Tales Out Of School

Funded by Awards for All

For our Schooldays Memories Project we collected memories from about 120 people. The resulting book has just come out and is now available. It is a fascinating read as it spans a century of schooling and a remarkable geographical spread too! The book is available from the Society for £9.95 including postage or £4.95 if you were one of the people who we interviewed for it.

Contact: Val Hart or Chris Sutton, Balsall Heath Local History Society. Tel. 0121 464 1888.

Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Awards for All & St Paul’s Community Development Trust

Here from the book is what people some people have said about school meals…

Birmingham Handsworth (1970’s)

Lovely desserts.
I loved the school dinners, especially when from 3rd year, we were allowed chips with our meals. The puddings were great too, Ginger Squares, Chocolate Sponge with Custard, and upside-Pineapple.
Samantha Hines

Birmingham Moseley (1940’s)

Fond memories of “concrete”
School meals were not provided at Moseley C.E. until a service started in the school in 1944. Due to lack of space in the school the service soon moved to larger premises in the Church Hall on the corner of School Road/ Oxford Road, the site of the present school. I stayed for meals for a short time but then reverted to going home for lunch. However, I still fondly remember the sponge pudding and “chocolate concrete” that used to come down to the school in time for distribution at afternoon break.
Alan Hemming

Birmingham Dennis Road School (1950’s)

Bigger dinners
It may have been part of my duties as prefect, or it may be the case that I volunteered to help out in the canteen at lunch time, clearing up tables and putting seats away etc. When our work was complete we could sit down with the serving staff and eat what we liked and as much as we liked, having what we wanted. I guess we school boy helpers got a bigger dinner than otherwise would be the case.
Maurice Arthur Evans

Breakfast on the Move in the 1930s

We’d call for Charlie Davies every morning on the way to school. Charlie’s Dad was a foreman metal spinner at Fishers and Ludlows factory in Bradford Street. He was very well-paid and had bacon for breakfast every morning cooked by his wife. She’d always give us each a slice of white bread dipped in the bacon fat. It was delicious.
Bernard Jackson

Greasy Water and Stale Bread – Lunch for Poor Children in the 1930s

You had to have a ticket to get school meals at Mary Street School. The poorer children were given soup and bread which they said tasted like ‘greasy water and stale bread’.
Bernard Jackson

Highgate Comprehensive (1980’s)

An orderly queue was formed to receive lunch on the production of a green-coloured ‘dinner ticket’ similar to a raffle ticket. The words ‘Birmingham City Council’ were printed on one side and on the other ‘non transferable’.

Our meals were enjoyable, served on a sturdy plastic compartment plate so that the dinner ladies placed the grub in the right places. The meals ranged from pork pie to fish fingers with a range of vegetables, not forgetting the two scoops of special mash served using the ice cream scooper! Puddings ranged from apple pie and custard to chocolate concrete cake, a firm favourite for many. I found the meals just right and there was always scope for seconds if pupils hadn’t turned up or decided to go elsewhere for lunch.

Students would often end up having chips or Katlamba, mincemeat filled flat bread at a nearby restaurant, an absolute joy! Both the chippy and restaurant enjoyed brisk business at lunchtimes I recall.

School meals were just right, timed between 12.15pm and 1.15pm, with afternoon sessions beginning at 1.30pm and home time at 3.30pm-3.45pm. If I recall correctly most of us would be back at home in time for ‘Blockbusters’! Remember that?

Tesh Champaneri