Plans for a revolutionary 3-tier school system which would create the Island’s middle schools were approved 60 years ago today.
After a marathon 3-hour debate on Monday 7th November 1966, the Isle of Wight Education Committee backed one of the biggest changes in the history of Island education.
The plan divided schooling into 3 stages. Children would attend an ‘initial’ school from 5 to 9, a middle school from 9 to 13 and a secondary school from 13 until completing their education.
Supporters believed children between 9 and 13 needed something different from either a traditional primary or large secondary school. Middle schools would offer the security younger pupils still required while introducing them to specialist teachers, more subjects and greater independence.
The changes would also end the 11-plus examination and the division of children between grammar and secondary modern schools. No longer would the result of a test taken at 11 decide which type of secondary education a child received.
The proposals followed almost 14 months of discussion with teachers, parents, school managers, churches and government officials. Every Island school had been examined before the recommendations were presented.
Putting the plan into action would require new schools, major alterations to existing buildings and changes across the entire Island. The number of schools was expected to fall by around 10, leaving some headteachers and senior staff without their existing positions, although the authority hoped to avoid compulsory redundancies.
The committee was told the complete reorganisation could begin in 1971 if the necessary buildings were ready. School building work already approved by the County Council was expected to cost £1.6million – around £40million in today’s values.
The proposals still had to go before the full Isle of Wight County Council, but the committee approved them without a single vote against. With that decision, the middle-school era on the Isle of Wight had begun.
The first Island middle schools opened in 1970, with the 3-tier system established across the Island the following year. Some schools were purpose-built while others used converted premises, and the network eventually grew to 16 middle schools.
For 4 decades, attending middle school became a shared experience for generations of Island children. At 9, pupils left the familiar surroundings of primary school and entered a much bigger world.
There were new classmates, different teachers for different subjects and far greater freedom. The first day could be daunting, but middle school offered children a chance to grow in confidence before they moved to high school at 13.
For many pupils, those years brought their first school trip away from home, competitive sports match, stage performance or disco. Friendships were formed with children from other towns and villages, and teachers were remembered long after the lessons themselves had been forgotten.
The system was not perfect. Children had to change schools twice, while some questioned whether 3 separate tiers made the best use of buildings, teachers and public money. However, middle schools became such a familiar part of Island life that many people could not imagine education without them.
In 2008, the Isle of Wight Council decided to return to the 2-tier primary and secondary system used across most of England. The decision was fiercely opposed by parents, teachers and former pupils who believed middle schools offered something special for children between 9 and 13.
The Island’s remaining middle schools closed to pupils on 21st July 2011. Several sites were taken over by primary schools, Nodehill became the Island’s central sixth-form campus and other buildings were demolished or redeveloped for housing.
The schools may have closed and some of their buildings disappeared, but the system approved in 1966 remains part of the shared childhood of generations of Islanders.
Which Island middle school did you attend? Share your memories of its teachers, friendships, trips, sports, plays and discos in the comments below…
