Death of former Telford teacher at 92
A teacher and head of year at the old Dawley Secondary Modern School – later to become Phoenix comprehensive – has died at the age of 92 at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital.
Peter Dickinson started at the school in 1965 as a newly qualified teacher and retired in 1988. Phoenix School later moved to a new site in Dawley and is now called the Telford Langley School.
When he joined the school there were 460 pupils and 27 members of staff. On retirement there were 1,100 pupils and 46 staff, and many of the pupils he taught in his later years were the children of those he had taught in the 1960s and 1970s.
The subjects he taught were principally maths and Technical Drawing. He also undertook the role of industry liaison officer, making good use of his experience in industry prior to teaching as a draughtsman in the steel furniture division of GKN Sankeys based in Hadley.
He was married to Jean Dickinson, who was a teacher at Wrockwardine Wood Girls School for many years. They lived in Withington for many years, becoming heavily involved in village life. She predeceased him in 2010.
They had two sons. Roger attended Adams' Grammar School in Newport before becoming a pilot in the Royal Air Force and latterly an airline captain. John went to Phoenix and was taught by his father, and left in 1973, joining West Mercia Police and being based in Worcestershire throughout his career.
Peter moved to Droitwich in 2011 after Jean’s death to be closer to John’s family, finally residing at Rashwood Nursing Home.
The funeral is at 3pm on Friday, June 9, at the Vale Crematorium near Fladbury, Worcestershire.
