Attended St. Paul’s Girls School, lived in different sailing barges on the River Thames in West London [1:20]. Brother went to Westminster, attended Grant’s. Was not happy at St. Paul’s as it was extremely high achieving and stressful. Father died so struggled financially. Was offered a trust to go to Westminster. Uniform, baggy bloomers, white girdle for gym, kilts, white shirts, long grey coats, bowler hats. Uniform very expensive so struggled financially [5:00]. At St. Paul’s, a lot of suicides, the pressure meant you had to be the best of the best, felt insignificant [6:00]. A lot of boys but not many girls. No idea what the reputation was. Had an interview with John Rae. Stepfather had sons who went to Westminster and was very close to them. Had no organised sports for girls other than Judo. Girls felt very safe and sisterly [16:00]. Extracurriculars; many decided to do dance but were naïve about impact that the girls had on the boys. Loved the freedom and confidence of the teachers on expeditions [19:54]. Felt as if the teachers knew you properly. Took English, History and Maths at A-level. Nobody seemed to care about exam grades. Teachers taught in their own styles, very interesting lessons, taught what was interesting to the teachers. Small classes [26:31]. Very liberal school and couldn’t tell if people were extravagant or taking drugs. Unique and eccentric people. Some bullies but when the girls came in sixth form, this was called out. Little prejudice in the classroom and there was a great sense of comfort [31:50]. Oxbridge term, no one really thought to go anywhere else. Missed the interviews for Oxford and it felt like St. Paul’s. Wished to go back to a girl’s college. Got a scholarship, had terrible teaching, not as good as Westminster and was a shock. Got very lazy at Westminster as grades did not really matter [38:10]. Traditions at Westminster, singing in the choir, in a pop group for a charity called “wet music”. Felt that even the “no hopers” were successful [42:29]. Could easily spot someone who attended Westminster. People dressed in a way that was not to be seen as necessarily attractive but unique. Quite fun and theatrical clothing. Uniform at Westminster, people wore what they wanted, but wanted to be seen as part of the school. Reluctant to wear boring clothes [45:33]. Everyone had different experiences of what they were comfortable with. Development of social media changed this perception. Communication in person when Stubbs attended, not a sense of being judged. Felt as if people were kinder. Never felt scared, some of the girls had a harder time, the girls who did sciences and arts were more separated as they did not cross paths [50:33]. Took part in lots of plays at Westminster. Part of a band called Local Heroes [57:42]. In a house of scholars, wished to be a boarder rather than in the house of scholars. Often the extremely bright boys lacked emotional development. Felt the need to mother them. Everyone very smart so under a lot of pressure [59:30]. Food was nice. Ate in College Hall. A lot of tradition. Before eating they said grace with three boys singing in Latin. A lot of tourists. If the Queen was passing you would have to throw your hat in the air. The Greaze, controversy now about girls and the Greaze [01:05:21]. Social media does take over a lot of time, creates pressure around how to act. Being at Westminster and in a community feels more welcoming (because of co-ed or boarding). Was never fully living school life at Westminster. Educational style at Westminster was fresh and exciting. Being a kind person more important than grades. Some felt compelled to be fixated on one path, but this blocks opportunities and closes off possibility. Learnt at Westminster that exam grades do not matter as much as the experiences people make on the way – most significant take away. You do not have to end up as an academic from Westminster. She is not academic but performed well in exams. Would have liked to be a translator [01:19:53]. Had to address the title of what the essay was about multiple times in an essay to get a good grade. Would not be writing like others, desire to be unique in exams was significant. Would write essays in the style of who they were writing about [01:24:41]. Advice for girls at Westminster; important to turn up and care, especially after Covid, being resilient, very special time and special place being at Westminster. Worth cherishing the time you are at Westminster and keep in touch with friends. Important to expose your age group to all the different job opportunities that are available. Felt it was a gift being at a co-educational school [1:30:31]. Very encouraging of people to do what they want to do [01:33:35]. Important to be proactive about what we want to do or be [01:38:22]. Did not appreciate how good the teaching was, and the privilege of attending Westminster. Difficult world now for fear of being inappropriate or from creating their own ideas of teaching. The hardest thing about teaching now would be wanting to teach the full depth of the subject but having to consider that there will be examinations and a syllabus, so depth of teaching is limited. Expectation between private schools and state schools. An advantage to go to Westminster but not as much as it used to be [01:50:02].
[00:55] Why Westminster? [02:15] John Christie. [02:30] Why teaching? Substitute teaching at Eton. [04:40] 17 Dean’s Yard. [05:17] Teaching Latin and Greek and English. [05:50] Westminster pupils. Keen to learn. [06:25] English teaching preferable – element of choice. [07:28] Classroom up School. [07:55] Pupils. Anthony Howard. [09:35] Directing plays. [10:00] Anthony Howard living nearby. [10:50] No objection to plays from Common Room. [11:05] English respected by other members of staff. [12:05] Common Room colleagues. [13:05] Hugo Garten. Adolf Prag. John Wilson. Lawrence Bird. [14:22] Walter Hamilton, tutor at Eton. [14:50] Differences between Eton and Westminster. [14:50] James Peebles. Fisher. John Carleton. David Simpson. Francis Rawes. Denny Brook. Theo Zinn. [17:20] Walter Hamilton as Head Master. At a disadvantage. [18:45] Senior Housemasters (David Simpson, Fisher, Francis Rawes, John Wilson, James Peebles). [19:35] Time as Housemaster. [20:10] More interesting position. Wide age range of boys to be responsible for. [21:45] Pupils. Bright. [22:30] Successes of past pupils. Interesting. [23:20] Simon Gray writing about the school. Corin Redgrave. [23:50] Reappearance of drama. Medieval Everyman. Macbeth. Twelfth Night. Hamlet. Performed up School. Hired scenery. Running for four or five nights. Attended by most of the school. [27:10] Balancing jobs at school. [28:40] Rationing and bomb damage following Second World War. Teaching not more difficult. [31:20] Classrooms. [32:50] Rebuilt College Dormitory. Wren’s. [34:50] Play rehearsals. [36:40] Tough reputation. [38:00] Latin Play. [39:20] Parents very involved in the school. Many living in London. [40:50] John Christie’s wife keeping chickens on the roof of Liddell’s. [41:50] Reasonable food. Meals eaten by house. [44:40] Not many women at the school. [45:10] Accommodation at school. [49:30] Old Westminsters on the staff. Feeling of importance. [50:39] Charles Keeley, senior history master. [52:45] Proximity to the Abbey. Abbey services. [53:00] Coronation. [56:55] Rebuilding war damage. [57:47] Royal visit from the Queen. [58:10] John Carleton. Didn’t get on. Thought him a bad Head Master. [01:03:30] Might have stayed at Westminster longer under a different Head Master. [01:06:05] Appointment of John Carleton. [01:08:19] Walter Hamilton leaving Westminster for Rugby. [01:08:18] Got on well with John Christie. Walter Hamilton was an old friend. [01:10:32] Carleton lived above Liddell’s during rebuilding of College. [01:11:47] Leaving Westminster. Sad to leave. [01:12:35] John Rae. Tristram Jones-Parry. In touch with the school again.
Greatly enjoyed his time at King Edward VI Camp Hill Grammar School in Birmingham. Worked as a technician at the University of Birmingham for Neville Cartwright, a bacteriologist. Then worked in the Physics Department. Completed a PhD. [2:24] Started to consider teaching at a school. Enjoys the collegiate atmosphere and learning from colleagues about different subjects. [2:53] Started teaching at Sherbourne School in 1972 and stayed there for 19 years. [3:18] Head of Science at Westminster. Was attracted to the role’s combination of different sciences and the great reputation of the science department at the time. [4:51] The school is now a kinder place than it used to be, but hasn’t lost its academic edge or its tolerance for unusual people. Before, the school’s atmosphere could be quite abrasive and girls had to be survivors to enjoy it. [8:13] How to change the atmosphere in a school. [10:13] The characteristics of a Westminster pupil. Often more confident. Intellectual curiosity. [12:53] The importance of pupils progressing in every aspect of their lives. [15:10] Moved to SMT and gave up most teaching. Became the Senior Master and got to know more pupils. [18:30] He has really enjoyed his time in the SMT. Insight into the work behind the scenes. [19:58] Different Head Masters had little effect on him when he was Head of Science. They trusted him and left him to run the department. [22:33] Enormous increase in the number of pupils taking science. There is much more energy in the department than when he first came. [24:38] Changes in the science curriculum. Now more emphasis on understanding than in just knowing things. [26:48] Chemistry influences how he looks at the world. [28:42] His time as Chief Examiner for Edexcel.
Arrived at Westminster from a prep school on a farm in Sussex where there were only 60 pupils. The Westminster Masters’ gowns and mortar boards. The Westminster pupils’ uniform was complicated and varied according to whether it was a saint’s day or in season or out of season. [3.54] Arrival at Westminster and learning Westminster slang. [5.54] They put on plays all the time in different languages. [6.43] Busby’s. [7.18] The Latin Play, which was in the summer then. [9.49] The timetable. There were very few day boys then. There were only three in Busby’s. [12.33] Spartan living conditions. No heating. Meals. They would draw lots not to sit next to the House Master’s wife. [15.25] Fagging. [17.02] The role of the House Tutors. [18.42] Lunches in Busby’s. The popularity of the House Matron. Personality of the House Master. [23.10] Busby’s a relatively liberal house. [23.50] Music his favourite subject. A German Master, Sanger, who played Mozart and Haydn symphonies through lessons. The French Teach, Hugo Garden, was a world expert on Mahler. Both were refugees. [27.19] Charles Keeley. His teaching style. [28.52] Class sizes. [30.00] Musical facilities and the Director of Music, Arnold Foster, who was Vaughan Williams’ musical secretary. Conditions for music teaching. [35.03] Viola lessons from Beryl Ireland in the Master of the Scholars’ drawing room. The school organist. [37.45] David Burke, the first full-time music teacher. [39.49] He sometimes covered for Burke when he had left the school. [40.36] Exams. [41.56] Reaction to his decision to go to a conservatoire. [44.57] Learning the organ with the Abbey organist. [48.03] The school Abbey choir. Changing standards in church music. [49.44] School and house concerts. Difficulties of re-starting the musical tradition in the school. [56.52] The choir. [59.18] The orchestra’s repertoire. [59.58] House concerts. [1.05.44] Busby house prayers. Ramona, the house maid, paid to sabotage house prayers. [1.09.43] Masters who stand out. [1.14.43] The importance of the Common Room. [1.16.03] Boys’ family backgrounds at the time. Career prospects. [1.27.57] Competition between House Masters to have the most attractive maids. Boys’ appreciation. Throwing oranges at the monks in the monastery opposite.