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April 1st 2009
E-mailed to point out a few possible errors/ambiguities regarding the
photo galleries of 1940s and 1950.
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The name grid for the front row of SGHS Form 4R (1950) was missing. Was
this because all of the 10 girls in that front row were unidentified?
[No - just webmaster error]
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Perhaps the strangest finding was that most of those in the Lower Sixth
(1949) photo were in the one for Form 5I the following year! How is it
possible to ‘move down’ from L6 to 5I? For the record, June Bayley was
in 4H in March 1948, followed by L6 and 5I. [Lower
6th (1949) has now been removed]
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There were really two school uniforms at around this period (and that’s
just the winter uniforms!) – older girls could choose to wear skirts instead
of gym tunics. Numbers in each of the 1950 form photos (with numbers wearing
skirts in brackets) were as follows: First 53 (0), Second 49 (0), Third
63 (5), Fourth 57 (26), 5H/5S 61 (42), 5I 13 (10), L6 15 (12), U6 17 (17).
A few of the girls weren’t wearing ties (I wonder why?). Very impressive
school pictures though.
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Most schools were streamed around this period. SGHS forms were named after
the surname initials of the form mistresses – was the school unstreamed?
If not, what were the ‘A’ forms and the ‘B’ forms in the 1950 set? Of the
15 girls in Lower Sixth (1950), 3 were in 4H in 1948 – was the 4H of 1948
the ‘B’ stream (they were pictured doing Domestic Science instead of Latin)?
[A was for Ashton; B was for Bailey!]
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In the 1940s set, there is a photo of ‘Ball Boys at the Yorkshire Lawn
Tennis Club, Filey Road, Scarborough 1949’. Were all the girls pupils of
SGHS? If so, were all the girls members of house or school tennis teams?
. . . [ Well? Does anyone know?]
. . . Main differences between boys’ and girls’ grammar schools
– many of the former (especially direct grant schools) had express streams
(e.g. 4 years to ‘O’ level) and third year sixth forms aiming at Oxbridge
entry, and virtually all of the boys’ schools had used corporal punishment.
It was not unknown for a boy to achieve the Higher School Certificate in
three successive years! On the other hand few of the academically selective
girls’ schools had fast streams, and physical punishment was virtually
unheard of in these schools. The drive for a broader education meant that
few schools were still running accelerated courses for their abler pupils
by the late 1970s. I believe that Tiffin Boys’ School (Kingston-upon-Thames)
was the last state school to abolish the express stream, in the late 1980s.
I look forward to receiving any replies.
Best wishes,
Chris Bird,
Cheltenham, Glos.
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Date: 17 Dec 2007
Bill Potts, webmaster for the Old Scarborians (High School for Boys)
put me on to your site when I recently sent him a load of archive material.
Among effects discovered in an old paper bag I found the attached photograph.
I scanned the whole photo and a section of it at 300 dpi. Not quite
sure what the event was or when, but it must be around 1956/57 and was
taken in the basement of Westborough Methodist Chapel. Left to right,
June Ward, Sue Sharpley and Stephanie Ward (all SGHS).
Somewhere I have a photo of Midsummer Night's Dream in which my first
wife, Jennifer Lincoln, played Titania. She later played Rosalind
in As You Like It for which she was the only girl ever to receive the Drama
Award at our Speech Day.
Sincerely
John Hall (SHSB 1951-60)
Click for full image
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