School was becoming very demanding as the G.C.E.’ “O” Levels* got closer.
Having been told what subjects I would be taking, regardless of my feelings about it, I felt that I had no choice but to study for all of them. I resented the interference with my private time because I was already trying to work around the school schedule.
There was a 1:15pm “special” train at Walton crossing on every week-day and the locomotive involved was generally of a class not seen too often there. Getting out of school for lunch at 1:00pm, dictated that I pedal as hard as I could in order to be at Walton crossing in time for this train. Then, of course, I had to make sure that I was back in school for the afternoon classes!
The school’s developing “social culture” was rather alien to me in that most boys would hang around in groups and talk about girls. I was not interested in groups, and girls were just “different”! Then, during breaks, the occasional fight would start so I just moved away from the trouble. Fortunately, none of the other boys seemed to be too concerned that I kept to myself and were in general quite tolerant of me.
Here we all are again! This time it was my final year, and I am supervising everybody from the back row, far left!
All that was left to do was to pass at least 5 “O” Levels which must include Mathematics and English Language! How difficult could that be?
*General Certificate of Education -Ordinary Level (Established by the University of Oxford)
A New Direction Perhaps? 
I never knew what it was like to stand in the back row … just saying! 🙂
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Cannot think why? We were standing on benches. Didn’t you have them at your school?
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Oooh yes we did have benches in our school, they weren’t exactly the problem. I could stand on them just fine, the problem may have had to do with the people in the row in front of me. 🙂
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Well if you were standing on a bench, and the person in front of you blocked you from the camera, why could they not switch that person with somebody not so tall? Organizing two or three rows of kids for a class photograph is not exactly nuclear physics. 🙂
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LOL, oh gosh! Well perhaps it was because it just wasn’t one or 2 people in the row that were taller than me, it could have been the whole row.
Trust me I would always go to the back row until the teacher would be calling my name,looking for me. 🙂 Can’t say that I didn’t try.
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🙂
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Sports are over-rated, Colin but aren’t prefects suppose to carry wizard wands? 😉
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Not in pre-Harry Potter days, although some of our prefects seemed to think that they had super powers. That however was simply delusional thinking. 🙂
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Prefects are the same everywhere. Sheesh.
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🙂
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We lived more than four miles from the Grammar school I attended and so had to catch a school bus. No-one was allowed out of the grounds at lunch time. In our senior years, some of my classmates decided to catch the public transport bus instead so as to be ‘with the boys’ from the grammar school up the road. It appears both schools have now amalgamated, but I’m not sure which site is actually occupied!
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lol! I am so pleased to find more similarities: keeps to oneself, doesn’t like groups, and … girls are different. Woof! I swear, you and my young human are related. Woof!
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You were resilient and dedicated in going to and fro everyday on your bike!
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To and fro school was not an option as there was no school bus, and the public transport system took far too long. To and fro Walton crossing was a simple matter of priorities! 🙂
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Isn’t it so strange that all school group photographs look the same. Did you get to be a prefect ?
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No I didn’t. I never did understand what the criteria was, but I quickly learned to avoid any conflicts with them! 🙂
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In my school you had to be very good at sports to be a prefect. So I was never a prefect. Thank God.
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That could possibly have been the case at my school, together (I believe) with the criteria that you were in the 6th Form (to pursue a University education). If you enlarge the photo, you will see that certain individuals had a white band across the top of their breast pockets. I am almost certain that was a sports achievement recognition. Note that I don’t have one! 🙂
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That reminds me of (see, I got it!!!) your single tours with your bike, Colin!
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My bike was a very integral part of my world Erika! 🙂
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I see, Colin 🙂
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