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Findon SchoolPast StudentsNow that the School has entered the computer age with an even more spacious, comfortable and modern environment, perhaps we should pause a while and remember how things used to be. With this in mind, we set out to track down some of the 'children' who used to be at Findon School, so that they could share their memories of school life with us. Some of these 'children' are, of course, now parents and grandparents themselves, and they have seen their own children educated at their old school. How different were their experiences of school life? Here's what we found out...
Ted WoodsTed was at the school in 1935. Right up until his day, all children went to the Village School from the age of 5 to 14. Then after they left at 14 years old, they went straight out to work. There were only three classrooms in the school at that time, so just imagine ten different year groups spread out amongst three classes! The school uniform for all the boys, regardless of age or weather, was grey jumper and shorts. Ted still remembers how some of those strapping fourteen year old boys looked in their shorts: all six-footers and blue knees knocking with cold in the winter! The cold was, of course, a problem. The classrooms were in the old part of the school and difficult to heat in winter. Ted recalls how they would sneak down into the cellars under the school during playtime, as this was the warmest part of the school. When asked about any other pranks that he got up to at school, Ted shakes his head and recalls ruefully, "We didn't get up to a lot - the teachers were far too strict for that! We used to sit right under the teacher's nose on long benches either side of a desk running between - five one side and five the other". However, a twinkle comes into Ted's eye as he remembers the visits from the school Dentist! The Dentist would see all the children in the Village Hall, where any dental work was done without anaesthetic. The older children were given the job of escorting the younger ones to the Hall. "Half the school used to do a runner before they even got to the Hall", smiles Ted. Perhaps one reason that the children needed to see the dentist was as a result of the Friday Tradition, which Ted remembers fondly. Every Friday before going home, the children would line up in front of the Headmaster, Mr Thomas, who would give them each a toffee to send them on their way! Despite the cold, the cramped classrooms and the lack of most of the facilities which we enjoy today, Ted's schooldays were a very happy time. Whilst he was at the school, the 5 to 14 age system changed and he had to go to Secondary School (or "Stalag Thakeham", as he describes it!) at the age of 11. He still remembers how he cried on the day he had to leave Findon. Butch PriorButch (or Richard Prior, as the school records will remember him), comes from a family with a long tradition of Findon Village School Old Boys. His father, Richard, and grandfather, Joe, both went to the school, as did his son Michael and daughter Elizabeth. Butch was at the school between 1960 and 1971, by which time conditions had improved greatly since Ted's day. Butch is, of course, married to the school's own Mrs Judith Prior, so it would be best not to record too many of the pranks he used to get up to at school! One of Butch's fondest memories is of the free range chickens which were kept by the landlord of the Gun Inn, Alan Wyatt. The chicken run used to be on the patch of waste ground just under the conker tree. When nobody was looking, Butch and his friends would sneak around the fence and pinch all the rotten eggs. "They were better than any stink bombs!", he remembers with a grin. Butch also has a strong memory of the swimming pool being built whilst he was a pupil at the school. He remembers Ted Woods as being one of the men working on the pool, which was, of course, built by John Costello, the father of another of our 'Old Boys', Charlie Costello.
Charlie CostelloCharlie was a pupil at the Village School from 1954 and his own three children have followed on in the same tradition, as they also went to the school. His memories are all happy ones, even though he admits to getting into trouble for the occasional prank and receiving his punishment of a short sharp slap with a ruler from the headmistress. However, times have now changed, and punishments in this day and age are considerably less physical.
Alan MunroAlan attended Findon School from 1946 to 1950, when Miss Alexander was the Headmistress. He just one photograph from those days. His classmates were Roger Dean, Nigel Oliver, John Parsons, John Greaves, David Pelling, Sheila Cunningham and Bill and Jim Lee. During breaks between classes they would act out stories such as 'Treasure Island', playing the different parts. Alan is probably best remembered for slamming a gate on Nigel Oliver, who was chasing him. Nigel was sent home to have stitches, Alan was punished and the gates were removed. He has fond memories of those days ... other favorite pastimes were playing 'Conkers' and Cowboys and Indians. Alan left England in 1959 and now lives in Jacksonville Florida, USA. He is married with two daughters and works on the air as a broadcaster for a Jacksonville station. Brian MilesBrian Miles attended Findon School approximately between the years of 1965 to 1968, and now resides near Toronato, in Canada. His memories are limited (he was 45 years old in 2002). He was an average student and his report card once said that he would do better if he did not tend to be the class clown and it was signed but the music teacher whose name he can't remember. However, he remembers Mrs Van Der Hayden. He also remembers a mud throwing battle behind the swimming pool or playground area where two groups hid behind two mounds of dirt 30 feet apart and threw mud balls at each other. During this battle he was hit on the top of the head with a rock covered in mud and received a gash needing stitches, but no permanant damage other than a scar. He also remembers jumping in the pool as a 'bomb' with several others, just as the girls' hockey team was going by and for some reason school staff were not amused. Sitting at milk break, someone made him laugh and milk came out his nose. He was amazed at this achievement and learned how to do it at will making fellow students, but not the teaching staff, laugh and again he was in trouble. Considering what a caring and emotional person he became and the things they used to do, he feels the school undoubtedly did him a good turn, as did St Andrews, his next school. In closing, he would like to say a big thank you to all the staff and students past, present and future and remind you that these are the best years of your life. You can contact him by e-mail grumpybm_73@hotmail.com |
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