Get involved -125 years of Heckmondwike Grammar School

On the 17th January 1898 Heckmondwike Grammar School was established. This means that 2023 marks the 125th anniversary of the school. A group of teachers in the school – Mrs
Currie, Mrs Whitelaw, Mrs Doran, Mr Currie, Miss Briggs and Mr Oxby, together with some of our Sixth form students – George Hall, Rowan Lightfoot, Charlotte Alcock, Martha Currie, Freya Thornton and Nancy Roberts, are all working on a project to commemorate this anniversary. The group is being ably assisted by Mrs Dunn and we would like to thank her for her organisational skills!

We are focusing on many aspects of school life, including the history of the school’s founding, key individuals linked to the school, the changing buildings, student life, and house system and putting the school’s history in the context of the changing political, social and economic situation over the 125 years. George Hall in particular, should be singled out for his relentless work on this project. A keen local historian and genealogist, George has thrown himself into this task with enthusiasm. One of his tasks was to transcribe a handwritten history of the school, completed in 1948, on the schools 50th anniversary. The following paragraph is from the concluding comments: “In conclusion, this fiftieth year of the school has seen another great struggle in the effort to
preserve the type of education for which it has stood for half a century. It is satisfying to hear that victory has been won & Heckmondwike Grammar School will continue”.

We would like to encourage any former students, parents and staff to get involved. Please let us know your Heckmondwike Grammar School related stories. We are planning an exhibition in the
new year to coincide with the anniversary, where hopefully we will be able to invite people into the school. Please get in touch if you would like to be involved or have something to contribute:
[email protected] or [email protected].

In the meantime, please follow us on Twitter, where we have a dedicated page: @Heckgrammar125