Head of Year What's That? Miss Ilott held the first Heads of Year meeting early in April. At Greenford Heads of Year were a new concept peculiar to the comprehensive system. Their task was to look after the pastoral concerns of the pupils and to see that all was done to carry out one of the declared objectives of the school 'to create a caring society in which each individual may flourish and realise her/his potential.' Each Head of Year was to be responsible for a team of Form Tutors, for Year Assemblies, communication with parents and staff, record keeping and the discipline and welfare of her/his year group. This first meeting dealt with matters relating to their accommodation, the communication system, assemblies, health and welfare, records and discipline. 'It is expected that all Heads of Year will have their own offices, equipped with desk, filing cabinet etc.. and linked to a communication system which will connect them with each other, with the senior staff, and with an outside line.' It was to be some time before such facilities would be made available as the Heads of Year who shared cramped offices without telephones will testify! (Heads of Years 2 and 3 shared an office created out of the front lobby area which was also the Evening Institute Office; Heads of Years 4 and 5 shared the small Office in what is now the Learning Support Department the bigger room was to be a staff workroom.) In this first meeting and the following one they used the Grammar School system of rules, code of conduct, rewards and sanctions as a basis for drawing up a similar system for the High School. As far as the policy on discipline was concerned there was an emphasis on taking each case on is merits, being supportive of the staff, and being fair to the pupils. The key to the whole system working was seen as how well the Form Tutors fulfilled their duties in looking after the welfare of the members of their form. The First of the New Team In September 1973 Miss Ilot took office as the Head Designate while still carrying on as Head of Grange School. Staffing the Comprehensive was her immediate concern that September and in three days of intensive interviewing from the 12th to the 14th had seen Mrs Watts (Head of Modern Languages), Mr Moss and Mr Gosling (Mathematics) of Greenford, Miss Whalen (later Mrs Rees) (Head of Year), Mr Ward (Head of English) and Mrs Noblett (Science) at Costons; Mr Carpenter (Head of Special Studies Unit) and Mr Petty (Head of 6th Form) at Selborne; Mr Shaw (Head of Science) and Mr Williams (Head of History) of Greenford. Later in the month Mr H. Gardner of Eliot's Green (Head of Creative and Visual Arts) and Mr Gibney of Greenford (Head of Year) were interviewed and Miss J. Wilkinson of Twyford (later Mrs Stevens) became a Deputy Head completing the Senior Management Team (Miss Strickley was Senior Mistress). (The titles in brackets are the posts these staff held from the first year of the Comprehensive.) September drew to a close with more meetings about staffing and about the Business Studies Department. Meetings started up again in November including one with the School's Parents' Association. Curriculum matters were the main topics of most of these meetings. On 22nd November 1973 the first staff meeting of Greenford High School took place followed in December by a Heads of Department Meeting. There were even discussions over the community use of Greenford High School. In January Mr Fuller and Miss Ilott were trying to get something done about the need for considerable extra classroom accommodation and alterations to the existing building to provide rooms for senior members of staff. Arrangements also had to be made for the transfer of pupils. A Tribute to Greenford Grammar The final Grammar School Speech Day was held on the 8th of March 1974, it was an informal one with refreshments. Miss Smith outlined the school's academic and sporting achievements over the past year, and gave details of staff changes, outings and activities. A tribute was paid to all the school had achieved as Greenford County Grammar School and wishes were expressed that similar achievements would he recorded by the 'new' Greenford High School. Over-Subscribed and Many of the Staff Elsewhere! On April 2nd 1974 an informal meeting of the proposed Governing Body of Greenford High School was held at Greenford Grammar School with Councillor Michael Elliott in the Chair. The concerns of the meeting were staffing, shortage of accommodation and the difficulties of timetabling aggravated by the fact that the school would he over-subscribed by 78 pupils while a number of staff were committed to spending some part of the week in the closing Secondary Schools to teach the 2nd and 5th Years who were still in them. At this meeting the vital extra accommodation needed for September 1974 was seen to be 3 classroom units, a room for Business Studies, and offices for the Heads of Year and for Miss Wilkinson. Some pupils were to be bussed to Selborne and Stanhope Schools for specialist craft subjects. The Kitchen was obviously inadequate for the increased numbers and there was a need for new equipment. There was a question of telephone lines a need for another outside line and for adequate internal lines. On the same evening the Greenford Grouped Governing Body of Secondary Schools met later to consider the needs expressed and to advise the new Governing Body for the High School. An announcement that did not augur well for the future was made that the proposed redecorations at Greenford promised for the summer of 1974 were deferred until '75/76 as cuts in the revenue had to be made reorganisation was proving very expensive! Miss Smith Bows Out Miss M. Smith gave her last Report to the Governors as Head of Greenford Grammar School in which she expressed disappointment at some examination results for '72/73 believing them to be a result of truancy and absence which was also noted elsewhere in the Borough. She then listed the School's achievements in sporting activities. Miss Smith was thanked for her valuable services. In July the Old Scholars attended a Dinner organised by Mr D. Cheshire to mark the end of Greenford as a Grammar School while expressing the determination that the Association should continue to keep past pupils and staff in touch with each other and with the School. On July 26th 1974 Miss Smith retired as Headmistress and Greenford County Grammar School ceased to exist. page 66