South Yorkshire Times, March 14th, 1970
The 500 Pupil School With 1,000 Scholars
Conisbrough Northcliffe High School’s plea for major extensions is to receive the backing of Miss Joan Lestor, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education.
On Friday Miss Lestor joined the fight to put the Northcliffe School at the top of the priorities list – after visiting the school and seeing facilities described by the headmaster as “totally inadequate.”
The 1,000-pupil school was built to accommodate 500, and extra numbers have been taught in temporary wooden classrooms since then.
The Crunch
The Head Mr. A. G. G. Young, told Miss Lestor, “We have fourteen of these ticky tacky boxes dotted around the playground. We are coming to the crunch and if we don’t get major extensions soon, we shall step backwards.”
Miss Lestor described the facilities as very poor. She added, “it seems that since the school was built for 500 nothing has been done since then.” She was shown the school’s assembly hall – built to accommodate 250 – which is also used as a dining room and gymnasium, and the school’s two caravans used for extra storage space
She said “I shall certainly chase this matter up and see what I can do about it.” Miss Lestor was in the area during a lightning tour of South Yorkshire visiting the Red House social education centre at Denaby as well as Northcliffe High School.