INITIATION/ STARTING AT SCHOOL
& ELEVEN
PLUS
Eric Barker: "Many thanks to who helped refresh memory. No-one appears to have significantly remembered first day @ RL. I regret that having joined 4 schools, 12 jobs, the RN, got married, and had 3 kids, I remember very little of the 1st day of any of these events." I would guess the reason you don't remember much of your first day is because you fitted in easily.
I can remember the beginnings of my first day quite clearly. As a quiet child, I spent a lot of time at home during my primary school years. Any journeys away from home would have been by car, so very little experience of buses compared to some. The journey to school
was not straitghtforward by any means, so it meant going through unknown territories. I managed the journey, but I think the stress levels were already well up by the time I got to the school.
This was even worse! I had left a safe comfortable environment where everyone was only three or four inches bigger than me, and was now in a land of giants. Huge gorillas charging across the tarmac, pursuing footballs, flattening first-formers in their path, screaming in an unknown language - 'You b*st*rd! I'll get you for that, you f*ck*ng c*nt!' I made a mental note to ask the parents what it was all about when I got home. Noticing a queue forming at the blue doors, I made my way over. There were some older boys there, but when they saw me, they parted ranks and ushered me to the front. Then, as I stood there, 600 bodies behind me, the pressure started to build - and build, and build. Just as I thought it couldn't get any worse, the first bolt was opened from within, signalling the crowd to push with all their might.
The caretaker must have been used to this, because I don't remember seeing anyone there as the second bolt was released, allowing the doors to fly open. What I do remember is being carried along on the crest of a wave of exuberant gorillas. Through the entrance - turn right at the hall towards room 18 - right again towards the staircase, speed ever increasing.
It was at this point, I must have lost my presence of mind, and failed to remain upright. Perhaps I didn't see the staircase coming. Whatever happened, I ended up prostrate on the stairs while the herd of wildebeest stampeded over me. Suddenly, all went quiet, and I was alone. Mainly unhurt, I pulled myself upright. My blazer was hanging off one arm, my white shirt had some interesting step-shaped black stripes on it, and I had lost a shoe. I limped around for a bit, until a gowned master swept into view, and asked me why I was there. I don't know who it was, but he must have taken pity and helped me to look for the elusive footwear. We eventually found it at the top of the stairs. Now reunited with most of my clothing, I was able to look forward to exploring the learning opportunity of a lifetime.. (Vince Leatt)
I remember when I started at RLS having the sh*t scared out of me by older lads who hinted at the forthcoming horrors of initiation ceremonies to be undergone by first formers. It never happened to me but what about you lot? I suspect that pre-60s members may know more than those of us who went through the supposedly more sensitive and enlightened times post ' flower power '. (GAL )
What about having your head put down the bog in the old 6A hut and having the chain pulled, that was top bullying. (Steve Byrne)
The only "initiation ceremony" that I recall, was being pelted with acorns from the windows of rooms 2 - 6 on the first morning. I never experienced or heard of any bullying during my time at the school. I do remember some cad persuading me to lend him 3d for an ice cream one lunch time during my first year. He promised faithfully that he would repay it the following day. (Robert Stevens)
THE ELEVEN PLUS EXAMINATION
Ash, Everyone felt the same way as you in that chemistry was
as much 'hands on' as it was about understanding the intricate written
formulas. Trouble was Hammond couldn't be bothered (in my opinion) to supervise
30 little herberts mixing various potions up for 1
hour 20 minutes and decided that long laborious dictation was a much easier
option. Thing was, this had been happening for ages and not surprisingly young,
active, intelligent, inquisitive minds were getting bored with it. For some
reason you were elected as our spokesman and put this point to him, albeit
slightly more tactfully. His reaction was to make an example of you, which in my
mind made him a far lesser teacher than others, who could accept criticism.
(Stephen Southgate)
JPC did have some rather fixed ideas about A Level choices,
in particular his conviction that those studying Sciences could cope with 4
subjects while Arts students couldn't possibly handle more than 3. Maybe it was
because he thought Maths was so easy that it didn't require any real work. But
we've been here before - the real mistake, as I finally realised many years
later, was to have chosen Sciences over Arts in the first place. (John Bailey)
Personally, I don't think an 11-year-old from any era is capable of choosing an appropriate school: it's tough enough for parents, let alone
their children. One of my reasons for preferring comprehensive education is that it removes the need to change school if the initial choice
proved to not suit the child's
educational needs. Where the
This is going to sound patronising but... I am not sure that RLS was so out of date in the late 60s (I started teaching there in 68). Education is what you make of it, That is not a cliche but concerns the need to be proactive and seize the initiative. There were some highly talented teachers, some well ahead of their time. What I remember is some of the most intelligent and thoughtful students I have ever taught. I used Mick Hollow and his writing style, his precision and concision in a lesson even today. The 60s was very bad for its neglect of certain essentials to the learning
process. Indeed, that is what it is
a learning process, not a matter of teaching. Today's
has. I expect that there are still subversives out there who believe in the Socratic method, the need for knowledge but the far higher skill of knowing where to look for that knowledge, analyse it and apply it sensibly and sensitively to the situation. Sorry, you have touched a raw nerve. Mike Brewer, Vic Slade, Dave McClean and Colin Brennan were outstanding, as was JPC, a remarkable man. No time in this message to explain why. (Neil Tett, Teacher 68-76)
I can't buy that. I think I made the best of it, but what a limited choice. No, the school and the teachers have a direct responsibility to provide
fundamentally interesting and genuinely educational environment and courses. The raw material has to be in place to give us something of which to make. What's more, the school and teachers have to adapt to the times and needs of the pupils every bit as much as the pupils need to adapt. It isn't one way. How do you motivate anyone if every other week you humiliate him by sending him home to have his already short hair cut even shorter, then threaten to remove him from the school for his final exams if he doesn't accept this humiliation?
Just for the record, Neil, what did you think of those rules and their effect, and how did you support your pupils in this matter? Did you discuss it with JPC? What was your impression of JPC's uncompromising stance? You joined the school when there was an unprecedented exodus of top pupils to Rush Green. By 1971-2, JPC clearly started relaxing the rules. How did you experience the changes?
“..the need to be proactive and seize the initiative. There were some highly talented teachers, some well ahead of their time” Some, yes. But a Minority. There were far too many frankly boring teachers, who just droned away at the front of the class showing neither interest nor caring whether the pupils were remotely interested. Plus the violent teachers, the elite-preferential sport teachers, and all overshadowed by Coles's rules and violent, patronizing, humiliating way of treating pupils. Are you saying you didn't notice that, or have to deal with the destructive effects?
“What I remember is some of the most intelligent and thoughtful students I have ever taught” Sounds nice, but was that a majority or just chosen individuals you remember? I have to ask because far too many teachers just focused on their favourites. No disrespect meant for your own teaching style. Just curiosity.
"JPC, a remarkable man" He may have been a remarkable man, but ... it's his capacity and achievements in the roles of Headmaster and Head Teacher to the other teachers which we're bringing to question, and I'd personally say he was an abject failure. Once again, I'll add that I thought he was a thoroughly great guy as private tutor. (Ian Macauley)
In 1951 the entrance examination for the RLS and other
grammar and direct grant schools in
English - this was a straightforward test of our understanding of the basic
rules of English Grammar and comprehension. For the benefit of younger members
I should explain that the understanding of verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs,
prepositions and conjunctions together with "subject - verb - object"
were then taught at primary school.
Arithmetic (mental and written) - the mental section involved our performing
sums without being allowed to use pen and paper, the written section consisted
of a number of additions, subtractions, long multiplications and divisions and
"problems" (of the " If one man can dig 1lb of potatoes in one
minute..." style).
Composition - Write a short essay on a given topic in twenty minutes; I
suffered an early occurrence of writers block on this one writing about three
lines (I have since recovered).
General - this was the difficult cum enjoyable part of the examination; it was
an IQ test similar to those used by MENSA and similar organisations (why does a
club of self-proclaimed clever people call itself
"A Table"?).
When this was marked a statistical correction was applied to allow for the age
range of the candidates and then the top 10% (or whatever) were selected for
RLS or similar schools. There was also a smaller, lower scoring group that went
to technical schools, everybody else went to the secondary moderns.
Obviously one had little hope of passing the examination without appropriate
teaching and coaching at primary school, together with a supportive (pushing)
family.
As an afterthought, I think that the problem with that system wasn't selection
and the grammar schools but poor quality secondary moderns (see Colin Calvert's
posting of 11 May regarding his father's Herculean efforts to clean one Augean Stable).(Mike Course)
I saw my Dad last night and he confirms that when I joined RLS in 1962 the qualification was a good pass at 11+ and that, at least in my own case there was no entrance exam or interview. He did also suggest that a family connection was a useful thing to have which goes to confirm that I went to RLS on the strength of my brother's brains!! (Graham Alexander Lee)
JB 'Biffo' wrote: "...won a Scholarship in order to gain entry to RLS in 1963 (at that time he lived in Bow, and was one of only 3 kids in Bow to pass the 11+ !) ... I was very surprised, though, to hear John telling me that at least some element of this persisted until the time of Newth's retirement ...I wondered whether he was simply mistaken, but if so then why was a Scholarship required? Or was this merely a matter of money being transferred from one Education Authority to another, so that a boy from outside the area could be admitted?"
John, I kn
w what your friend means, but can't remember the name for it. After the 11+ I
also took an extra exam for Essex County Council in
There was some kind of fee transfer discussion, another one to be registered in another educational district (correct word?) and also a long discussion about ECC paying additionally for my travel costs. Perhaps it was because my family was poor. It was reviewed once more at least after 2 years - coinciding I think with the local 13+ exams. When I started at the Lib I was under the impression that I'd "won" a place there as opposed to the guys that lived there and could enter automatically. I felt very privileged for a short while to be one of the "chosen few" outsiders,.
My family used the term "won a scholarship" and I've plain forgotten whether it was the vernacular of proud parents or possibly the reality of the forms used by ECC - they made you feel like you'd won a scholarship, and might well have used that formal term in the paperwork. It might have been the Education Scholarships Board or similar that made the decisions. They had their own text on the small brown envelopes. I can't forget the excitement of opening them. Unfortunately, it was one of the few correspondences that my Mum didn't keep, otherwise Andy would have it for the Archives. If your friend lived in Bow, the LCC would probably have had to be part of the selection and approval as with the ECC. (Ian MaCauley)
The term "Passing the Scholarship" was a well known catch phrase back in those days. Indeed, it dominated our household for years. One's whole future (according to my parents anyway) depended upon passing the 11+ (the Scholarship). My father had managed to pass an examination to get into a grammar school in Poplar back in 1915 and he assured me that this was the difference between him becoming a Sub-Ed at the Telegraph and finishing up punched out as a boxer. It was drilled into me day after day "You have to pass". We took the examination I believe in May. Then, a few weeks later we were advised that the results would be mailed on on a Friday and would be in the letter boxes on the Monday mornings (for the lucky ones anyway). Ah sweet success! that Monday morning mine arrived. First choice, and the only person in the school to choose RLS. I stood at my gate before having breakfast talking to classmates as they went by.
Incredibly, of the 49 pupils from Class 1 at Chadwell Primary, forty seven passed and the other two had
interviews which they both passed at a later date. One
hundred percent for Miss Vine, a bitter, nasty spinster who knew more about how
to humble young boys than anyone since the early Roman Emperors. That Monday morning the replies were
"Ilford County High, South West Essex Tech, Romford
Tech." And for the not so lucky. "I've got
an interview", the interview being with schools such as Beal who would
actually "interview" the student and decide then if they wanted
him/her to attend, thus the pupil "passed the scholarship". For the
"unlucky" it was Mayfield in our district,