Yesterday we were interviewed, at length, by a researcher working on a TV documentary about British grammar schools, which is scheduled to appear on the BBC. She asked an extensive range of questions about background, perception of Brigg Grammar School and views on the grammar/comprehensive debate. She sought my views on how attending BGS had helped me in life and employment terms.
Many others are being interviewed, too, not just from Brigg, but across the UK.
We recommended she read the second of Dr Frank Henthorn's books about the history of the school (published in 1969) which contains a statistical analysis of pupils' eventual jobs and careers and their family backgrounds, including father's occupations. Fascinating, in social history terms, and I'm sure very useful to the producers of the programme.
I've just looked out my much-read copy of this excellent work by the former BGS deputy headmaster and head of history, who lived in Westrum Lane for many years. I was going to post it to the researcher. However, I've since recalled that another "old boy" scanned all the pages of the book and made them available on the Briggensians' Association website www.briggensians.net - together with back issues of the school magazine. So I'll save the stamp.
One of my clear memories of BGS is a rather odd interest in what your father did as a job and where you lived. This has just been reinforced by another look at the book, with its sections headed The Boys' Homes and The Boys' Fathers. I recall being asked to reveal this information in response to staff questions during my early years at BGS. No problem there in teachers taking an interest in their pupils. But, looking back, it seems a little strange the school felt this information of sufficient importance to be recorded, on cards, in the official records.
Asked by the TV researcher, I happily described myself as coming from a working class background. I also said many employers used to look favourably on applications from BGS boys, safe in the knowledge they came from a very good school with some very good teachers. Which it certainly was.
However, which school you attended should really have been about as relevant as what your dad did for a living and whether you lived in a council house or a detached mansion in the Lincolnshire countryside.
Prime Minister David Cameron, and a few of his public school-educated Cabinet colleagues, seem to be going through something similar - but in reverse.
Don't forget, Scribs - in those olden days, girls who passed their 11+ went to HIGH SCHOOLS - 'Grammar School' was essentially associated with boys.
ReplyDeleteFrom empirical observation each type of school seemed to engender separate gender aspirations.
Boys were encouraged to aim for banking, law, university and the higher professions......girls were steered towards teaching and nursing - higher college courses.
There was a lot of both overt and covert social engineering.
Grammar school lads may have achieved high academic qualifications, but they never seem to achieve the social status and aspirations of those, regarless of abiliy, of those who went to public schools.
Doors opened and closed - according to type of school to which one went.
Another type of professional engineer could be found in professions, such as law. One had to become an articled clerk, before receiving silk - but these positions were generally reserved for sons and nephews of the law firm.
I went to a comprehensive school - yep..opened in 1958 when I was a 1st year.....we didn't take an 11+ plus exame, but were graded according to our scores on tests, based on 11+ exams.
There were 18 classes in the 1st year - each with about 40 kids - the school quickly attained 2000 pupils. I ended up in the C stream and have gone downhill from there!