On 18th December 1945, Norton House Annexe was closed down as the building had been privately acquired for a social club. From 8th January 1946 the senior class of 13 boys and 11 girls were transferred to Prince Edward Secondary School and this became the pattern for the years that followed. A bus was provided to transport them backwards and forwards.
After the end of the war, student teachers came to Norton Free from Brincliffe Emergency Training College, and later from Thornbridge Hall Training College.
Norton Free at that time consisted of an L-shaped teaching area containing 3 classrooms. The infants were in the largest section of the present hall, J1/J2 in the 'junction' of the L and J3/4 in the remaining section where there was a big black range remembered well by an ex- pupil as Mr. Barden used to stand the bottles of milk on it so that they would be warm by playtime!
A telephone was installed in the school on 1st April 1946 but it was put in a cupboard on the wall in the Jl/2 classroom where Mr. Barden had his desk. There was no such luxury as an office for the headmaster in those days! An ex-pupil recollects that when the telephone rang, Mr. Barden would put his head in the cupboard to answer it so that he could hear and also so that he didn't disturb the class. He had a staffing problem in the exceptional winter of 1947 when most of the teachers were away sick so he contacted Mrs. Church to ask her to help him out. She had a young family and had to take the tram from the bottom of Meadowhead to Charles Ashmore Road and walk from there to school when the log book records, 'Snow half a yard deep, drifts 2 yards.' The Managers sent her a letter of appreciation for the loyal help she had given under very difficult circumstances. She left at Easter when Mrs. Bramhald returned to duty but had realised how much she loved teaching.
The first May Day celebration was held at Norton Free School in 1947 when Julia Hole was crowned Rose Queen by the Matron of Norton Hospital which was in Norton Hall. A large number of parents were entertained in the school yard by the children singing and dancing. The following year, perhaps because of adverse weather conditions, the ceremony was held in school. Mrs. Bagshawe crowned the Queen, but many people had to be turned away because there was no room for them. This situation was alleviated when the Church Hall was opened in 1951 and the festivities took place there. Even then, the hall was full to capacity with people standing and sometimes watching the proceedings from the porch!
Elaine Walstow, Queen Violet, was the first to be crowned in the new Church Hall. This was the year of the Festival of Britain so she was the Festival Queen. She remembers her years at Norton Free School with great affection and describes some details of the May-Day festivities. The teachers' big chairs were covered in cloth to make thrones. Large hoops were fixed to the backs and lilac twined round them. Flowers were everywhere and the scent of lilac always reminds her of May Days. The infants were May Maidens and all the children took part in plays, country dancing, singing or reciting poetry. She remembers one May Day held on the school field when the chosen play was Robin Hood. Robin had to shoot an arrow from quite a distance down the field to land on a stage which represented the Sheriffs Castle. She marvels that it worked without killing anyone!
The Head Boys and May Queens were chosen by a ballot of the whole school and there was no direction as to what the Queens should wear. Elaine's dress was white taffeta covered with white net and she had two violet bows at the top of the bodice and one at the waist. Her train was lined with violet. Pansies were used for the crowns and bouquets, as violets were not available in July!
After the crowning ceremony, the new queen, the retiring queen and their attendants walked to the hospital followed by the children and parents. All the glass doors were opened so that while the Queens and attendants walked through the wards, the lady patients could see the children and parents outside as they sang a hymn or song.
Royal events were still celebrated by holidays - in 1947, a half holiday for the Silver Wedding of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. In 1952, all broadcast lessons were cancelled owing to the King's death.
The school was given a Coronation holiday from June lst-3rd 1953 to mark the crowning of our present Queen. Norton Free's Rose Queen, Julie Wallace, was crowned on 5th June. The children presented a colourful pageant and Sheffield Education Committee provided mementos of 60 mugs filled with chocolate for the infants, 29 pairs of scissors for the junior girls and 37 knives for the junior boys. The school gave each child an additional gift of a fine Coronation Souvenir (mug?) filled with 1/2 Ib good quality wrapped sweets. Mrs. Bagshawe commented that it was the best celebration she had ever seen.
The school May Queens and their retinues used to attend the annual Garden Parties in the Rectory gardens or, if the weather was wet in the Church Hall and the children would entertain with dances and songs. In 1949, the "National Dance' team from the school took part in the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of the Sheffield Schools Athletic Association at Bramall Lane and in 1960 a group of children went to a Folk Festival at Hurlfield Sec. Girls' School. In 1961, 30 J4 boys and girls attended the international Dance Festival in Manchester. Some years later, the Maypole and slide projector were bought with the proceeds of the sale of waste paper.
There was an emergency in school in winter 1949 when there was no heat as the boiler was being dismantled. The infant children 'went into the one room with a fireplace and the juniors went to the Youth Club premises in the hospital grounds for two days whilst the heating was restored. The following year, these premises were used again when the interior of the school was being painted. It is assumed that this was part of the stable block of Norton Hall.
A party of older scholars was taken regularly to Area Concerts held at various venues over the years. There was a bus strike in 1959 so some of the J4 children set out to walk to Prince Edward School at Manor Top and some were taken by Mr. Barden and a parent by car.
An ex- pupil wrote about the school uniform and remembered the badge depicting the Chantrey Obelisk on a yellow background. The children all felt 10 feet tall in their new blue blazers as they walked to and from church. They went to church every Monday morning before school and on Wednesdays also during Lent. They attended church services on Ash Wednesday and Ascension Day (followed by a half-day holiday) as well as at Easter, Harvest and Christmas. One ex-pupil commented that in a large family, it could be a little difficult to provide produce for two Harvest Festivals - one at Sunday School and one at Day School. The children usually performed a Nativity Play in church at Christmas, and they always had a party in school.
A Parent -Teacher Association was formed in the late 1940's - this was a monthly social occasion, usually with a speaker. Sports Day was a popular occasion and the field used depended upon which grass the farmer cut first!
Several ex-pupils remember being taken to the 'big house' by courtesy of Mrs. Bagshawe and it was always emphasised that they must be on their best behaviour because she was a very important lady. They have memories of being taken to the Meet of the Barlow Hunt in Oakes Park. The Stirrup Cup was mentioned and on one occasion, the children saw a fox in the distance. One lady remembers following the hunt when she was in J4 and running from Oakes Park through the woods and fields to the Lightwood Lane area with her teacher, Mrs. Bramhald, and the rest of the class.
Ex-pupils remember Mr. Barden giving them what he called 'Billy Barden's Brain Brighteners' - 20 quick questions to be answered on a slip of paper. He is also remembered for entertaining all the children during wet lunch-times. They would squash into the infant classroom and he would play O'Grady (Simon Says) with them. He also played the piano for them to sing - 'Old MacDonald' was a favourite.
Staying for school lunch was a mixed blessing - the compulsion to eat all of a meal that was often far from pleasant was outweighed by the pleasure of having more time to play in the woods and fields around the school. The older children were allowed to go to the old Post Office at lunch times to buy 1d worth of hundreds and thousands or a liquorice stick. Some children used to take a tin of cocoa and sugar for playtime which they used to lick -often sharing each others! Most foods, including sweets, were still on ration in the late 1940's.
A 'Focus on Norton' article in the Sheffield Telegraph of July 1955 referred to the school as the 'happiest in Sheffield' and Mr. Barden painted an idyllic verbal picture of the 'little school in the fields with 3 birds nests in the ivy by the door from which could be seen leverets jumping in the grass.' An ex-pupil remembers that on sunny summer days, Mr. Barden would lock up the school and all the children would go for a nature walk. He was so proud of the little school, and ex-pupils and staff alike have spoken of his kindness, consideration and fairness.
The high standards of the school were reflected in the percentage of passes in the Scholarship Examinations. Children were reluctant to leave Norton Free and a story is told of a boy who wished he could pass an examination to stay there!
Mr. Barden was also a strict disciplinarian and pupils were caned for bad behaviour and poor work. An ex-pupil recollects that herself and a group of girls were so engrossed in their play by a large oak tree, which stood on the site of the Oakes Park School, that they did not hear the bell marking the end of playtime. They each had a stroke of the cane on their hands for being late back into school. Ex-pupils have commented that children knew when they deserved to be punished and respected their teachers for it. Learning did not seem to be a chore and neither did the practice sessions for May Days and Christmas entertainments.
From 1954, children leaving Norton Free who were not going to Grammar schools were to go to the new Greenhill Secondary Modern School.