Preface
In this short, illustrated account of the history of the John Taylor High School, marking the 40th. Anniversary of the opening of Barton Secondary Modern School ( as it was called ) in 1957, and the 25th. Anniversary of the school becoming a Comprehensive School in 1972, I have deliberately tried to avoid mentioning personalities unless it was absolutely necessary.
Staff lists have been included for three crucial years in the life of the school, i.e. 1957, 1972 and the current academic year, largely to illustrate the increase in the size of the school, and the breadth of its teaching, over the years.
The original objective was to trace the development of the school purely through its buildings and their uses, together with other buildings sharing the same campus, but I soon realised that rather more was necessary.
A school is a social institution which is subject to continual change and, as the institution changes, so do the staff and the pupils within it. It is inevitable that a short account such as this will be somewhat superficial and subjective. However, I have tried to convey a flavour of the life of the school in the first thirty years of its existence, leaving the details of the last ten years for those closer to the action to fill in with their own experiences and memories. I hope that more will be added by others in the future.
1997.
( Head of the Geography Department 1958 – 1985 )