Frederick Bird School

Hello I don't know if anyone remembers me? Name, Sonia Coleman. I was reading some of your comments and remember some of the pupils in my year. I left Easter 1966. I remember good times there, had lots of good mates. In the netball team and other sports, I remembered some of the teachers mentioned - Miss Golby, Mr Shannon, Mr Lydiate. Love to hear from some who remembers me.

Hi I was in that year, I remember some of the boys you mentioned, Dobson twins, Keith Agar and others. We were in the same class all through the years until we left. Sonia.

Hi Sonia I'm not a Coventry kid, so I have no links but hello anyway. From observation, it often takes time for replies on this sort of topic because those who were there pop in randomly. Please keep persevering because I find it so sad that people miss each other because it takes time to get a reply.

Hi. Thanks for your support and kind words. I will, it was just by chance I came across this site. Hope I do hear from someone from my old days.

I had Mrs Bullock - she moved up with us from third year juniors to fourth year, to take eleven plus kids through for the first time. I thought she was great and I remember her being glad to be able to go past Henry VIII - it was she who gave me my love of history and I remember her reading "A Christmas Carol" to us, our first experience of Dickens. I was there from '53 to '59 - my best friend was Valerie Wells (in another class) and in my own class was Susan Cullen, Janice Sainsbury, Christine Ludford, Wendy Birch, Graham Hargreaves, Jonathan Sharp(e?), Alan Pinder, John Beazley, Peter Elliot and Peter Burgess. The rest of the names have slipped away now I'm afraid! I went on to Lyng Hall, in the grammar stream - Coventry was unusual in those days in going mostly comprehensive but keeping two boys' and two girls' grammar schools... I lived just off Swan Lane on Caludon Road.

Mrs Bullock was in the juniors, loved her. See my reply (above? or on page 14) and photo with Janice Sainsbury outside my house on Caludon Road off Swan Lane.

How wonderful to see this after all these years! Mrs Bullock was my favourite teacher, took me through 3rd and 4th year juniors. I'm just sorry this is six years after your posting. I often wonder what happened to her - I never even knew her first name! Strangely, my youngest son is living in Bristol (35 next week!) My maiden name was Anne Symcox, I was good at English but hopeless at maths, but she got me through the 11 plus and I went to Lyng Hall in the grammar stream - and I wouldn't be here now but for going there. becoming an infants teacher and meeting my future husband who was the son of a Teaching Practice headteacher! I do hope she's still around, I have very fond memories of her reading A Christmas Carol aloud to us (our first experience of Dickens) and my love of history came from her - I remember she was glad to move up from 3rd year juniors t 4th year and she said to another teacher at the time "I'm so glad to be able to go past Henry VIII"

Hi OCK, think I must have been a year younger than you, but I think I too had Mrs Bullock & then a Welshman, a Mr Wild for two years in the Junior School. My best friend from Freddies went to Lyng Hall - Maxine Collins. I had moved to Cheylesmore & went to school over there after 1960 when I was 11. I was very happy at Freddies.

Hi Cov 49 I was at the junior school 1956-60. I remember Mrs Denyer as well as the other teachers mentioned, also my best friend there was Tom Agar. Do you remember the game we used to play at break time, one kid would stand in the middle of the playground, all the other kids would be at one end and then they would run to the other side. The kid in the middle had to catch as many kids as possible. They would join them in the middle and the whole thing would repeat until last one caught is the winner. Used to end up with a few bruises! Ironically I actually bought a car from Mrs Denyer a few years later, Cortina GT, loved that car!!

Mr Lydiate was the metalwork teacher and Shannon was my 1st year teacher in senior school.

Hi Dave I don't remember Mrs Denyer I'm afraid or your best friend. Maybe there was more than one class in each year. I do remember having a teacher from Trinidad for about a month. He was over here on an attachment, this would have been about 1958/59. Happy days!

For what it is worth I attended Frederick Birds in 1944-45. I have no memories of that time except for the rattling of milk bottles from the Co-op dairy opposite and of reading Dr Doolittle in class. Oddly enough I visited again in 1950 or thereabouts when my secondary school sent us there for about a year for woodworking or metalworking classes as my school did not have workshops. At least two of my schoolmates at secondary school must have been to Freddies as they lived in Burlington Road but I didn't know them from that time.

Argon, In 1944-5 there was a barrack room (hut) flush up against the side wall as you entered the playground, it belonged to 8F ATC.

I was there all through my school life, seniors 1960-64. The science lab was next to the ATC building, we had a Mr Clennitt teaching science. I was in the ATC for 2 years, marched around the playground every Sunday morning in full uniform, learned some discipline. Something every schoolkid could do with these days.

Dave Owens, I think the playground game was called British bulldog.