SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Went to this school between 1989 and 1993, thought I'd try and see if anyone on here went there during this time and remembers some of the things what went on. From sponsored walks to strict catholic rules to ghosts, this school had many points of interest. I remember many of the teachers there, some were likeable, some tried to be likeable but sadly failed, some made you laugh at times without them realising it and some just loved to be hated.I remember the geography teacher Mr Stern who's son went there, he also coached one of the school football teams. One evening a match wasn't going well, suddenly after the opposition scored, Mr Stern totally lost it and threw his clipboard down onto the ground, he without realising looked totally hilarious. I remember a French teacher with a hair parting what drew a nickname what I can't put on here as it will probably be sensored, think womans down below area and you've got it. Anyway I was rubbish at French and regularly drew lecture after lecture from her about not trying hard enough, she always wrote in my homework diary about this issue and about me not doing the set homework. She was wasting her time for reasons I shall set out, my parents grew a bit tired having to look at my diary and sign to say the homework had been done during my first year at Mount St Mary's so they simply stopped doing this. I had to find a solution to this problem before the school and my parents were at loggerheads so I became good at forging my parents signatures and so was able to get away with this rather good problem. My parents were too busy to attend most parents evenings and the ones they did attend, they didn't stay long and luckily chose to see teachers in subjects I was good at so all the negative comments from any teachers in homework diary never got brought up. The fact that Fleetwood was wasting her time was revenge for her boring lectures. You had Mrs Judge with her fearful but fair ways and deep voice as well as her sidekick (can't remember her name but she's a short woman with a loud but laughable voice who always thought everything was disgusting!), their was a Geordie teacher based on one of the top floors in the old building who always gave his form class a rollocking during form periods, every word he shouted could be heard several classes down. I could go on but the oven is on fire so I'll have to pass the batton on so If anyone else wants to add their memories please do

I went there a bit earlier than you. I know I finished in 1983, no idea when I started. I just knew when I left was one of the best days of my life. We had to go back for the exams during the summer, but I was having non of that, the books for revision went straight off the Marsh Lane bridge into the railway cutting I remember Miss Judge, Mr Wilfred, Mr Anthony, and Conway was the headmaster. I'm hard pushed to remember any other teachers, or what happened there. Apart from sitting against an upstairs window too hard and smashing it, and blowing a great big hole in the playground when I exploded a railway detonator with a flag stone. The Cornish pasties from the bakery on Saxton gardens were a must at dinner time, and the 6p single cig and match from the newsagent next door. The rest was just a blur, and basically a waste of mine and the teachers time. I came away from school with basic reading and writing and very little else. Yours faithfully.Former Mount St Mary's model pupil early 1980's         

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesw-bel ... 42003/Link to images of the area today. Despite much urban regeneration, the Richmond Hill area is still suffering advanced Urban Decay.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesw-bel ... 3264/sorry, here's the right link. Being a bit thick today. Wasn't a particularly bright pupil at Abbey Grange - the other proddy school!    

Sorry for the late reply, just a bit too busy at moment, Mr Wilfred was as lazy as you could get, the worst careers officer in living memory, no wonder vocationally minded pupils left there with no hope for progression in the world, he only helped those with academic talent and not those who he had to try that little bit harder with, if you weren't academic, your only hope of a job in his eyes was one of those low paid jobs such as cleaning (no offence, I know cleaners work very hard for poor pay), I don't think he'd even heard of the word vocational!

I left in 1983 too (started in 76) and remember Mr Stern (taught Economics to me), along with Mr Woods, who moved on to be Head at Corpus Christi until recently.Mr Wilford taught Spanish and French, I think and Miss Allen (who became Mrs Wilford) When she announced her engagement to our class we all said we knew about them, even though most of the teachers had had no idea!Miss Judge and Miss Turner, were from the old St Maries school next door and came with the merger, lol.

One thing I remember if you weren't going to do well at M.S.M, you did Spanish instead of French, it was supposed to be easier to learn. And likewise you did metalwork instead of woodwork. I always found it rather ironic, that within 2 months of leaving school I got myself an apprenticeship in Carpentry & Joinery with John Laing Construction. A subject I wasn't even allowed to do. To me it summed up just how futile, and pointless the whole school years really were. I was having a laugh at some old school reports of mine my mum had saved. I only had them from primary school, and this one is from St Gregory's middle school. By the time I got to M.S.M they were even worse. I just chucked them over the railway bridgeI mean really, give a teenage boy a needle and some cotton what do they expect? Could do better was a reoccurring theme of mine throughout school.But at least I laughed about it with a couldn't care less attitude             

My sisters all went there, as did my brother. Not me though, I went to Horsforth as I lived with my mother and the others (half siblings) lived with my old man.

i went to mount st marys from 1996 to 2001 , my mum still works there and mr wilford has just retired this year, miss turner was very very strict for such a small woman and mrs coughlan who was an re teacher scared the living daylights out of me, most of the other teachers were ok to be honest.There was alot of spooky and unexplained goings on there though and many reports of ghosts etc.All in all i enjoyed my time there!