School Days - memories & outings

I guessed as much Neil, being our local school when we lived in Lincroft Cres. Caught sight of the three spires most times when on the bus into town. My two went to St. Johns on Winsford Ave (affiliated with Blue Coats). It is a small world after all.

Indeed Dreamtime. I have no idea why I did not go to St John's. My mum lives right on the top of Torbay Road - St John's and even Allesley Hall are a lot nearer but for some reason the silly Council map deemed us in St Christopher's catchment. Should not complain though really - it was a good school and I have some nice memories from there.

St John's - me too ?

Skybluedave, did you get a palm cross at Easter time? My daughter (now a teacher herself) still has hers and has had it laminated (1967'ish)

Hi Dreamtime - Yes indeed I did. Can also remember as a school walking up Winsford Avenue in procession to St Christophers Church for the main religious occasions (Revd Macpherson was the Vicar), and seem to recall that the laminated palm cross was quite sharp at the tip. I was at St Johns during your daughters time (1965 to 1970) before moving on to Bablake, although many of my classmates went on to Blue Coat as you mentioned in an earlier post. St Johns was no more than a 150 yard walk from home. Despite the years, I can remember many of the teachers - head teacher Monty Morris (later succeeded by Mr Woodhead), Mrs Bebbington, Miss Bryce, Mrs Crecraft, Mrs Catford, Mr Cogley and Mr Chamberlain. Many, many happy memories. By coincidence, my eldest son is also a teacher, sadly not in Coventry but at a Primary School in Fleetwood.

Yes, you have it all in one. Mr Morris - I walked up Winsford Ave. one cold snowy morning (no bus on the roads that morning), he was all togged up with a muffler and his wellies. I will have to remind her about that day. My son Ashton only reached Grade 1 with Mrs Howarth as we left in 74' to come here. I remember too Mr Woodhead, he started whilst we were still there. You may or may not remember Tracie (Shepherd) but she was there during your years too. She was only at Blue Coats for one year. Tracie has just completed 36 years of teaching and tells me that's long enough for anyone to suffer 'mummies' little darlings.' She has them all wearing bat's wings for morning assembly today. Oh the joys of teaching!!!

Dreamtime - you could certainly say that Mr Morris was a character. I don't recall him taking any lessons but he was always present at morning assembly with a rolled up newspaper in hand as a warning for anyone not joining in when required. I can also remember the waft of cigarette smoke whenever you were near the Teachers room/office, most of it probably generated by Mr Morris himself. My parents always said he was a good man which is good enough for me. I can remember quite a few of my classmates by name but not Tracie. Maybe we were in different classes? Sounds like she deserves a medal after 36 years of teaching! I can't say that bats wings made an appearance at St Johns all those years ago, the focus back then from memory was more on Bonfire Night and pestering the householders on Winsford Avenue with a penny for the guy. Also the bonfire that was built on the waste ground close to the school and the fire brigade arriving to put it out because someone had set fire to it too early.

I remember back in 62, in my second year at Woodlands, we went on a trip to Belgium that was organised by Clive Bentley. I remember John Gray being one of the older boys on that trip.

Skybluedave, I think the bats wings came out for Halloween, and folk were more benevolent on Grayswood Ave than Winsford, and whatever goodies were given were all eaten before Tracie arrived home. I had to stand at the corner of Lincroft to make sure they all (about 5 of them) came home safely. Oh happy days.

By the time I was in secondary school, international holidays had started to feature. Personally I disagree with expensive holidays with school. Some just can't afford it. However despite my school having previously had international trips, we were only ever allowed as far as Ironbridge and Grasmere for the day. The rumour was that the year before I started, 30 girls had gone to Spain and 31 girls came back, and I'm not talking about a stowaway...

Aw gosh Helen, she would have been ok, but she would come back the same route.

Helen is correct, school trips were expensive. But don't forget, us kids had to pay for 3 or 4 free loading teachers (who were supposed to look after us !!)

Our school trips were included in our school fees.

IIRC, we had to pay extra. I don't remember any trips abroad. I only ever went on one school trip (school was never my favourite place to spend my life's hours!). I wasn't particularly interested in the trip - it was better than spending a whole day in the school building. It was as good as "wagging it" for the day, wagging being school talk for truancy. It was a one-day trip by coach to London. Before we could go, we were given a form for our parents to sign and return. It was an indemnity form, basically to indemnify the school and the two teachers who accompanied us, in case one of us finished up under the wheel of a London Transport bas. I remember words like "the said masters" cropping up several times. But the document was only one page (foolscap...?) of legal gobbledegook, whereas today it would run to 18 pages of A4. The excursion was trip of two halves, a bit like football matches. But unlike football matches, the outing was not divided into halves temporally, but by location. Half the coach was going to Madame Tussauds, and my lot went to the Planetarium. We had to join a long queue which stretched all the way from the Planetarium, along Marylebone Road and round the corner to Baker St tube station. Later, we all met up and visited Regent's Park. It being a hot summer's day, some of the more affluent boys (we was poor) wanted to purchase liquid refreshment from a park vendor. I remember a boy being horrified at what he was being charged for a can of Pepsi or Coke. He made some comment about "should have brought a cheque book!". That was one of the numerous things we learned about the real world that school didn't teach us - London prices, even back in the sixties!

Experience is a good school. But the fees are high. Heinrich Heine