PJCNET

Times have certainly changed in Schools in the UK since I attended Birches Green Junior School in Erdington, Birmingham, B24 9SR from September 1977 until July 1980 when my parents moved away from the area. The stories I’m going to tell you are true although told from a young child’s perspective from 7 to 9 years old.

WARNING: To many people these stories will be shocking, if easily upset or offended, please don’t continue reading! Over 18’s only!

In 1977 I started at Birches Green Junior School at the age of 7. I was put into a class and there was no timetable or specific lessons. There was no structure in any day except set break times. We had just one assigned class teacher who taught what they felt like on any particular day. Rarely other teachers took lessons except if our assigned teacher was busy or away.

I was put in Mrs Jone’s class and it was hell from day 1 when she initially sat us down shouting, demanding silence telling us to complete a difficult maths question that no-one understood how to work out. Every time anyone dared to put their hand up asking for help, she shouted the fear of God into them. Then after ages bullied to sit in silence, worried that we couldn’t complete the question, we all got told off to the extent of being frightened when none of us managed to complete the question we didn’t understand despite her refusing to help in any way. It was a terrible start to a new school and I felt like killing myself instead of going back there for a 2nd instalment.

I remember one day Mrs Jones decided to take us outside into the playground. She forced us to hold our hands out and turn on the spot. We felt very dizzy and sick, but Mrs Jones shouted and literally bullied us and forced us to continue. After ages doing this, I amongst other children felt extremely sick, but Mrs Jones had no sympathy what-so-ever and shouted at us. We then got told that the task for today was to write about what it felt like to feel sick. Many children were physically sick and Mrs Jones went mad at them forcing them to clean up their own sick. I felt terribly ill and couldn’t write properly, but Mrs Jones threatened us with severe punishment if we didn’t pull ourselves together and do the work.

Mrs Jones had a serious problem with some of the children as they didn’t support Aston Villa football club, she jeered with extremely pathetic inappropriate behaviour on many occasions and she made children that didn’t support Aston Villa’s lives a misery. I didn’t follow football at all and she really laid into me for this on numerous occasions making me frightened she was so nasty and bullying.

I remember when a child wet himself in school and as a punishment for no apparent reason, Mrs Jones forced another innocent child to clean it up, not even the person who actually did it.

In the summer Mrs Jones loved sunbathing, so she’d often make the class either sit on the grass outside or she’d take us to sit on the grass at the nearby Rookery Park. On very hot days many children like myself were overheating and getting sunburnt, we tried to sit in the shade under a tree, but Mrs Jones refused this and physically forced us to sit in the hot burning sun and I actually sometimes became severely sunburnt along with many other children. Telling her only made her extremely angry and very threatening, forcing us to stay in the hot burning sun even longer for answering back. She would put sun cream on herself, but never on any of the children she’d repeatedly force into enduring it. This went and repeatedly on hot days, it was a total misery.

I remember another teacher Miss Derby who occasionally took some lessons. She had an extremely unhealthy obsession with kissing the little boys, going on how lovely they are. I remember seeing her with her tongue out forcing her arms around little boys, luckily I wasn’t one of her favourites as she’s regularly sent for them even if they were in another class, sometimes demanding various kisses before she’d let them go. It was a constant thing every single day with Miss Derby, she’d always be hounding little boys and forcing them to kiss her, calling for her favourites, going on and on how lovely it makes her feel and “arhhh” and “lovely”, slobbering over them literally. Nothing was done and Miss Derby continued this repeated sexual abuse throughout my stay at Birches Green despite all other teachers knowing exactly what was happening and actively encouraging it by forcing summoned boys out of classes when Miss Derby sent for them entirely for kissing reasons. I didn’t realise and understand until I grew up how terrible this was.

During my first year at Birches Green, the corners got turned up slightly on one of my exercise book, this was because of my autistic tendencies and the way I’d hold a pen. Mrs Jones sent me to the head master and I was caned for this. What was written in the book however wasn’t even read, mentioned or considered, the presentation was the main importance to this school.

Mrs Burn was extremely strict to the point that she’d often hit the children just because she was in a mood and she’d say this was the reason, she was extremely violent with a terrible unstable temper. Once she took our class when Mrs Jones was away for some reason. She mouthed and swore repeatedly telling the class to shut up and be silent as she was in a terrible mood because she’d had an argument with her boyfriend. Children would dread her mood swings as she’d literally beat children for any slightest excuse. We was all frightened and kept silent, yet she still found a reason to beat some of us. We was all silent, so she started having a go at some of us for heavy breathing when we were literally frightened to death of her violence. She hits VERY hard, literally throwing boys over to the floor from her hand.

The school used to have an ‘optional’ disco raising money for school funds every week or so after school. I felt extremely uncomfortable going to a disco at my age and I actually have Asperger Syndrome which is mild autistic tendencies or high functioning autism, this condition made it very hard for me to socialise and I was bullied by other children as it was. I couldn’t fit in and didn’t want to go to a disco after school. Once I optionally didn’t go to the disco and even insisted on paying the 10p towards school finds without attending so not letting down the school. The next day in assembly, the head master at the time, Mr Gospel made every child who didn’t attend the disco stand up. We got slaughtered and shouted at in a terrible humiliating manner. Mrs Burn then went from child to child saying extremely nasty things, to me she said that you have let the school down and, “I hope you don’t get the Chopper Bike from Father Christmas”, which I had my heart on at the time. When I went to class, Mrs Jones made sure that no child spoke to me all day, I was totally ignored as I’d let the school down, simply for not going to a school disco that was meant to be optional. After that I was literally forced to go against my will and for fear of repercussions from teachers.

Having mild autistic tendencies, I was beaten and bullied at school and my parents came to school to talk to the teachers including the head master. Apparently I could now go inside to tell a teacher at break time or lunch time if I was in trouble to tell a teacher. Next time some larger lads were about to lay into me at lunch time, I ran inside to tell a teacher and saw the head master, Mr Gospel, he shouted at me and when I told him as agreed that I was being bullied, he forced me to go outside and wouldn’t do anything to help except watch. I then got beaten while nothing what-so-ever was done from any staff.

Once the day before we broke up for Christmas, we all had to make a Christmas Card to send to a someone. All the boys had to send to a random girl and the girls to a random boy. The teachers then insisted that we had to kiss each-other. I was picked a girl who I didn’t particularly like and I didn’t want to kiss. The teachers physically forced us and many children were kicking and literally screaming, but they continued and forced us to kiss against our will, holding and grabbing where necessary with physical force. This happened throughout the school and the idea was I think from the head master.

We were constantly reminded the expense of school resources and shortages. We were all given a pen which we were told to put in a draw with our name on. I was frightened when the pen stopped working on it’s own as often children would be shouted at and punished for not looking after it. If a child lost a pen, it would mean severe punishment, the problem was because of this my pen got stolen from my draw on more than one occasion and I got into dire trouble and was smacked hard for this.

The headmaster, Mr Gospel was addicted to singing in the assembly hall and he’d send for most of the school suddenly for assemblies at any time on various days to the main hall. He’d then make us sing sometimes for hours. School was meant to end at 3.30pm, but on many days Mr Gospel kept the school back singing until sometimes later than 4pm. I’d sometimes arrive home late to upset and worried parents. Apparently various parents did complain about this and this was one small thing that had to change.

Life at Birches Green Junior School was a living hell and as well as all the abuse, they didn’t teach well either. For instance, in all the time I was there, I didn’t go to one single science class, singing and presentation however was extremely high on the agenda and by far the most important.

There is no many incidents I could mention and shock people about secrets that happened behind closed doors at this school every single day, but I’d be writing page after page. It was 3 years of total utter hell and my life was a complete misery. It’s amazing that this went on for so long and the teachers got away with blatant repeated abuse.

My family moved house in 1980 and when I left the area to another part of Birmingham at the age of 10, I enrolled at Walmley Middle School in Birmingham and I was amazed at how relaxed and decent the school was in comparison to Birches Green Junior School. It was totally different in every way for the better, it was like a dream come true, another world, like freedom at last and a break from what became fear of abuse! There was a proper structured timetable including lessons like science, the teachers treated us with respect, I didn’t have to worry about being beaten if say a pen stopped working, there was no sexual or physical abuse, the teachers were professional and caring, it was then I truly realised what shocking abuse went on at Birches Green Junior School and that this wasn’t in fact normal. I finally saw for myself how different a normal school really was as until then Birches Green was the only junior school I ever knew. I no longer had to live every school day in fear and at first it was an amazing novelty. Walmley Middle School was simply a normal respectable school when Birches Green was corrupt and brutal.

Birches Green Junior School should have been closed down and the teachers there should have been prosecuted for abuse, but this was 1977-1980 and times have certainly changed for the better since.

Disclaimer

The above is article is written from memory as perceived from a young child’s point of view. It also includes my personal opinion and this cannot be taken as definite fact. Although we try to be as accurate as possible, PJCNET cannot be held responsible for any mistakes made. If any parties mentioned in this article would like to respond, as long as it’s a reasonable response that isn’t abusive in any way what-so-ever, I will print it. Please don’t confuse Birches Green Junior School today with back in the late 1970’s, times have certainly changed and what happened then has no relevance to how the school is run today.

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