The history of secondary education in Sheffield 1902-39.

In 1902 there were only two schools for boys and one for girls
which afforded secondary education in Sheffield. On the advice of
Michael Sadler the l. e. a. took over and amalgamated the boys' schools
to form a first rank grammar school (King Edward's) and converted the
Central Higher Elementary School into a secondary school. Despite the continuing
glaring paucity of secondary places no further provision was
made before"1918 when one new school for boys and one for girls were
opened in converted mansions. In 1927 a further boys' school was instituted
but all three had to function in highly unfavourable premises until 1939.
Extensions and conversions did little to improve matters but in 1933 the
Central Secondary Schools (which had become separate boys' and girls'
schools before 1914) were re-housed in purpose-built premises in the
suburbs, thus permitting the Pupil-Teacher Centre, which had shared their
old, cramped city-centre site, to expand and complete its transformation
into a secondary school.
During the previous decade, in yet another instance of parsimony,
four elementary schools had been converted into Intermediate Schools whose
pupils, like their secondary counter-parts were required to take the
School Certificate in four years. The pressure on pupils and teachers
was, thus, extremely great, yet results in public examinations were above
the national average, and the records of the Central_S. S. and King Edward's
in sending boys to university were outstanding.
The Authority's attitude towards the two Catholic secondary
schools was niggardly; and generally it failed to press the cause of
secondary education with vigour. However, in 1918 it did take a pioneering
step and abolished fees in all its secondary schools except King Edward's,
though Whitehall insisted on their re-imposition in the 1930s.