Chapter 10
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Chapter 11
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"I dropped!"

CHAPTER 10, page 1

Schools have changed since I went! Then, co-education was rare and confined to a few private Boarding schools – regarded with suspicion by many parents. They considered their views completely vindicated by regular lurid feature stories of a co-ed school in Suffolk that appeared in the News of the World always confirming their predictions of the natural undesirable outcome of teenage girls and boys in close twenty-four hour proximity.

Though Elementary (State) schools took both boys and girls from Primary age, they were taught in separate classes, and played in separate playgrounds. Take a close look above the entrances of any remaining school building of Victorian age, and you’ll see the stonemason’s designation on the lintel over each door – ‘Boys’ will be at one end and ‘Girls’ at the other. And unless the playground has been resurfaced you’ll also see the foundations of the high fence that divided it into two defined sections. The Elementary school was the domain of the future ‘blue collar’ workforce, whose schooldays, unless successful in the Scholarship exam, ended at fourteen. Further education for them would be provided by Apprenticeships to a Trade, or for others wishing to better themselves, Night school (evenings twice a week from seven till nine) at the local Tech.

Grammar schools were all single sex, educating till sixteen, or eighteen for those capable of ‘higher’ education. There were five in Derby – Bemrose and Derby Boys High for boys, and the smaller Derby Girls High, Parkfield Cedars, and Holmelands, for girls. All were fee-paying Day schools, available to those clever (or lucky) enough on the day to pass the annual County Minor Scholarship exam taken in the final term at Junior School. Ten/eleven year olds from any school could sit the exam if recommended by their teacher. The parents of those successful were means-tested to determine receipt of a Local Authority Junior Scholarship to cover fees, books and uniform costs, and in extreme cases, transport, dinners, and milk. In practice, any successful candidate had the opportunity to attend Grammar school providing their parents agreed. A further exam a year later would give ‘late-developers’ a second chance. 

Having the advantage of 2 years in Bemrose Preparatory School, I was able to pass first go! It cost means-tested Dad £15 a term for my tuition (before other costs) but enabled me to start my Secondary education at Bemrose Main School in September 1939. It coincided with the declaration of War, and many of the younger teachers were being called up to the Forces, to be replaced by previously retired older ones – it was considered boys were best taught by men. Later in the war, as conscript age increased to satisfy the insatiable demand for more troops to fight Hitler, women appeared to fill the shortfall! Although the experienced men had returned out of retirement, most of the women hadn’t taught boys before. We were happy they came!

There were four forms of around 35-40 in each of the five years leading to School Certificate (= O Level). The Sixth form catered for 25-30 a year selected on their School Cert results as capable of study for Higher School Certificate (= A Level) and wishing to achieve University Entrance qualification. Of those, not all would achieve high enough grades for University. From our Grammar School population of some seven hundred boys, it was unusual for more than twenty-odd to get to University each year.

My life changed a great deal when I went ‘up’ to ‘Big school’. What a difference a day makes! Now I thought myself a big boy. Uniform was compulsory – maroon School blazer, with a large embroidered ‘stag’ school badge in white on the breast pocket, and maroon cap with white cross-piping and school badge. White shirt with maroon and white diagonal striped tie, grey pullover (in winter), grey flannel shorts, grey woollen socks and black lace-up shoes all worn proudly as identification of a Bemrose pupil! I was also thought competent for inclusion in the ‘Express’ form and joined Form 2.4.

School now started at eight-thirty, rather than the nine o’clock of the Preparatory Forms, ensuring we were in school before the ‘little ones’ arrived. Public transport conveyed most travellers whether to school, work, or play. If the Service bus on a route proved inadequate, a Duplicate followed to fill commercial demand. There were no specific rural school buses. Effectively though, the Duplicate became a school bus when, by unofficial tacit agreement, adults claimed seats on the Service bus, happy to leave the Duplicate for noisy kids and adults careless enough to be late!

Commuting is nothing new! Whilst many families lived in the town within walking or easy biking distance of work or school, those who wished, and could afford it, 



migrated to the suburbs and surrounding villages. ‘Ribbon’ development to house them was a feature of the late twenties and thirties. Just look at the aerial photo of 
Mickleover in 1955 looking South showing from about East Avenue and Chestnut Avenue in the lower right hand corner up the line of Station Road to the Village in the trees of the top right. All the ‘empty’ fields in the foreground and many west of Station Road are now built on.

Early morning Workmen’s Special Buses, routed direct to each of the larger factories, left the village regularly from six o’clock onwards. We set our clocks by pal Ray’s Dad.

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