by Steve Brazier
I received a fine, liberal education at the Municipal Grammar School and most of it was fun. However, at school reunions in the 1990's, my rose-tinted memories were challenged several times by former classmates. And in organising our Year's 40th anniversary get-together in 1998, it was sobering to hear on the telephone why some of those we had tracked down had no intention of turning up to exchange pleasantries.
Here are some examples. One girl from a very poor background endured the indignity of her Mother being summoned to the school by the Headmaster to explain why she was turned out so badly. She received little sympathy.
A boy whose innocent mischief had endeared him to us all recalled bitterly that despite satisfactory A level results, the Headmaster refused to give him a testimonial for his university application because of his behaviour record. Another announced his ambition to become a solicitor during the 5th year "career" interview with the Head and Director of Education only to be asked if he should not rather "think about a job in the Parks Department".
I began to re-assess my own memories and admit that I too had at times felt let down, often with long-term effects. In my very first WMGS music lesson we were all told to go home and make a fold-up piano keyboard out of a cereal packet. I was terribly excited. My parents could not afford to buy me the guitar I wanted when I was 9. They had managed a ukulele. Unfortunately no one told me how to tune it so the hours of trying led nowhere. Now here was the prospect of learning a proper instrument ! Sadly, our lovingly crafted cardboard keyboards were never used or even referred to again by the music teacher. It soon became apparent that with few exceptions, the pupils who played in the orchestra already had their own instruments and private tuition. No real attempt was made to see if any of the rest of us had ability or aspirations which deserved encouragement. So the music teacher's comment in my Third Form report was more than hurtful: "Works well although not talented".
Games lessons were worse. I was forced to play in the front row of the scrum despite being extremely short-sighted. I did my best but Wednesday afternoons occasionally found me with a sick-note (often obtained on false pretences). As I grew older, I combined my love of the Wolves and my distaste for rugby into a passion for playing football. But if the games master ever saw us kicking a ball about at lunchtime we were either reprimanded or mocked (That's a girls' game, lads !). As at primary school, little attempt was made to encourage those who did not naturally excel at rugby, cricket or athletics. As a result, I always felt inadequate, uninspired and a little ashamed. In morning Assembly, fulsome praise for successful school sports teams and individuals was to me mute criticism of my own inadequacy.
The next example had more serious consequences for my development and career choice. At primary school, I had never struggled with arithmetic. But some of the more sophisticated maths at grammar school mystified and frightened me. School reports further undermined my confidence. Here are some quotations from my 3rd year:
"His work is poor because he thinks he cannot do the subject" (Maths teacher)
"There is absolutely no reason why he should not overcome his "supposed" inability to do maths " (Headmaster)
"He makes little effort to understand" (Maths teacher)
In fact, as even a cursory glance would have shown, I found some areas of the subject, like geometry and trigonometry, easy. But algebra above all was horribly incomprehensible. I loved chemistry but had to give it up because I could not understand the equations. I did not ask for help - I didn't know that you could. And no one asked why I was so good at some things and terrible at others. Fortunately, friends came to my rescue and in 4th form Maths, three of us developed a team approach in class: each could do about a third of the syllabus well. In consequence, I was top in maths in my first term in the 5th Form despite having received minimal help from teachers since arriving in the school.
The Head wrote in my report that term:
"I find his position in mathematics absolutely intriguing, since in 3A he was certain that he could not cope with the subject"
If only a teacher had discussed these inconsistencies with me or taken me on one side to see if perhaps I needed a little clarification or help. My only feedback was the remarks in my report book: negative when I did badly and bewildered incomprehension when I subsequently did well in the same subjects. Through co-operation with classmates, I had stumbled on a way of de-mystifying some of my difficulties. I think such co-operation may well have been frowned on had it been suspected by the staff.
I now know that intelligent children often panic when the facility with which they handle most subjects deserts them in areas like maths or languages where their natural talent needs more help. For some of us, some subjects remain difficult. But with support we can either find our own way out of the misery of ignorance or at least learn to live with what we cannot do. There is no shame in lacking for instance the ability to master Latin grammar or the spatial awareness to read a map. Especially as those who can do these things often struggle to do what others find easy. In later life, I have found that everyone has their own way of learning and often needs someone else to encourage them to find it. We were taught that the word "education" is derived from educare, the Latin for "lead out" but the principle does not seem to have been fully grasped by some of my teachers. In my experience, this sort of psychology was not often a feature of grammar school education in the 1960's. Instead, academic excellence and sporting or musical prowess were treated as inherent rather than capable of being cultivated and nurtured.
I cannot claim to have suffered much as a result of what I now see as missed opportunities. In my first job, I became proficient with computers and statistics. Despite being no more than an average footballer, I was part of a very successful office team in my 20's and 30's and did not give the game up until my early 50's. At 40, I had my first guitar lesson and have since played lead and bass guitar and sung in amateur rock and jazz bands.
Perhaps my early set-backs prompted me to greater efforts. It would be nice to think that the teachers who failed to support me in key areas of my education followed a conscious strategy to unlock my own resolve and self-motivation. I fear however that would be too generous an interpretation. I am hugely grateful to the school but the good start it gave me must be tempered by acknowledging that it was not without its faults.
The former classmate who was refused the testimonial did get a place at Liverpool University (without a reference) and ran a successful business. The boy who would have been shunted into the Parks Department was justified in the pride with which he told me that he was now a practising solicitor. All three of the people I have given as examples attended our 1998 reunion but others refused to come and I wonder what resentments they still harboured.
What do you think ? Do write down your own experiences. How did you come to terms with difficulties? Perhaps you have examples of your own - good and bad. If you disagree, do write to say so
Steve Brazier (1958-1965)
Published WMGS OpA Newsletter Spring 2012
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Response from WMGS OPA Newsletter Autumn 2012
COULD HAVE DONE MUCH BETTER (Revisited)
I found Stephen Brazier's comments about the school interesting. I do agree with many who feel that some people look at the school through rose tinted spectacles. Like Stephen I too was a football follower and was disappointed when we were not allowed to play football at a period when Wolves were in their heyday. I too was small and skinny (a lot different to what I am today) and got bashed from pillar to post on the rugby pitch. I took an instant disliking to the game.
Going to the Muni from the 'rough streets' of Oakley Road, Penn, it felt like I was living on a different planet. I don't feel that I ever adjusted to the middle class culture of the school. I did not fit into the school culture and because I went to the Muni I did not fit in with my peers who went to Secondary Modern Schools and left at 15 to go into mainly industrial work. It is true that many of the school's pupils came from the working classes and adjusted to the cultural change and were upwardly socially mobile. However, many were the children of skilled workers who were upwardly mobile anyway.
Milliband (Ralph and not Ed or David) argues this case. I do feel that many from the lower echelons of the working classes found it harder to make the adjustment. Many of us got caught between the two 'cultures'.
The positive thing that the 'Muni' did besides the three '0' Levels I got was that the school enabled me to 'break the mould'. It was also important in me choosing my path in life which entailed me leaving England. I am fortunate enough to have lived in two of the best countries in the world, Canada and New Zealand.
Keith Barnett (1957-62)