HEMEL Hempstead School celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2001.
Regular Heritage reader, Miss Denchfield, loaned us some fascinating information on the school’s beginnings - a copy of the programme for the official opening, and what we believe to be the first school photograph (see picture right) from what was then Hemel Hempstead Grammar School.
The opening programme explains some of the background to the school: “Owing to the increasing population in the south-west district of Hertfordsire and to the increasing pressure on accommodation at the existing grammar schools in the district, the county council built the new school at Hemel Hempstead standing in a high and healthy position with playing fields surrounding.”
There was no new town in those days so the school would have been fairly high compared with much of the housing.
The building was described as being “a modern interpretation of English Renaissance of the late 17th century,” and was designed by architect Mr W. J. Kieffer of Pall Mall in London. 
On the ground floor were four classrooms, the headmaster’s room, the senior mistress’s room and separate staff rooms for the masters and mistresses.
There was also the assembly hall, physics and chemistry labs, lecture room, housecraft room, woodwork room, gym and library.
There were seven classrooms on the first floor and the school was designed for 338 pupils. All the classrooms faced south.
The official opening was performed by the Marchioness of Salisbury and the first headmaster, who is in the picture at the top with his staff and the first pupils, was Mr Screeton.
The curriculum of the new school would be “liberal” according to the opening programme.
Pupils would be expected to stay at the school until they attained the age of 16 years with a view to obtaining the School Leaving or Matriculation Certificate.
In addition there would ultimately be a section doing post-certificate work leading up to university entrance standard.
The first school houses, she believes, were Salisbury, Tudor, Dacorum and Halsey.
After the opening visitors were invited to inspect the school with those having blue and green tickets asked to have tea in the gymnasium first.
Hemel Hempstead Grammar was the only grammar school in the town until early in the new town days when Apsley Grammar School opened in 1955.
Under the national reorganisation of secondray education in 1970, Hemel Hempstead ceased to be a grammar school and became a comprehensive school along with all the others in the town. |
