"A very un-special relationship"

First some background : I was at my second primary school as we had moved following my father’s promotion. It left me, as soon as I opened my mouth, as an out of place northern lad in a southern school. Further, I was in the bottom ‘C’ grade though one teacher did tell me that he had suggested to the headmaster to move me up to ‘B’ grade, however, the headmaster and I had a very un-special relationship.
 
Studying for the 11+ : One morning the class was told that we had to go to the Hall. This left me wondering as it was not time for Assembly or PE. It turned out to be to sit the 11+. 

The exam left me confused with questions involving, if I recall correctly, references to mice, mouse and elephants. Presumably, the ‘intelligence’ part of the exam. Not surprising, I failed  with the news of my failure coming via a letter to my parents.

The secondary school was much tougher on discipline. With the cane in regular use and the school ‘crawling’ with prefects ready to inform on any misdemeanours. School was firm but fair with no problems with bullying.

A further promotion for my father resulted in another change of school. The new school seemed to major on indiscipline and indifference. No corporal punishment but rampant bullying. Their expectations seemed to match my own that of no great expectations.

Against my wishes, my father made me stay on to take CSE’s. By now I kept a very low profile at school trying to keep out of sight and out of mind of both teachers and bullies. 

After the exams, I was called to the Deputy Head’s office, a man I had only ever seen at assemblies. A call to the head’s office was something which given my past history, left me somewhat concerned. He informed me I had achieved 4 CSE Grade 1, a first for a boy at the school which I would say, says rather more about the school than me. He rambled on about being misjudged and the school letting me down or some such. I didn’t take a great deal of notice at the time. I was not in trouble again and more importantly, I was leaving school. Hallelujah!

Did my primary school headmaster misjudge me in part because of my strong northern accent and set my course? Who or what decided that I was ‘C’ grade material and therefore 11+ notification was not required, let alone any prep? Presumably, we were all expected to fail and no doubt met those expectations.

What you did not realise at the time was that a secondary school education led to a job(s). Whereas, for a career you needed to go to a grammar school and then to university. What we did think was that the grammar school was where the ‘posh’ boys went.

Richard.

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"None of you will get there"

I was always regarded as slow at Primary school. 

We were put into rows according to how bright we were. I was always in the last or last but one row. I remember how it always seemed that the posh kids were in the higher rows.

I went to a Lancashire Seconday Modern in the mid 70s. My parents put it down as first choice of school rather than a Grammar, when I asked them why, my mum simply said "that's where you are going". They had never known anyone who had gone to a Grammar. I thought that their choice was odd until I was about 14 and I told Paul (one of my best friends, who was also excellent at maths) and he said. "My parents did the same". It was just totally outside of their experience to send their children to a Grammar. They had no idea of the curriculum there, and it was probably for the best. I would have been really uncomfortable there.

I was slow in learning to read at Primary, but at the age of about 8 or 9 something clicked and I read everything I could get my hands on. In the summer holidays I would sometimes read a book a day from the library (now closed). I've long suspected that I might be slightly dyslexic, I remember a biology teacher saying "you're just one of those people who can't spell".

Another teacher explained the qualifications system from CSEs to University degrees but, he added, "none of you will get there". I could never have told anyone at the time that I would eventually want to go to university, but I felt it as a real blow.

It was a tough school, racism and homophobia was part of the accepted fabric of the place- as it was of society and the time generally. I was in the A steam and usually towards the top of it. When O levels came along I asked for extra chemistry lessons (to support the biology I was so keen on) and I managed to gather a clutch of boys interested. However I was soon later hit by a van in a traffic accident and missed most of the work coming up to exams.

I left with a CSE grade 1 (equal to an O level) in English Literature (the lessons weren't much good, but I'd read the books on the curriculum list from the school library). I also got O levels in biology and history. My favourite subjects then and now. It wasn't much in the way of qualifications, but most of my friends had just a few low grade CSEs.

I went onto various factory jobs and two years as a dustman, while I took additional O levels, A levels and some OU courses, before getting into University.

Anonymous.  

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