My mother, Leila Goldman, was born 12 August 1926 in Selly Park Birmingham and attended KEHS from 1937-1944. Her first cousin, Lois Freedman (née Singer) was at the school at the same time (Lois is now 95 years old and lives in London. She was London Branch Secretary for a long time.)

In 1939 the whole school was evacuated during the war to Pates Grammar School Cheltenham but returned after a year. Feeling unsafe in the city the family relocated to Hagley, again for about a year.

After leaving KEHS, Mum went to Birmingham University to train as a teacher studying English, History, Scripture and Craft. In those days the course only took two years and she taught at Turves Green Primary School until she gave birth to me in 1951, having married in 1949. My brother Mike followed in 1953, but by 1957 she was teaching again – unusual in those days to go back to full time working so quickly – in fact my brother had to go to a Nursery School of which there were not many at the time. By now she was working at Hall Green Junior School, a school my brother and I both attended after going through Infant School there. My brother was in her class for a whole year -I only had her for needlework in Top Juniors where she punished me by making me stand in the waste paper basket for talking too much!

In 1964 Mum moved to Anderton Park Primary School in Balsall Heath and in 1968 she was appointed as Deputy Head at Brookfields Primary School in Hockley. By this time Mike and I were carrying on the family tradition -he was at KES and I was at KEHS. On 31 December 1989 Mum retired after 38 years of teaching – she became acting Headteacher for her last term at the school.

Mum still lived in the house we had moved to in 1968 (for 56 years) only having to have a carer once a day for the last year of her life. She was always very active and enjoyed many holidays abroad with family. She died in the QE hospital on 8 June 2024, aged 97 years, four days after a fall at home – the first time she had been in hospital for 90 years!

She leaves two children, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Prue Davis (daughter)