| AdminHistory | With the appointment of the new Education Committee in April 1903, the Technical Schools Committee (see BCC/1/BC) was abolished and responsibility for technical instruction and care of the Municipal Technical School on Suffolk Street was transferred to the new Education Committee. The Technical Education and Evening Schools Sub-Committee was consequently founded in April 1903 as one of the initial six standing sub-committees appointed by the Education Committee. Alderman RF Martineau, previously Chairman of the Technical Schools Committee since 1890, was elected Chairman of the Technical Education and Evening Schools Sub-Committee. As for all standing sub-committees the chairman of the Education Committee was ex-officio a member of this sub-committee.
The duties of the sub-committee were outlined by the Education Committee at their first meeting. It was to enquire into the provision of technical education and evening schools and classes, other than Teachers’ classes; to act as Managers of the Municipal Technical School on Suffolk Street and of the evening schools and classes; to oversee the supply of teaching staff to the schools and classes as detailed; and to arrange visits to the evening schools for the Managers of Day Schools whose classes were held in the same premises. Other aspects of higher education were addressed by the Higher (later Secondary) Education Sub-Committee (see BCC/1/BH/3/1), the Continuation Schools Sub-Committee (see BCC/1/BH/13/1) and the School of Art Sub-Committee, for which no records have been located.
The sub-committee embarked on the extension of higher technical educational provision, and with the extension of the city boundaries in 1911 six established Technical Schools came under the control of the Education Committee. The Technical Schools in during this period included the Municipal Technical School, Suffolk Street, the Municipal School of Commerce, Handsworth Technical School, Aston Technical School and Sparkhill Technical Institute.
The Municipal Technical School offered full time and part time classes in chemistry, pharmacy, physics, mathematics, electrical, structural and mechanical engineering and instruction in the retail and bakery trades. The technical colleges at Handsworth and Aston also offered senior technical instruction with classes in engineering, metallurgy, chemistry, physics, domestic science and commerce. Handsworth Technical School also housed the Handsworth Junior Day Technical School providing junior technical instruction for boys from the age of 12½ -13½ years. In its role as a junior institution rather than as a provider of senior technical education the Technical College was administered until November 1920 by the Junior Day Technical School Sub-Committee (see BCC/1/BH/12/1).
When this sub-committee was not re-appointed, responsibility for the school was referred for a short period to the Elementary Education Sub-Committee (see BCC/1/BH/2/1). In November 1922 it was decided more appropriate to transfer control of the Handsworth Junior Day Technical School from the Elementary Education Sub-Committee to the Higher Education Sub-Committee as the school provided for the instruction of pupils beyond the age of 14 years and the Elementary Education Sub-Committee, and the Higher Education Sub-Committee were given new orders of reference (see BCC/1/BH/3/1) The records of the Handsworth Boys' Technical School 1919 - 1927 are also held by Birmingham City Archives, catalogue reference S 257.
In January 1927 the Municipal, Handsworth and Aston Technical Schools became recognised by the Board of Education as ‘Colleges of Further Education’ in view of the Board’s revised Regulations for Further Education, 1926, and the institutions were renamed the Birmingham Central Technical College, Handsworth Technical College and Aston Technical College respectively. By a later Instrument of Government of 1950 the Central Technical College constituted its own Governing Body to make recommendations on the appointment of staff, grading of posts and the like, and the College became known as the College of Technology, Birmingham (see BCC/1/BH/17/1 for the records of this governing body). The new College of Technology Gosta Green site eventually opened in 1955 and later became Aston University in 1964.
The Municipal College of Commerce, later known as the Birmingham College of Commerce, offered full time and part time day classes and primarily part time evening courses in subjects such as secretarial work, economics, languages and business administration to persons over 17 years employed in commercial professions. The records of Cromwell Street [Commercial] Evening School, Nechells 1895 - 1915, are also held at Birmingham City Archives, catalogue reference S 55.
Evening Institutes also fell under the jurisdiction of the Technical Education and Evening Schools (later Further Education) Sub-Committee with provision for both juniors and adults aged 17 years and over. Courses ranged from technical and commercial to domestic and recreational programmes, and the range of subjects increased to meet demand. Birmingham Athletic Institute was also administered as a ‘special’ evening institute, and its records are held at Birmingham City Archives, catalogue reference MS 1468. Other records of interest held at Birmingham City Archives include those of the Barford Road Evening School 1891 - 1910 (S 14), the Lower Windsor Evening School, Birmingham 1889 - 1923 (S 230) and Loxton Street Evening School, Birmingham 1889 - 1910 (S 231).
The Education Act of 1918 required local education authorities to provide Continuation Schools which were intended to provide a general, usually with a vocational emphasis, form of education for one day a week for young people whose elementary education had finished at 14 or 15 years. The legislation reflected a concern for the disruption to juvenile employment and industrial training caused by the First World War. A Continuation Schools Sub-Committee was appointed in 1918 but when it was not re-appointed in 1922 Day and Evening Continuation Schools came under the jurisdiction of the Technical Education and Evening Schools Sub-Committee which was given new orders of reference. The oldest and largest of the centres was the Bournville Day Continuation School. Employees were released from work for perhaps one day a week to attend these schools and some young people not in employment also attended. Other records of interest held at Birmingham City Archives include those of the Nechells Evening Continuation School 1891 - 1910 (S 138) and the Wattville Road Evening Continuation School, Handsworth 1915 (S 211).
The Central School of Arts and Crafts in Margaret Street, known as the College of Arts and Crafts from 1937, and then as the College of Art and Design from 1966, provided day and evening classes. The college was administered by the School of Art Sub-Committee who administered most of the instruction in art subjects. No records have been located for the School of Art Sub-Committee, but there are reports printed in the minutes of the Education Committee (see BCC/1/BH/1/1), while the records of the Governing Body of the College of Art and Design are also held at Birmingham City Archives (see BCC/1/BH/19/1).
The 1944 Education Act introduced the three stage educational system of primary education, secondary education and further education. Further education now included technical, commercial and art education (excluding the junior technical, commercial and art schools), the County Colleges (many of which developed out of the evening institutes), and Adult Education organisations such as the University. Interest in the development of further education was reflected in the formation of a West Midlands Advisory Council for Adult Education in 1944 alongside the already existing West Midlands Advisory Council for Further Education. With the development in provision of higher level technical and commercial education and availability of courses comparable to degree level it was resolved to change the title of the Technical Education and Evening Schools Sub-Committee to the Further Education Sub-Committee from June 1953. |