King Henry VIII Grammar School

I guess the system morphed over time. I started in the 60s, and my route was 2B 3? 4? L5L - did O levels aged 14 6.1A 6.2A - did A levels aged 16 left (escaped) From memory, the first forms (1A and 1B) were the top year of the junior school, hence the fuzzers were always in the second forms; e.g. in the sixth form, Alfie Crocker once got so annoyed with us that he threatened to treat us all "like second formers". 2A was the top class, with 2? as an overspill class because of student numbers. Then B, C and D. The D form did not have to do Latin! I hated history, and having done particularly badly in one of Foghorn's tests in 2B, he bawled at me "you'll end up in the D form next year!". He was wrong - I was promoted to 3?. Served him right. The first fifth forms consisted of L5L, L5Sci, L5B, L5C and L5D. After the fourth forms, the A and ? were fast-tracked into L (language) or Sci (science), where O levels were sat. B, C and D went into the upper fifths, so they did their O levels a year later. If successful in O levels, L5L and L5Sci went straight into 6.1A and started on A level courses, which were sat a year later in 6.2A. The upper fifths, being a year behind, could go into 6.1B to start on A level courses. There was also a third year sixth, 6.3, which seemed to be for the elite few, e.g. head boys, prefects, S levels, Oxbridge etc. That is my recollection of my time at KHViii. Surprisingly, I was not in 6.3. I daresay the school system is completely different now. They've probably ceased calling forms by letters or numbers, as that would be construed as discriminatory and divisory on the grounds of age or academic ability or something! And they've got girls now! It used to be a joke that the school was going to take on girls. I wonder how that works, e.g. are girls allowed to sit next to boys? Or are the boy and girls in separate forms?

I've just remembered another form: 6T. This was an introductory sixth year form those wishing to do A levels. 6T was short for 6 Transition. I think it was for those in the B, C or D stream who had done well in O levels, and wanted to do As. I think these older boys were in 6T instead of 6.1, and afterwards joined 6.2.

After reading all of the posts about form numbers/designations/the school's rationales and the taking of 'O' 'A' and 'S' levels I think I am now more confused than ever. But all were good reading and stretched my mind well in working out what really happened. Probably the school never had an understandable routine until numbers and designations were rationalised in the present era! There is an interesting comment in one post (Slim) that prefects were of an elite race who inhabited VI III forms. Not in my time, I was a sub-prefect and certainly not an elitist, if anything I had a bad attitude and was (and still am) an antiauthority figure. My time in the "Pre Ole" hut consisted primarily of honing my table tennis skills and reading the girlie magazines (Spick and Span) easily available on the essays input shelf! Happy days. Dr Phil

Well done Slim, your memory's better than mine. That's how I remember it now although I don't recall a 6T form, perhaps that came after my time. I left after my second year in the sixth form, but when I joined Friends Reunited several years ago I discovered that nearly everyone in my year carried on to do a third year. Maybe I had lower ambitions than them but nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed my subsequent career and never once needed to speak in Latin.

Yes, well done Slim In 1958 there was a further class, 2E, I guess as a result of the increase in post-war births coming through to school age And by 1963, I don't think the L5Sc and L5L system had yet been introduced Dr Phil - that's a real memory jogger, the phrase "pre-ole" Not heard that I well over 50 years

Thank goodness I went to Woodlands! These class numbers are confusing the hell out of me!

Never mind those numbers Mod. I couldn't get past the VIII bit in Henry the Eighth

Well the numbers are confusing me, despite grade-1 A-level maths, and I was actually there ! I don't know how you guys are remembering them. I see there are non-KH people reading our thread - surely it's not that interesting?

Sorry Rufford , you are quite right, I won't do it again.

Hmm! Prefects at KHVIII. Not too many posts I see on this subject. As I made my way up though the forms of KHVIII I had little to do with prefects and I liked it that way. I got a few essays for being cheeky but that was about all. I did admire the sporting ability of some : I remember Maher, Breakwell, Kirkland, John, Montgomery but no others. There were some who took direct action on occasions but I have no recall at all of their names. I was made a prefect in my next to last year as were many of my friends in the science stream and did not particularly enjoy the disciplinary side. What I did like was to mix with pupils of my age group who were not in the science stream who I regularly mixed with, thus renewing friendships from earlier years. I also became a more than useful table tennis player and reached my pinnacle when I played for Leeds University Club and became a county player for Derry in N.I. many years later. It was good fun in the pre-ole (cheers, MR), and I missed the camaraderie when I left. But there was one thing about being a prefect I had trouble with and that was the wearing of the red and black tasselled prefect's cap. Not so bad in school but out of it one could be mercilessly teased about it by the general public (bus stops and our trek down to the old cathedral on Founders Day for instance). However I often wished I had saved my last cap (left on a spike on the railings outside the school gates on my last day) but it was somewhat worse for wear! I have no picture either of me wearing it to show my children what an idiot I looked wearing it! I think in an earlier post ? who put rather wittily, I thought, not left but "escaped". I did not feel this way but rather sad that I was leaving many very good friends who I would probably never see again.

Must have my say (it had to happen one day - sorry), but just a few girlie words. My friend Marylin Mayer had a brother Colin who attended KHVIII, tallish and overpowering. M and I were only about nine or ten and on arriving home from school one day we were giggling at his cap (did it have a tassel) and it was then I realised what a bully he was as he got hold of M and pushed her down and held his smelly sporting socks under her nose, and this went on for a few minutes. I went home and told my mum and she said "Brothers do that, be glad you haven't got one". I saw him in a different light after that day. I saw Marylin a few years later when I was married standing at a bus stop and I believe she had become a teacher. She did learn to play the piano and violin when we were just young girls so perhaps her practice sessions drove him round the bend. I don't suppose it was any of you lads who used to climb the trees behind St Joseph's Convent, Kenilworth was it? You may have finished the term earlier than us or playing truant, but then on second thoughts prefects wouldn't do that would they!

My comment about 6.3 might suggest that all prefects were in 6.3. If I remember correctly, a prefect could be in any year in the sixth form. I remember one of my colleagues being made a prefect in 6.1. To be a prefect, a boy usually had not only to be a pillar of moral rectitude, but also had to have made an outstanding contribution to the school, either academically, or in sport. In this case, the boy was quite good in schoolwork, but certainly not outstanding. And he loathed sport, and avoided it wherever possible. We all wondered if his being made a prefect had anything to do with the fact that his father was a teacher at KHVIII. No names, but the letter P and library spring to mind. It just seemed to me that many (most?) of 6.3 were prefects. I remember prefects' badges, but I'd forgotten about their fancy caps. I remember the head boy wearing a special one - I think it was bright red, with a long gold tassel. You wouldn't wear that on my bus home (number 18 Canley) unless you wanted to be beaten up! Detention: I recall several types: class detention (which I hated because it meant the teacher couldn't sort out culprits so punished everyone - this was a favourite trick of Willie Rose); school detention, administered by the beak - it only happened once, following the joss stick incident, when a furious Herbie called the whole school back after 1600 hrs; normal DT from a teacher; Saturday morning for a serious offence; and the prefect's DT. I don't recall prefects giving essays or lines though. I managed to avoid ever getting one personal DT - the trick was to not get caught! After I'd left KHVIII, I was told by a mate who stayed on a further year, that on my last day, when I deliberately left early (AWOL) on my motorbike, a prefect had reported me to Piggy who promptly put me in a Saturday morning, which of course I never attended. I have no idea if the story was true.

I believe that my intake year, 1965, was the first where Greek letters were used. As you say, MR, we were told that before our time the five forms were 2A, B, C, D, and E. In the year/s following mine, there were only four forms: 2A, 2?, 2B and 2?.

Thanks, Slim. No, there were six forms in our year: A, Alpha, B, C, D and E.

I was assigned to 2Alpha, in 1959, having sailed through 11plus but without the wherewithal to pay for tuition. I ended up as School Vice-Captain, but refused to buy or wear the stupid tassled caps. When I saw students (horror of horrrors) not wearing their caps in public, as a Senior Prefect I would ask them politely to stick the stupid things on their heads while they were within sight, and then put them where they deserved to be (in their pockets, at least!). They always complied with this reasonable request! I think that it satisfied both the sensibilities of the authorities and the victi - sorry, students! I understand that not long after I left the requirement became "IF you wear headgear it has to be a school cap", but wearing the silly things became optional. I would appreciate comments about the aftermath of my "regime"!