Hi Everybody I was a Pupil at Yew Tree High School Northern Moor, Manchester between 1979 and 1984. I am an Artist now and thought I would share some memories of my time at the school by way of Art and Stories of those days gone by. Hope you like the painting and video stories.
The school has long since been demolished and also Arden sixth form college that replaced the school has also been demolished on the same site. It is has now been turned into a new housing estate with house prices sky rocketing with many houses out of the price range of local people.
So to keep the schools history alive I have produced these paintings and video stories to remember times gone by.
A3 Limited Edition Print available £50 or original £1250 contact me andrewalanmatthews.co.uk
Story by Andrew Alan Matthews
Yew Tree High School Northern Moor Aim True
What’s the score I hear you say
Chetham, Oldham and Hulme
Make room
For the naughty kids
knockin round class
Motto of the School
Aim True
Naughty kids tryin to undo
No clue
Yew Tree High l do
From 79 to 84
There’s more
And In class
Mr where boy
taught Maths
and Mr English
taught English
He was Funny enough
And a teacher
nick named slap head
Knocked you round yer head
Or givin Detention instead
Writin lines over and over again
On the old school table
that flipped up and down
giggling town
teachers frown
and get down
years of scribblin
etchin yer name in the table
able
And metal work teacher
with steel rulers
Smacked yer ass
with chalk mark
fool or tool
on yer bum
don’t look glum
it was fun
couldn’t get away with it these days
too PC Brigade
naughty kids ran amok
back in the day
Bunsen burners
shootin water fountains
In chemistry class
It was class
In A block
From 79 to 84
dinner hall
condoms in metal water jugs
from thugs
fights in playground
circling and spittin greeneys
at two in a fight
teachers outta sight
then there was me
tryin to learn
and earn
needed glasses
wouldn’t wear em
didn’t want to be called
specky four eyes
so I sat at the front of class
tryin to see the blackboard
holes in me shoes
soakin freezing feet
no treat
soggy butties at dinner time
wished I could have
hot food
in the dinner hall
they had pizzas and chips
I was lickin me lips
So now and again
when I got money
From me newspaper round
Or mind yer car Mr
in the Moss
I’d buy 25p dinner ticket
Off one of the lads
Glads
At Dinner time
Knockin about
with me class mates
Playin hide n seek
in the bushes
At the back of the school
Or down the Mersey
In me Yew Tree Jersey
And A block
where they taught Art
Mr De Vere
a cool teacher
wasn’t a preacher
a good teacher
Encouraged me
let me be free
express myself
be an Artist he said
look to history
mystery
I Lived for the days
when they taught Art
So lookin back
At the good old days
With Nostalgia in my eyes
I can say
“I Aimed True”
Cos now
I’m an Artist in Northern Moor
Painting a scene
A Yew Tree Scene
So Yeah
Yew Tree High School Northern Moor
What’s the score I hear you say
Chetham, Oldham and Hulme
Boom
The Artists in the room
https://youtu.be/c9vlgiGnCDI
Comments from the general public
Love this Andrew, brings back lots of memories x by Susan
That’s brilliant Andrew! I was at Yew Tree same years and loved Mr DeVere. Glad you are enjoying being an artist x by Gill
Used to be Yew Tree Secondary Mod, Knicknamed “Borstal of the North”, went there myself full of dubious characters, the whole school had to witness a caning, imagine that today, my whole class got the slipper. The Headmaster was Dr Davis, deputy was William Worthington, knickname “The Beak”. Sports Day was the favourite, everybody went home early. When they were constructing the six story block, someone stole the concrete rivet gun. Happy Days. Oh school dinner one day was salad, and my lettuce was moving around the plate; what fun. by Trevor
I went there when it was Yew Tree Comprehensive, which I believe was the first comprehensive school in Manchester. Hated it. Got bullied. I was supposed to stay on until I had done O levels. Legally though, at the time you could leave school aged 15. I just left July 1967, and never went back. There was talk of them fining my parents but it never came to anything. I told them I would be able to pay any fine. At 15 I had got a full time office job, a Saturday job in a ladies/ childrens clothes shop. I also worked 3 nights behind the bar (cash in hand) at The Woodcourt hotel. My Mum worked at the Woodcourt and the landlord gave me a job there before I even left school. I looked old enough with my make up and false eyelashes on! It was easy to get jobs when you were under age. The year I was 13, I got a full time job for the summer holidays in the cafe at Duncan and Fosters in Sale on School road. That was cash in hand. Happy times! by Elaine
Dr Davies was the headmaster and I think his deputy was Miss Hindlyg by Sandra
They are very good, well done you by Susan