bishop wordsworth - worth the effort ?

I liked the BGS 6th form blue blazer! A bit sharp!

Chas H Baker sold the uniforms, and for BWS, godawful and la retart.

Gels! Gels! (Miss Matthews summonsing her troops) - I am going to act with True Grit, with the message of the school song, 'Onwards, Onwards, ever!' ringing in my ears- and post a whole new topic here in Secondary education called SWGS alumni- check in here, and I expect all of you to report, as if for Junior Choir practice, OK??!

I feel we have trespassed upon those poor innocents from Bishops for far too long. Ah, memories...

"I think they need to bring back "FRIENDS REUNITED".

Only if I can stay incognito - I never want to go to an Old Girls' Association "do".

"I think we eventually compromised with shirtwaisters in the green or the blue."

I'm afraid the pink and yellow were still available from 1977 onwards - though they marked you out as having hand-me-downs from a big sister or a mum who had purchased from the Home and School Association second-hand sale. The pink were in high demand in our time - I wanted one but never had one.

Mademoiselle, Whaleys and the other shop in Milford street sold the dresses ready-made with revere collars.

I think they need to bring back "FRIENDS REUNITED".

"Those of us that come without, must do without"

"Be sure your sins will find you out"

"Please stop rootling in your desk"

"We are young ladies, and not young hooligans"

Miss Lomas' legacy has left its mark on me

We had Dr Bigger - who we affectionately named Dr Bugger - he was by far the hairiest RE teacher I ever saw.

Then there was Dr Tew - our poor Nuffield Combined Science teacher in the first year, who also had to teach us about sex. He was a martyr and he had the biggest sideburns and greasiest black hair ever. I'll never forget him telling us that having sex without an erection, was like trying to put spaghetti through a keyhole - I never understand that one because in my mind, I thought he was talking about raw, uncooked spaghetti, that;s terribly stiff and more than capable of going through a keyhole rather nicely

Mr Hitchens in Yr 2 for Physics, first thing on a Monday morning - he was famous for running the tap in the lab to see if he could make us need the toilet. He was also famous for talking about rubbing his plastic rod with a "manky old bit of cat fur" to get the electrons all excited.

The music teacher, Miss Butler, who left her Yorkshire Terrier on the parcel shelf of her Renault or Citroen....all day long!

Mr Radford - less said the better.

I loved Miss Shell - she was so lovely and far nicer than Miss Swingler.

Miss Matthews - how she made me laugh with her mannerisms in assembly - when she spoke, the Home and School Association became the "Hom and School Association" . The H & SA never raised pounds, but "pound".

Mrs Westowe was a lovely lady, who shared my dislike of Miss Mattews.

Miss Buttrum became famous in the 6th Form review with "no buts, it's got to to be Butty"

I loved Mr Harrison who always popped out during the middle of double Russian for a craft cigarette - he would always return proffering sweets for us

Mr Merwood with his half-mast trousers, twiddling his hair in such a "fay" manner - then lobbing the board rubber at at you and slamming the desk with sheer exasperation at having his lesson interrupted by girls having to get books from their desks.

My goodness - I could go on and on but I'll end with Miss Schofield's famous Popmobility class in the old gym cum lower-school assembly hall cum sandwich hall. I can never hear the theme to "Van der Valk" without thinking back to those classes!

Chubfuddler - we would have overlapped by a couple of years but at opposite ends of the school. Who knew there were so many Salisbury people out there on MN?

Sorry we SWGS gels are hi-jacking this thread!

Our (compulsory) summer uniform was 'interesting'. When I started you had the choice of a green 'tartan' pattern shirt-waister or in pink (!) tartan- which no one bought, so Miss Matthews decided to 'get with it' and chose a new style which was hideous, zip up back and round neck, completely shapeless and plain (think 'Mrs Thatcher') in the green, a blue, brick orange or yellow tartan design....

A seamstress down in Salisbury went 'freelance' and made up zip-up shirtwaisters in the green and blue that sold like hotcakes. Miss Matthews was Not Amused but had to concede that many teenage girls in 1975 didn't really want to look like The Queen. Especially as the girls convent (La Retraite), though their blazer was brown (with a pale yellow striped blouse?) could, for their summer uniform, make their own in a quite nice blue or brown floral material in any 'suitable' style.

I think we eventually compromised with shirtwaisters in the green or the blue.

I liked my blazer, though. Nicely lined and with loads of pockets!

I know someone who has had their dcs tutored since the age of 7 to pass the 11+ to secure a place at BWS. Results due soon so will see if it has paid off. She was very impressed with the school though and the reputation and possibly status it has. They have open days in the summer before the exam is sat so probably best to go along to that.

Btw Mr M still often appears in the post bag column of the local paper!

Blazers were dying off when I was there. We had grey skirt, green and white checky shirt and green jumper. It changed to a navy/green kilt in about 1993. The idea was as uniform was outgrown you were supposed to buy the new uniform. NO ONE did. In the fifth year I was still wearing my first year blouses. They were er tight.

Miss Knapp was there when I was in 1973-80.

When did the uniform change?

We had the green blazer and open necked acrylic green'n'white gingham blouses and a grey skirt. Before us was the white shirt and green tie (I think) and a boater because I found a boater band in the second hand uniform bin!

Aldwick we may have been at school together, or at least at the same time. 1990 to 1997 in my case

I think I'm also after a lot of you but I had older sisters hence the Miss Matthews knowledge.

Still had Mr Merwood but my era was more Mrs Needham/Miss Knapp etc.

Miss Buttrum? Geography anyone? Compare and contrast with the eye-candy that was Mr/Dr Rusinek - but she knew her stuff! She used to spend every school holiday on field-trips abroad and came back with actual slides to demonstrate the tidal range in Calcutta....

sorry, even just gone on swgs website!

Total hijack by the swgs girls. I'm one too but after your time most of you. Mr Merwood taught me English though.

miss lomas - she was my mum's french teacher as well as mine (and my big sister's). 'by the waters of babylon...'

recognise all those names - didn't do russian

But I do gather it's a different beast now- a disproportionate number of prepped DC rather than 'village girls' like we were (one girls from Leaden Hall in my class in 1973!)

My mum still lives in the same house so knows local girls who got through the 11+, but it's one or 2 out of 10 or 11 who pass, and I know of two who are struggling with the environment, finding it aggressively competitive etc. I can only speak of what their mums tell my mother- not personal experience. So obviously I don't know much about BWS (none of these girls' brothers passed the 11+ so many are in Hampshire comps instead).

I would have liked DS1 to have gone to the BW that existed when I was as SWGS, though.

So... Miss Sweetnam? Mr Antrobus? Miss Ryder?- um- Miss Lomas (shudder)? Mr Harrison (Russian)?

Mr Merwood! Yes, oh I'm feeling very nostalgic now...which my kids had gone there!

Dr B-J married a PE teacher, didn't he? A pretty young thing, deffo not Miss Schofield! I ended up in his top Physics O level set by some weird fluke of 3rd form exam success. It was very difficult!

And the English teacher you're thinking of was Mr Merwood. Taken apart by the 2nd form; revered for his academic ability by the 6th!

You know, I'm not sure many actually were 'poor' teachers as such- sure, they wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes in a 'bog standard comp' but many were very clever and deeply passionate about their subject, weren't they? If a bit 'odd'!

Dr Green married the young Geography teacher, can't remember her name. Dr Bowen JOnes very nicely asked me not to do Physics O level (wasn't he ex RAF?) and there was a strange PhD English teacher who looked like Noel Fielding who did inspire me to do Eng Lit at Uni and who was passionate about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a weirdly sweet way. We had some great characters but many of them were poor teachers!

And Miss Matthews, a bereavement counseller? No way...

I recall Dr Bigger, and a Dr Green (chemistry), a Dr Bowen-Jones (Physics?) and the rather attractive Mr Rusinek, Geography. No leather elbow patches there! They did a thing with having young men and old ladies as teachers, I seem to remember!

Bereavement counsellor?? I may have heard it all now!

Apparently Miss Matthews worked as a bereavement counsellor when she retired. Who would've thought it?