Jim Schofield was the abusive father of tragic schoolgirl Susan Schofield, who was hit and killed by a bus outside Bessie Street School in 1964.
Father of three, Jim constantly beat Susan and his wife May. When lollipop man Albert Tatlock befriended the schoolgirl in November 1962, he began to notice the constant bruises on Susan. At first, Susan was afraid to open up, but when her dad hit her for burning his tea, she ran away from home and turned up at Albert's door, telling the pensioner the truth about how she got her bruises. Albert persuaded Susan to go back home for the sake of her younger brothers, who relied upon her, and in exchange he promised to confront Jim and make sure the beatings stopped.
Jim wasn't at home when Albert dropped Susan off but caught sight of the pensioner as he was leaving. This led him to assume that May was entertaining strangers. Knowing that the truth would set her husband off, May told him that Albert was returning Susan's schoolbag, a tale Susan herself contradicted at the breakfast table the following morning. May then admitted the real reason for Albert's visit and that he planned to confront Jim at work.
A digger, Jim was employed by the post office and was currently laying telephone cables in Coronation Street. True to his word, Albert turned up and threatened Jim with the police if he carried on hitting Susan. Tempers flared with Jim making a grab for Albert, despite his age, causing Harry Hewitt to step in and protect his neighbour.
Susan's fatal accident occurred in Rosamund Street while she was crossing the road to a temporary classroom in 1964. In summing up Susan's life, Len Fairclough commented in the Rovers Return that she'd had twelve years of utter misery, and that any tears her parents shed would be crocodile tears. Within an hour of her death, Jim visited teacher Dave Robbins, who had been leading the children across the road when Susan was hit, and berated him for the loss of his daughter.