I joined Allerton Grange County Secondary School in 1954. I was one of a of 10 first form entry to the new
school. I had been a pupil at Moor Allerton Hall (part of Talbot CP School). The Hall was just behind AGS. I
remember the school being built as I lived in Moor Allerton Drive.
There were also a couple of second year forms joining at the same time drawing its pupils from other
secondary schools in the area.
I was in Class 1A and our form teacher was Fred Wragg who was also Head of Boys PE. Classes were 1A
(the top form) down to 1J.The Headmaster was Len Bradbury an ex professional footballer. Other staff
members were Jim Balmforth (History/geography), Ernest Mongor (Music). Miss Butterfield (art), Rhona
Jackson (Science) Mr Fenwick (Science) Mr Lumley (Maths) Dorothy Quarton (English) Geoff Pearson
(French) Pat Doughty (girls PE). There were others I remember Harry Patterson (Jack Higgins) when he
joined the school, also Harry Eastgate, Mr Culhane (Russian) Mr Jackson and Mr White (Sciences), Mr
Atkinson (music) Mr Lindstrum (drama) David Dean (geography) Oliver Smith (History) Mr Lewandowski
(Economics and my 6th form teacher) David Jones and Marshall Litke (both Geography) Ann Donovan,
Margaret Threlfall (PE) Mrs Tilford (domestic Science) Mr Franklin (English) and many more.
By the time I got to the fifth year (most pupils left at the end of the fourth year at that time) The school had a
new Headmaster John Whitehead. Also the new buildings were opened down the road which became the
middle and upper schools whilst the original building remained the lower school.
Another big move forward was that pupils were allowed to take the GCSE exams. Not normally allowed in
Secondary schools. My father (Herbert Benfield) was Headmaster of Harehills Secondary Modern School
and realised he had boys in his school capable of passing the GCSE exams and he worked tirelessly with the
Education Committee to allow these exams to be taken by the ‘non grammar’ school children. AGS was one
of the first after Harehills and there was one of the first comprehensive schools ( Mathew Murray) in the area
taking the exams. This also meant that pupils would be able to stay on until sixth form. At this time the
school became Allerton Grange School. The CS was dropped.
I duly went on to 6th form. We were very few in number – less than 10 in the first year sixth and there were
about four or five in the upper Sixth. Only one of my fellow pupils from Talbot CP School completed the full
seven years at AGS with me.
Because there were initially only two schools years some of the first years were elected school prefects. I
was one of them and eventually in the sixth form I became Vice Head Girl. I was also Hockey Captain and
Chairman of the Geographical Society.
I remember many of my classmates from the first year and often wonder what has happened to them all Suzanne Gully, Norma Sheldon, Pat Thackeray. Veronica Ward, Margot Prussman, Helen Whitehead,
Elizabeth Kew, Julia White. Vivienne Spelling, Pamela Mould, Trevor Gibbs, Howard Rose, Peter Welham,
Bryan Hartley, Cranston Hepburn (the only other Talbot CPS student to complete 7 years), Dermot Stranix
Of the second years there were Alison Hammond (Head Girl), Judith Douglas (later to marry the Headmaster
John Whitehead), Margaret Threlfall .
In my third year there was an extra entry at age13 - Ouida Weston, Maureen Harris, Judy ? Myra Sugar.
Valerie Birch joined in fifth year.
Then also we had entry into 6th form – Victor Batty, John Carson, Peter Kingsley, Alan Franklin.
I enjoyed my seven years at AGS and returned some time later as a Laboratory Technician for the Lower
School before heading off to Agricultural College where I gained a National Diploma in Dairying, I
remained in Agriculture for a few years and then transferred into laboratory research at both Leeds and
Newcastle Universities. I then married and had my three children. When they were a little older I undertook
a 4 year Bsc (Hons) in Nursing at Surrey University, followed by MSc in Immunology at the same
University. Then 14 years of Nursing ending up as a Sister before retirement. I spent a year writing a family
history then went back to work as a part time school laboratory technician for two or three years before
finally properly retiring. Sadly I have lost touch many years ago with any of the above.
I have a number of photos from my time at AGS which I will scan for you.