The Old Griffinians Association was formed when the first ever pupils left Bournville school in Griffins Brook Lane way back in 1959. It opened as two separate establishments – namely Bournville Boys’ Technical school in 1955 and Bournville Girls’ Technical school a year earlier. The boys’ was at the top of the drive to the left, which became known as Upper school and is now named Bronte, and the girls’ was down to the right, which was Lower school now Elgar. The canteen facilities were shared. The two original head teachers were Mr Jennings and Mrs Cotton.

Entry was gained by having to pass the dreaded 11+ examination, a much discussed and controversial subject even today. There was a second and eventually a third bite of the cherry for those who did not succeed the first time around, this being 12+ and 13+ exam.

When the schools started, they had just two groups of pupils, years 7 and 8 or 1st and 2nd form, as those of advancing years used to know it. Each consisted of 105 pupils made up of those who had passed the 11 and 12 plus. Every subsequent year the schools increased by another 105 pupils and by the start of the 1959 and 1960 autumn terms respectively, had a full complement of the five year groups plus a lower and upper sixth form

 

TO BE CONTINUED .....