In October 2009, at the request of deputy Headmaster Frank Hedley, I gave seven lunchtime talks about various aspects of the history of King Edward's, Aston. Frank had said "We never actually teach the history of the school, but only make passing reference to it." Only one boy attended all seven, and thus qualified for a certificate of attendance! We offered the talks twice more the following Spring. Despite heavy promotion by the Headmaster, no-one turned up.
Though disappointed, I could quite understand why. If you have sat all morning in a classroom, the last thing you want to do during your lunch break is the same again. So I archived the material, after letting a couple of interested members of staff read it.
Despite the previous lack of success, I was persuaded to offer the talks again in October 2010. This time the lads who attended showed quite a bit more enthusiasm, and asked me to extend the programme by a further seven talks, which started in February 2011.
Here is the full programme:
PART I
Talk 1 From Gild Chapel to Grammar School: An historical account 1392 -1883
Talk 2 Here be Giants: Some of Aston’s 400+ masters - and mistresses
Talk 3 The boy done good: Famous, and less famous, Aston Old Edwardians
Talk 4 Away from it all: The stories of Ashby and Longdon
Talk 5 The way we were: Anecdotes from the 1950s
Talk 6 The 125 year walk: An explanation of the development of the site - on foot and in daylight!
Talk 7 Beyond our gates: Where we went and what we did
PART II
Talk 8 More Giants: A look at a few more of Aston’s masters and mistresses
Talk 9 Aston through its looking glass: School life as portrayed by its annual magazine, ‘The Record’
Talk 10 The Magnificent Seven: From Temperley to Christopher: Aston’s first seven Headmasters
Talk 11 Dust of Ages: A look at some of the school’s archives, the archive centre and the work of the archivist
Talk 12 Four Three Four: The story of the house system
Talk 13 The other side of the Chalk Face: Former teachers remember their time at Aston
Talk 14 Aston’s Little Mysteries: Six unanswered questions about the school’s history
Talk 15 (Optional) The ‘Mystery’ Talk: Come along and find out! It involves 100% audience participation
Optional Extra (During Festival of Cultures?) A Walk Round Town: A visit to Birmingham city centre, to see the sites associated with Aston and the Foundation, including Birmingham Central Library to look at contemporary maps
Still, only three lads completed the talks, so once again I consigned them to the archives. Then the Head of History, an enthusaistic supporter of my activities at school, suggested offering them as part of the school's Enrichment programme. So, they are to be tried (again!) for nine weeks commencing 1st March 2012. Thirteen year 13 lads have enrolled, but we'll see who turns up on the day!