| Description | The first meeting of the Extension Committee was held on May 2nd 1906. Its role was to support the Sub-Unions in opening up new Adult Schools in suitable districts across the region, increasing membership and extending the Adult School movement. In later years, it supported schools which were struggling to retain membership or find suitable leaders, and members also took part in visiting residents of an area to encourage them to join an Adult School.
In the inter-war years, there was a concerted effort to start new schools in areas where it was felt they were needed, and a number of old schools were re-opened. With the development of large housing estates around Birmingham and the Midlands, the Committee actively campaigned to start new schools in these areas with some considerable success. Unlike the earlier Adult Schools, these tended to have a smaller membership and lessons were based around the 'Adult School Lesson Handbook' rather than classes based on a talk with hymns, prayers and readings as was the case with the longer established Adult Schools. Another new development in this period was the creation of Young People's Groups. See also MS 703/1/2/11 Midland Adult School Union Young People's Extension Committee.
After the Second World War there was a focus on establishing 'home groups' where in the absence of available public buildings for use for Adult School work, groups were set up in people's homes.
From the late 1960s, a new scheme for extension of the movement was established and the Extension Sub-committee was created in September 1967 to implement it. Field workers were allocated specific districts within the geographical area covered by the Union, in which they were to establish new schools.
There are no minutes for the years 1927 - 1934 and 1948 - 1960. |