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Posted by Chris Simpson on October 2, 2006, 12:06 pm I was at Skinners school during the 1970's, I was probably the naughtiest boy in school, well one week I managed to accrue seven Saturday detentions. I remember going to the Masters' common room and trying to get each teacher in turn to let me off the detentions with the sad tale of how many I had to do which worked quite well for some time until one clever master happened to ask another what was going on as they passed each other in the common room, dammit. I was so naughty in Science that I got kicked out of the class, there was nowhere to kick me to so I had to go into the alpha set where I might add I did rather well and got B's for my 'O' levels, and even an A in Biology. Even so I know now that I should not have neglected my education but hindsight would make generals of us all now wouldn't it? Well I pretty much remember the role call each morning from my first year, I was in 1 red with Mr Bailey who was an old sea dog. Here goes, if you are on the list please post something: The headmaster when I joined was Cecil Beeby, here are some masters I remember: Mr Morris (Art), Mr Jones (Maths), Mr Jennings (Woodwork), Mr Bailey (Geography), Mr Neville (Maths), Mr Craven (Maths), Mr Holding (Chemistry), Mr Fitzwater (Physics), Mr Sinfield (English), Mr Whittam (English), Mr Rowbottom (RE), Mr Wells (deputy head), Mr Belcher (Geography), Mr O'Brien (History), Mr Gosling (English), actually there are a few more I remember by nick-names (but I'm not going to publish them here) and of course by their faces. Looking back I realize now I must have caused some of these chaps quite a lot of trouble but then boys will be boys won't they? I realize now having sent my own son through a pretty good state school in Warwickshire what a good school Skinners was and how really we were given an excellent education and brought up in a safe and happy environment by men (and women) who cared about their work. I am eternally grateful. I went on to gain a high class honours degree in philosophy from the University of Warwick, Martin West and Simon Banks were also there at the same time as me. Nowadays I live in the Heart of England near Leamington Spa and teach T'ai Chi courses and publish books and so forth on Taoist philosophy for my T'ai Chi Association of which I am the head teacher. I will have to dig through my papers and see if I can't come up with some more names from my old school reports and the little red book we were given when we joined the school. If any of you remember me or any of the names I have mentioned (apologies if I have left you out, I can picture a great many faces but can't put names to them) then please add a reply to this post.
Well I had a sudden attack of nostalgia whilst sitting at my computer this morning and it has brought me here.
Bacon, Banks, Barden, Blair, Epstein, Evans, Golding, Gresty, er...
Well I thought I did, it was thirty years ago, here are some names I remember:
Steve Hardy, Mike Figgett (Spike), Doug Gibson, Paul Martin, Paul Barden, Simon Banks (head boy, sadly deceased), Ivan Pope, Dave MacTear, well a lot of us only knew each other by our surnames: West, Billings, Trewit, Owen-Willians, Rodgers, Jennings, O'Hanlon, Pilbeam, Stemp, Hayes,..
I'm afraid I don't remember many of the names of the 'boffs' who were in the alpha forms. I have the little red book tucked away somewhere, I'll see if I can dig it out and put up some more names.
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