in my class, my brother, John Cother, is four years my senior, after attending the junior school he went on to Hove Grammer School.

    By Bonny Cother (13/03/2015)
  • For anyone who had been in my brother’s class at St. Nicolas Jr. John passed away last year after a brief but deadly time with cancer. For those scouts who were in the 6th Hove Troop he managed to meet up with Trevor Cummings the December before he passed. I flew to the UK and met up with John, it was hard to let go of our last hug. I recall Di Christmas in his class at school.

    By Bonny Cother (23/04/2021)

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