My Old School

Discovered that my old infant school were having their Summer Fair today, so went along to have a look. There was lots going on: bouncy castle, pony rides, barbecue, lucky dips, face-painting, cake stalls, etc. The school itself has changed surprisingly little since I was there in the early 1960s; I could still see the classroom I was in during my last year at Junior School, on the same site.

Both the Infant and Junior School were excellent. The headmaster at my Junior School was passionate about music and we used to enter for the Ashbourne Festival each year in various categories, including choral speech - a great confidence booster, and many of the pieces we learned still come back to mind from time to time (like R L Stevenson's From A Railway Carriage). It was only in my last couple of terms that the pressures of the 11-plus exam loomed large; otherwise, my memories are of having time to explore, discover and be fascinated by the world of knowledge as it unfolded for me.

I am constantly grateful for having had such opportunities, and glad that I was able to make the most of them - even though I took them for granted at the time and just assumed that's what all schools were like, then and forever!