Reply With QuoteI feel exactly the same, I should have tried harder at school, I was lazy and if I could go back in time I’d be having a good strong few words with myself.Originally Posted by Linocut
My old secondary school is about 20 miles away and if I'm in the area I always make a point of passing it. They used to let you walk around if you introduced yourself at reception but of course those days are gone.
I feel a real mix of nostalgia, affection and regret, lots of happy memories but also a feeling that I somehow didn't take advantage of the opportunities available, at the time I just wanted to leave and get away from the place but I think I'd like to have a word with my 15 year-old self and tell him to stick it out for a while and take the chip off his shoulder!
I feel exactly the same, I should have tried harder at school, I was lazy and if I could go back in time I’d be having a good strong few words with myself.
Genuinely we have a FB website called I survived Frank Wheldon. That should speak volumes!
RIAC
I have fond memories and the only issues with my education were down to me, I had opportunities but didn’t always take the right options.
I’ve been around the grounds a few times when it’s been shut and I enjoy seeing how it’s evolved.
"education is wasted on the young." Somebody famous.
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My old school was levelled back in the early 00s to make way for a housing estate. Pretty glad about that tbh, hated the bloody place and couldn't wait to leave.
My memories are filled with aggressive arsehole teachers, a bully of a PE teacher that if you were unlucky enough to have 2 left feet would berate and pick on you in front of everybody. Luckily i was ok but sadly some of my mates got the full brunt of it.
I loathed my school and the only memories I have of the first few years were of vindictive headteacher who made my life a misery at the age of 11-12.
The upper school wasn’t much better and was staffed by a mixture of incompetents, drunks and at least one with a drug problem.
There were 4-5 of them in particular who would shoot out of the car park every single lunch and head straight to the nearest pub. It was always great fun being in one of their lessons afterwards, said absolutely nobody.
The fact quite a few of my friends have gone on to have quite brilliant careers was very much in spite of attending that place. Quite proud to have been the first person from my family to have gone on to university too.
Fond memories of the friends made and opportunities offered in later life. I will always be grateful for those years
Head master (at a fee paying school) suggested to me that I should do something vocational vs A levels. Was condescending to my parents as didn't think I was good enough to be there / they were wasting money.
Enjoyed, by accident, meeting his daughter in a club one night (she kept asking where I went to school, so looking back clear issues!)
Enjoyed collecting her from his 'staff' house in my last few months of 6th form & nothing he could do.
Even more so when I had left, she invited me to his croquet afternoon, where I called him by his first name just because I could and he hated it.
School work wise, yes, I should have applied myself more, but equally think we were not taught relevant things such as compound interest vs Pythagoras theorem, one of which has served no useful purpose; let alone the stuff I had to learn in my degree about eg sizing a heat exchanger.
Ditto; I did ok academically but regret not doing more in sports and activities.
Wonderful memories, I stayed on at sixth form too so was there from the age of 11-18. My closest friends I still see now regularly are from school. I’ve been best man for 3 friends of school, and two of them were best men for me , and the rest of my grooms men were from school. The teachers really cared and were enthusiastic about teaching. They knew your parents , siblings . A few stayed in touch after I left . Great place I was in school 92-99 . State school in North London called Ashmole .
Last edited by eagletower; 9th August 2023 at 22:25.
Ha!
Dunno, was your school described by the education secretary as a sink hole school on a sink hole estate??
Similar to a number of posts; should have made more of the opportunity. Parents sacrificed a lot for my brother and I to attend the school we did.
Me, more interested in hunting, shooting and fishing (which I now have no interest in), and the distractions of Young Farmers.
Still, probably still set me up well for what I've achieved since, so my recollections of school become more fond as the years go by.
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Loved my school. Had some great teachers who really had an influence on my life.
Sadly it was closed down and demolished in the 00's but I still frequently pass the area and look at the grounds with fond memories.
Before they closed it finally they held open days for ex pupils. Three generations of my family went there, some of us fortunate enough to have had the same teachers.
My brother and I went to ghe open day, they were giving any and everything away - desks, chairs, books etc. I picked up a copy of Flowers for Algernon (one of the most significant books I've ever read) and it had the school stamp in too.
We finished up tearing through the corridors just like the old days and 'feeling' the spirit of the place one last time with absolutely no area out of bounds.
Quite emotional really. It brings a tear to my eye thinking about it.
Nothing at all - I barely remember going and never think about it.
I rather enjoyed school. I was skipper of the rugby club, played 1st XI cricket and was county 400m and long jump / triple jump champion, also did well academically despite being rather dyslexic (they didn’t help back then, you were put at the back of the class) with a bit of help I would have aced all subjects. (God I am good)
I am still best mates with my best mates from school and we see each other almost weekly, our partners are also good friends.
Strangely a member here posted a picture of the road my school is on whilst discussing a completely different subject a few months back, so it’s a small world.
It taught me how to survive...you can't underestimate that. I left school with 4 very good A levels & studied Dentistry at University. But the time that my mate asked me to guard the bog door while he had a shite was an equally good lesson in life. "Bull" Runek barged in with a Machete down his trousers, proceeded to kick in every cubicle door &, when he reached my mates cubicle it revealed him sat on the bog with his trousers around his ankles. Bull exclaimed 'ow there's a lad in here w*nking his arse! Meanwhile I had sauntered off. Afterwards my mate said to me "Why didn't you stop him?"....FFS, it was Bull!
Now my own son can't even have a snowball fight, make a slide when it's icy, or play conkers when he's at school...all the fun has been risk assessed out of existence.
Afterthought....I never EVER had a shite at school....it was just too dangerous!
!
Last edited by trident-7; 9th August 2023 at 22:26. Reason: afterthought
I pass by two of my old schools. One was OK, but the other. Had an Ahole of a gym teacher. Short on height and took it out on the students. For some reason. other was also short, but treated all his students fairly and was well liked.
Started skipping his class in my second year
That's weird, I don't remember writing this. Must have done. Huh.
My Catholic high school (1965) was torn down a couple years ago to build a new, modern school. Enrollment is only 1/3 now vs the post-war baby boom years...but they are more accomplished students than we were.
vs new
I enjoyed it but didn't work hard enough. Thought I was clever but was v.average. I was surrounded by smart people who I realised actually put the work in. Also had some lovely girls but I was a late starter in that dept.
Overall, I have quite positive memories of it.
It really was crap (objectively so, according to the league tables) but I did enough academic work to get into a top university (Imperial). Maybe I'm not the "stupid man" suggested in another thread...
As a few have said, being in sports teams made as much difference to my enjoyment as anything else.
Coincidentally, it was my 30yr reunion a couple of weeks ago. Enjoyed that too.
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More or less my view. I was happy to leave, went to college and then into a career in IT which turned out OK
I do drive past my old school regularly as my mother still lives in the area, but other than wondering what friends from the time ended up doing, It elicits no feelings.
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Mixed but mostly fond memories.
I thought my education was rather poor, but judging by the spelling and grammar used on social media these days I appear to have lucked out!
I just don't think about the past - once something is over (good or bad), it's over.
I lived next to the school so see it every time I visit my parents.
Conflicted...On the first day we were all sent home with a letter for the parents to sign giving their consent that we could be physically chastised if an offence was deemed sufficiently serious...The Headmaster displayed a fine grasp for the torturers sensibilities, a way with inspiring fear in small and not so small children...The Snr Masters wore their black graduation capes all the time, they'd flap around the aged institutional halls like creatures from a nightmare, gigantic crows. Canings I had a few, none of them really deserved as I never threw the first punch...although I suppose when 6 of us got whacked with a hockey stick for playing hockey in class on a rainy day using a plimsoll for a ball, might be argued we earned it...The Head took his time and tested everyone's hockey stick, taking a few practice swings before choosing the best one and marching us down the long walk to his office for the punishment. It was protocol to say ''Thank You Sir'' when you were dismissed.
Nonetheless I played all sports for the school, the exception being cricket and took the Victor Ludorum for my final sports day achievements. We did have some good teachers, though the careers guidance I've since felt was woeful.
I think the place has since gone quasi /fully private with a boarding part, it was a standard grammar when I attended.
Last edited by Passenger; 10th August 2023 at 12:26.
Happiest day of my life ( almost ) was leaving St Greg’s hellhole .
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I went to a school that is regularly in the top 10 of schools in the UK.
It was an academic hothouse and fee paying.
My parents sent my other two brothers to different private schools, because it would have been terrible school for their academic/learning needs. They are just different people to me.
Interestingly one of them is a commercial helicopter pilot, and the other sells Superyachts for a living now !!
The school was exactly what I needed and pushed me all the way to my limits.
50% of the school went on to Oxford or Cambridge, but they had incredible sports too.
I think it costs £18,000/yr now, but I left in 1993, so it would have been about the same then adjusted
This is waaaaay off the Eton/etc fees and it definitely did better for it's pupils.
I was very lucky to be able to go there, but I worked blimmin blimmin hard to achieve what I have done in my life.
I send my kids now to a selective school and I have chosen the school specifically, not put them in the local state school.
Don't judge me please.
I think all male private school made me into a strange (not bad) animal aged 18 (well aged 17 actually because I was a year ahead and went to medical school early), but I worked hard to undo this in my twenties and turn into a balanced person.
Last edited by The Doc; 10th August 2023 at 13:47.
Pretty decent memories of my old Grammar school.
I was bone idle (nothing's changed there then) except in subjects I liked but I thoroughly enjoyed the "mixed" element of the school, some lovely girls there - and the swimming pool.
All the teachers wore gowns and the regime was very strict, got the cane but that's how it was back then. Still have a pal I attended the school with even now.
Like many others it was demolished in this century for a housing development.
Cheers,
Neil.
yes to all this !! Apart from the career guidance, my school was awesome at this and the parents all mucked in to get people good advice and good jobs (in the city!!)
I won Victor Ludorum once in my whole attendance. ! Once.
I also got a school prize presented to me by Stephen Hawking once and Achbishop Tutu the next year.
My prep school was super expensive and there were regularly Ferrari's picking up pupils on Saturday at lunchtime.
I went to school once or twice in a Bentley, because the chap in the next door village sent his kids their and had one.
Weird
Last edited by The Doc; 10th August 2023 at 13:22.
Weird as you note that we share some commonalities. Culturally my humble Lincolnshire Grammar aped the practices of the posh fee paying schools. We had the Prefecture system also to help maintain discipline in the younger children.
I perforce took the bus and then walked the remaining distance to school for 7 years.
I went to school in Cambridgeshire, so I've probably run cross-country at yours in the 80s/90s !!
Dutch system works differently but I have mixed memories. The first and last part were great. In the middle not so…
I was home-schooled by my mom for the first 2.5 yrs. Back then, absolutely forbidden but we lived remote near the sea and no-one checked. That changed when we moved to another house.
I ended up on a village school. Let’s say that their didactical skills were above par, the paedagogics (correct term??) were far below par. Looking back after 40yrs teaching and leading school teams, I would have sacked all teachers, one by one.
At 12 y/o I started at the highest possible level of Dutch at a secundary education school. I’d never learned to study and, oh surprise, I was ‘degraded’ step-by-step. Until I wanted to get out and found myself a new school at the agenof 16. Something of an ‘odd-ball’ school: last two years of secundary education only, followed by a ‘organic’ transfer to the university. In my class: potential athletes, potential top-musicians, kids from ballet school, kids getting ready to go to art school.
The school was in the middle of the city center of
Rotterdam. I had the time of my life!
HA quite possibly...small world sometimes isn´t it.
I wrote a long answer to this question and realised I probably need counselling.
Thank you for asking the question!
The truth is that my school's influence sneaked up on me.
I'm not a natural team player, don't much care for tradition and am bewildered by patriotism. So when I arrived on the first day and saw DVLCE ET DECORVM EST PRO PATRIA MORI in large letters at the front of the school hall I figured I'd never fit in with the hearty types who joined the CCF, played rugby and talked about the Christmas trip their family had had in Gstaad. I was a poor kid, father originally a miner, and I'd sneaked in on a scholarship to a school that's just about to turn 500 years old. Fish out of water doesn't begin to describe it.
Despite my best efforts, I walked away having fully absorbed the school motto of discendo duces - by learning you will lead - and although I never really thought about it until a few decades back, I realise that my school set me up for life far better than I appreciated at the time. We were encouraged to think, told never to accept statements at face value and treated as intelligent young men who deserved an answer if we could be bothered to ask the question. We were trained to be leaders and, when I think of my contemporaries, that's pretty much what we all became.
I'm not sure that I much enjoyed it, but I have to - grudgingly - respect the institution.
I had a great time at school - apparently the smallest grammar school in England at the time (60s/70s 160-180 pupils) with a boarding wing (mostly farmers sons and forces sons). I didn't work hard enough but enjoyed the sporting and academic sides. But most importantly (to me) I made a number of great friends with whom I am in regular contact and meet those that live in this country regularly. My closest group of school friends numbers eight and we have all done ok in life. Seven of us are in 40+ year marriages, whilst one divorced but is happily remarried, six of us have retired whilst two continue to work because they continue to enjoy it. No captains of industry but I think it's fair to say that we are just ordinary, content individuals - I think our school played an important part in helping us achieve that. I feel genuinely saddened to read some of the accounts of others' experiences in this thread - I really would have hated such a start, but all credit to you for coming out the other side.
I must have been lucky judging by earlier comments in this thread. I failed my 11+, football, cricket and athletics were far more important to a young lad; so I was sent to the only option available for 'failures' a Secondary Modern! And I'm glad I did.
The teachers at my school were nothing short of phenomenal, (with the exception of one who was a bully - but that in itself taught me how to handle bullies; the Rugby and Football pitches were ideal places for giving better than I got in the Teachers v Boys games). The amount of time teachers gave, freely back then, to extra curricular activities was excellent; both after school and at weekends with the various clubs they ran - even to the point of using their own vehicles at their own expense to take us hiking and camping at weekends or during school holidays. The education side was excellent too, though we had to stay on an additional year to sit our GCSE's as opposed to the Grammar and Tech schools my peers went to. Having said that, I was put in for one exam a year earlier because I had a natural ability in the subject - woodwork - something I didn't really enjoy but could do rather well for some strange reason. And I ended up with more GCSE's than any of my male peers who went to those 'better' schools - some of the girls did do better though.
Like Longblackcoat above, schooling fitted me out for life quite well and from humble beginnings I've held a number of rather senior positions both work wise and outside of work.
Did I enjoy my schooling? You bet I did.
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
Survived Lyndon Comprehensive 77-82. Never looked back or went back and the less reflection on it the better. Shocking place.
Carved out a successful career in the Oil Industry despite that place and in no way because of it.
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Very contrasting reply’s and probably the majority of people on this thread are reasonably successful in life .. I was called a thick cabbage and worse by teachers . It leaves scars .. and I was not a problem pupil .. but because of my experience I was very careful about the schools I sent my children to
They had a very different experience and are successful in business and so far life ..
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Hated it. Was bullied relentlessly, school's answer was "to stand up for myself".
Grandma used to tell me that my schooldays were the happiest days of my life. If I'd have believed her, I probably would have contemplated suicide. Thankfully I hoped for a better life as an adult, and happily it has been so.
There were some good teachers, but some appalling ones too.
The actual building was quite nice, in a mid-20th century way. I appreciated that more when I was older. Now they've peppered the site with modern buildings and seem to be having houses built on the playing field. It's rather vile now.
Oh, to think I used to sit on the playing field and watch the goings-on at the colliery in the distance. Both gone now.
My experience has naturally formed my views .. anti school uniforms and so on .. the sooner children learn life is not fair or equal .. the sooner they will embrace education ..
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School was ok and if I’m honest, I could have worked much harder. One thing I realised later in life, there were no study skills taught eg how to revise, how to time manage an exam. Exam pass papers were given which generally I would fly through but I was doing these at almost leisure at home and not exam timed conditions.
The teachers were generally fine but not very inspiring.
The only thing I hated in school was sports. Once the PE teacher had a go and I replied I wasn’t interested in football and didn’t want to be a footballer. If it was cold and wet, I’d rather be inside.
Apart from the levelling it sounds like we could have gone to the same school!
I think well of Liskeard Grammar, although the lessons learnt had no bearing on my life until I joined a pub quiz team.
I never met any ancient Romans, so Latin seemed irrelevant, yet when 30 years later I started vacationing in France I was amazed at how well I could converse with the indigenous population following my French lessons, though the interest at the time stemmed more from lusting after the teacher than a desire to master the language.
Je parle trés bien le Francais mal.
I paid little attention to woodwork ( I wanted to do domestic science but was not allowed) but paradoxically that was what I spent most of my working life doing.
I had a good grounding in sport, built up a core group of schoolfriends who formed almost all of my social life at the time and who still meet regularly.
It burnt to the ground later. At a school reunion a strange ex-pupil appeared claiming to be the one who torched it.
This echoes my feelings towards my old secondary school. I live round the corner from it and apparently it's vastly improved. I highly doubt it, and I would rather bankrupt myself and send my children to private school than send them there.
I'd like to meet some of my old teachers, who would constantly put me down and make sly casual-racism digs at me. Especially my geography teacher who told my parents I would do average at best; I would give anything now to meet him and prove him that I'm doing anything but average at best, but he's most likely 6 feet under by now.
Last edited by MrBanks; 11th August 2023 at 10:55.
Strange reading many posts here that many people (most even) think that teachers are underpaid.
As for my school, was okay I suppose, mixed bag of teachers but I did very well due to my own hard work.
Didn’t keep in touch with anyone.
My school was demolished about 10 years ago. New one built in its place.
Some miserable/bully teachers some excellent.
Still have good friends I made there even in my mid 50s.
I quite enjoyed my time at Junior High and Senior high just south of Glasgow.
Both now demolished for new buildings.
The boys learned to avoid the Headmaster at Williamwood High School (Alexander Thain)
Several girls sadly did not manage to avoid the attention of the music teacher at Eastwood High. (William Wright- recently released, hope he continues to suffer)
Ha ha, this rang a bell.
I quite liked PE, but found (and still do) cricket a total waste of precious time.
In my school, a comprehensive, we cycled through swimming, athletics and cricket in the warmer months (cross country, football and rugby in the colder ones) and one particular day, I requested to be sent to swimming or athletics instead of cricket. They refused, so. It took to doing nothing at all when fielding (although that is pretty much what you do most of the time anyway), after the rest of the students and the teacher watched the ball roll past me a few times, I was sent to join the athletics group again and went on to compete for the school at county level.
Petulant child? Maybe, but by the age of 14 or 15 you can judge if you enjoy cricket or not and I'd had to choose my academic subjects, so why was a game forced on me?
M
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