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Not to forget Puffer Graham - with the little mound of spittle in the centre of his lower lip - Chick Farr, or Dynamite Thomson. Playing cards with the French 'assistant', and smuggling a girl into an assembly. Life on the edge!

I also sang the Aida song, and I still break into the exerpt from the Marriage of Figaro from time to time.

Was anyone on the trips to Crowlink in Sussex, c 1959, or Ballycastle, c 1962?

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I didn't enjoy my time at High Pavement, I wasn't the best of pupils, I didn't work very hard, but I came from a working class home where study was not done, but in retrospect I learned a lot at the s

I have just come across this. I am researching my past as part of my father's story with Stafford's ( see that forum ) I went to High Pavement in 1953, first at  Stanley road for two years then to Bes

I cannot remember taking the 11Plus exam, but I obviously did. It was not made into something special when I attended junior school. I was offered a place at HP and was there from 1953 to 1958. I

On 10/07/2011 at 0:06 PM, bamber said:

With one voice we praise all Paviours,

Encouraging the men of our esteemed school,

By oar, with the javelin, on foot and by fist we compete amongst ourselves,

Developing the academic life. With well honed learning.

Nevertheless we do not seek praise from our teachers,

We reject all thoughts of cheating in competition,

We shall live our lives as we do at school,

We serve the public good.

And next we shall be revising the jussive subjunctive. !rotfl!

 

 

This version was issued at the 1988 Bicentenary Celebrations.

 

Let us join together, all Paviors, to sing the praises of our school, the nurterer of men,

Competing on the river, the football field, the track and in the ring,

We grow strong in body while we develop our minds by our studies,

Yet it is the school's distinction, not our own, for which we strive,

Spurning underhand means in all work and play,

Let us live in after life as at school,

Putting the interests of the common weal before our own.

 

The 'common weal'??  Ye Gods!!  :)

 

Col 

 

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Very noble, but it certainly doesn't mean that you're always right Col ! LOL 

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Was anyone on the trip to Brienz in Switzerland, Easter 1963?

 

Col

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39 minutes ago, DJ360 said:

Was anyone on the trip to Brienz in Switzerland, Easter 1963?

 

Col

No sorry, but I was on the trip to Wilderswil in 1971

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I had been sacked from numerous jobs by then... 

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I have just come across this. I am researching my past as part of my father's story with Stafford's ( see that forum ) I went to High Pavement in 1953, first at  Stanley road for two years then to Bestwood. I remember the school song well although not the English translation. I remember singing it at the Chapel on High Pavement in town where the school originated. Although my voice hadn't broken I was relegated with other 'remnants' to sing with the basses as I was tone deaf. I enjoyed the school, finished up with 10 'O' levels and 2 'A' levels and moved on to University. I came from the council estates and without it would probably have finished up down the coal mines or in a textile factory as most of the boys my age on the street did.

 

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8 minutes ago, goff said:

I enjoyed the school, finished up with 10 'O' levels and 2 'A' levels and moved on to University. I came from the council estates and without it would probably have finished up down the coal mines or in a textile factory as most of the boys my age on the street did.

So much for elitist grammar schools!  Many who went there may not have enjoyed the experience but it made a world of difference to their future.

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I went to HP from 52 to 56 but left under a cloud. I disliked school and played up in Classical 3, whereupon I was relegated to General 4. A long stint of non-attendance led to my departure.
Somehow I managed to turn myself around and had a successful career.

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But @Jill Sparrow  if you had been absent from school for a very long time, would you have gained your O/A levels to get you into college/uni and thence into teaching (and other jobs you’ve done?)

Although you hated school, can you appreciate it was a means to an end?

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@MargieHI failed my maths GCE but passed it easily a few years later at night school. I could have done likewise with the others, had I failed them. Manning, in those days, was highly regarded by employers for some totally unfathomable reason. That was, so far as I can see, its only benefit.

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I cannot remember taking the 11Plus exam, but I obviously did. It was not made into something special when I attended junior school. I was offered a place at HP and was there from 1953 to 1958.

I was in BulwellBrian ‘s class for a few years and his photograph of his first day at HP in his new uniform reminded me of my first day there. The class was lead from our form room to the Hall and positioned at the front, closely inspected by the Head Boy, who looked to me more like a man (complete with a moustache), on a raised platform. Prefects were positioned all round the walls. The rest of the school followed, the Masters then arrived, complete with academic gowns. Finally a gowned Taff Davies arrived and stern faced carefully appraised the gathered School. I thought I had been deposited into Tom Browns Schooldays!!

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I vaguely remember taking the 11+ at Arno Vale School but I can’t recollect any specific preparation for it. I don’t think we were told when it would be, we were just marched into the hall where the desks were lined up. Margie may have other recollections. We didn’t have time for pre exam nerves.

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The 11+ has always intrigued me. Like the two members above, I remember sitting it but there was no warning that it was coming, or when. So far as I recall, we came in from playtime and were lined up in the hall, divided into girls and boys for some unknown reason.  Both final year classrooms had been set out with desks in examination format and we sat in alphabetical order to take the test.

 

Having spoken to others, admittedly not from Nottingham, their experience was very different. The 11+ was announced weeks before it was held, pupils were coached and much cramming took place. On the day itself, some small village schools were closed to pupils not taking the test and the headteachers exchanged supervisory duties with colleagues from other schools. All this must have added greatly to the pressure on those sitting the test.

 

A friend of mine took the 11+ in a small Derbyshire village school in 1962. He was, at that time, an undiagnosed dyslexic. The teachers and headteacher remarked to his parents that they could not understand why an otherwise highly intelligent child was struggling with literacy skills.  He told me that, for weeks before the test which he knew was on a particular date, he had nightmares and panic attacks because he knew he couldn't cope with it. Very sad. I suppose some headteachers were keen for good results, hence the cramming and coaching but I think it better to be totally unaware of when the test will occur.

 

On the other hand, with hindsight, had I known I wouldn't have gone to school that day!

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@philmayfield I remember taking the exam but I never heard it referred to as the 11+.   I remember walking up the school drive with a friend one morning and another friend of ours (Jackie Hill) running to meet us saying there were chairs and tables set up in the hall for the exam.  We had no idea anything special was happening on that day.  Afterwards, my mum referred to it as the Scholarship!!

For a few days previously, my brother had been going through some of those ‘intelligence tests’ with me - where you have to choose the next symbol in a series, if you know what I mean.  He taught me how to work out each answer logically.  There were a few of those type of questions but also English comprehension, an essay (about climbing a hill in the countryside) and Maths.  I quite enjoyed it!!

I suppose my parents must have known it was imminent but I wasn’t told.

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I took the 11+ at Arno Vale in 1962.

I don't remember doing it,

I don't remember being aware it was any particular day,

I must have been aware it was going to happen.

I do remember passing and having the choice of Arnold High or Henry Mellish,

I chose Arnold High

 

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I passed the 11+ too back in the day. Onwards to WB Grammar, what a great school that was.

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West Bridgford was one of my options as well. Others were High School (if you won a scholarship), Mellish or the newly opened Carlton le Willows. Girls also had Brincliffe. Logistically Mellish was easily accessible by train from Woodthorpe (Daybrook station) so it was the obvious choice especially as I knew boys already there.

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My brothers went to Mellish in the late 50’s early 60’s. The McDonalds.

 

 

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Here's the left hand 1/3 of the 1961 lower school panoramic pic.

Anyone who knows me able to spot me? :)

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4QJhWEKUwRsaTlFQzFxakFDbEpFaVR6MmIyVndjamdaNG5Z/view?usp=drivesdk&resourcekey=0-oXLLDugf79wjAgEWR9H2SQ

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