Tower and Town, February 2018 (view the full edition)Memories Of MarlboroughGraeme Walker spent 15 years as Head of the Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham Boys' School in New Cross, south-east London, and prior to that was Head of Upper School in a secondary modern in the Old Kent Road where, as he puts it, "not too many pupils turned up on Friday afternoons". However, he began his teaching career at Marlborough College, and in this memoir he looks back on what he gained from both town and gown. Arriving in Marlborough in 1959 and leaving in 1975, I taught under three Masters: Tommy Garnett, John Dancy and Roger Ellis. Running the Modern V, the traditional home for the least academic and the most philistine members of the College, was certainly a challenge. Taking them to work in factories in Swindon while staying with the families of pupils from the Headlands and Commonweal Schools was a valuable experience in attempting to bridge the gap between the private and state sectors and to get away from the belief that learning only comes from books. John Dancy was involved in many initiatives which for me blew a breath of fresh air into the Public Schools, including having a cohort of Swindon pupils doing their Sixth Form years at the College for their A Levels. Judging from the comments of Sir Keith Porter, now Professor of Clinical Traumatology at Birmingham University, this was certainly successful. He writes: I was delighted to read of the progress being made in relation to the partnership with Swindon Academy: I was fortunate to be one of the students from Swindon who gained a residential place at Marlborough to study for their A Levels. I am for ever in debt to the College for the opportunity. Sport played a big part in my life at the College. I spent many hours coaching the 1st Hockey XI and the Colts Cricket XI. There was also the opportunity for me to play hockey for Wiltshire and beyond and it was here that I discovered and enjoyed the fact that most of the Marlborough Town and Wiltshire hockey teams were made up of local farmers. This helped me out of the narrower confines of boarding school life! During this time College pupils were called by their Christian names for the first time and girls were admitted to the school, eventually leading to the majority of public schools becoming co-educational. The boys and girls also had the opportunity to choose their own personal tutors. All these innovations helped to make College life more human but were not introduced without opposition! Other memories include the Modern V taking their British Constitution A Level in one year; a week's visit to the Ashington Coal Mine in Northumberland; taking boys on visits to the Mayflower Family Centre run by the Revd David Sheppard; the Aylesbury Arms Hotel being a place of hospitality where town and gown enjoyed each other's company; being Housemaster of A2 House with Andrew Studdert-Kennedy being a model pupil; running a Bible study meeting after lunch on Sundays in Field House; and my being married to Sue Pardoe in St Peter's Church on the 26th October 1972 with Martin Harrison as my best man. All memorable indeed. But I began to be conscious that I didn't want to spend the whole of my life teaching the children of those who could afford private education. Roger Ellis gave me a three-year sabbatical and after a short spell running a careers centre in Norfolk I was appointed the Head of the Upper School of a secondary modern in the Old Kent Road where I was a member of the Senior Management Team. I worked closely with the Social, Probation and Welfare Services and with the Police. I learnt about Special Needs and how to lead a school where not too many pupils turned up on Friday afternoons. I found working for the Inner London Education Authority interesting and inspiring. All this and more before I was appointed Head of the Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham Boys' School in New Cross where I served for 15 years. After my retirement in 1994 I joined the Education Department of HMP Highpoint, worked for the Secondary Heads' Association and became a Licensed Lay Reader, helping out in the Highpoint Chaplains' Department as well as in local churches in South Cambridgeshire where we lived. Looking back on my experience leads me to the conclusion that the basics of learning and teaching are the same in the private and state sectors, provided one is on a learning and listening curve oneself. I can also confirm that the friends I made at Marlborough, both town and gown, are second to none. Thank you, Marlborough, for giving me so many good memories! Graeme Walker |