I was placed in classes 1A (1953) and 2A (1954). In my first year, these two first photos, I think, were done in spring of 1954.
The
photo on the left was in London in a park (I don’t know which park), and
I don’t know who the two teachers were.
The photo below is Les Northover
(left in the photo); Richard Pearson (I think) in the middle, and Roger
Gibbins (on the right).
In the third year, I was streamed into the T stream (academic), but I
did significantly worse in that year than in either of the previous two
years. I remained a promising student for the first two years, but
then I went down hill. So my mother (and me) asked the headmaster
that I could go in the G (general) stream. He agreed, so I started
in the G4 (1956), and then I was in G5 (1957). I left at the end
of 1958.
In my fourth year (1956 – G4), one of the teachers did a photo of this class (main picture below). I’m on the left side of the photo next to Roger Gibbins. In the middle at the back, next to the boy in white sports gear (no jacket), is this David (skinny) Wright? (staring out, not staring down). The kneeling boy in a grey jacket was Brian Woods.
In 1957, I asked to do Chemistry and Physics to get these “O” levels (The G stream didn’t allow those two courses). The headmaster said no, but he allowed me to sit the “Chemistry & Physics” “O” level with Mr Matthias. So, I think he (Matthias) worked in Chemistry and Physics. Also, Jack Linnell – my favourite teacher – said my Technical Drawing was good so I did my “O” in the first term of my fifth year (1957).
