Temporary broom closet in lieu of staff creating a staffroom

[TheHoneyBadger]

Just in case she got lucky and is in the one school that still goes to the pub.

@MrsHamlet, I know right? Sometimes I think about spending lockdown in a quiet studio sketching shoes and sticking sequins on heels or whatever shoe designers do, and I think, I wish I’d followed that career program’s advice. KUDOS, that’s what it was called!

We used to call them ROAs?

We had JiigCal for careers.

Every time I did it , I got Prison Governor. I suspect there was a shortage.
Similar to teaching ... at least in my school!

Another old gimmer here.

We weren't allowed to do General Studies at my girls' grammar. We weren't allowed to learn to type either because it was assumed that if we had jobs they would be high-powered and we would have secretaries (LOL). Neither were we allowed as bolshy sixth formers to fundraise for Rape Crisis as "xx girls don't get raped" according to the head.

I did STEP (sixth term extra paper, I think??) for my Cambridge place. I sat in one of our smallest rooms with a cup of tea and some aspirins as I was going down with flu. One of the questions was ' "Compromise is a sign of weakness" - is it?'

I went to a girls' grammar too. But we were taught deportment and typing! Mad.

Every time I did it , I got Prison Governor.

Close enough!

I got museum curator, which is not really very mathsy.

Oh God yes deportment, mincing round the Music Room with hymn books on our heads. Ah, the memories...

I got librarian....

For someone who did Maths, FM, Physics and Chemistry A-levels, it was an unusual suggestion (though tbf I did read a lot, something to do with my family owning no tv).

(Older gimmer - STEP hadn't been invented. I did 4th term entry papers the year the final 7th term ones ran. It was a pain, as the plan had always been to stay on for 7th term because I was year-accelerated. Don't recommend Oxbridge entrance papers, interviews etc at 16)

I don't think my old comp ever thought about Oxbridge. S levels was as posh as you got and you were lucky at that! It was me and one other girl at my school. Mind you I only had 6 in my A level English and 8 in history. 3 in art and just me for archaeology which would never be offered now! I did it at lunchtimes with my history teacher.

I also remember doing typing on MASSIVE typewriters.

I got political lobbyist on whatever the program was.

I chucked my NRA out recently. I read my form tutor's reference and realised she barely had a clue who I was.

I hear you, phleb. My brother was the first person ever from his comp to go to Oxbridge ... and tbh when they quoted their 'record breaking 24 As at O level from his year group', he did get a third of them.

I blame my parents.....products of 1940s/ 1950s grammar schools (and in my mother's case, accelerated dramatically up the social scale thereby) somehow caught up in the comprehensive era for their own children.....

I have just looked up STEP and it's only for Maths now. I had an unconditional offer but for some reason they wanted me to do the STEP as well. Being a nerdy geek I didn't question this. I would now!!!

This is wonderful! Although I now suspect I am the oldest here (déjâ vu feeling descends). I think I mentioned,,when we were accusing life of feeling Orwellian a few threads back, that I did 1984 for O level in ... ahem... yup .... the year it was set! So one of the exam questions was very predictable.

And I did S level, can't quite remember why, it could have been because if teachers were preparing you for Oxbridge entrance (waves to @cornercupboard!) it seemed a waste not to use the material learnt (and I use that term loosely) to bag another qualification. Which didn't work in my case, yes I got a 2 E offer about 3 days before Christmas, but then couldn't quite be arsed to do extra exams in the summer - dropped one S level straight away (can't remember whether my actually amazing Eng teacher (now a relatively well known poet and theologian) actually minded or not... and failed the S level in my intended degree subject, oops.

Happy days.

I went to a fab large comp, ex-secondary modern, so quite an unusual transformation I guess, which always sent a few to Oxbridge. I was definitely not one of the middle class shoe ins either.

I so hope we can all meet up one day!

@JanuaryChill You are probably a year older than me, just because I did my O-levels in the same year as you BUT as already mentioned I was year accelerated.

Also, I would love to know, have any of the other long-running thread communities on MN ever been resourceful and agile enough to invent a Broom Closet-like Room of Requirement?

[quote cantkeepawayforever]@JanuaryChill You are probably a year older than me, just because I did my O-levels in the same year as you BUT as already mentioned I was year accelerated.[/quote]
Stick the boot in why don't you? 😭

Oh Lord all these memories. Locking myself out of my icy garret room when in Cambridge for the interviews and having absolutely no idea how to tell the porters and being terrified of all the Hoorays swinging round the place. Accidentally going into one of my interviewer's bedrooms in his "set" of rooms rather than going out of the door. Cringing here.

[quote cantkeepawayforever]@JanuaryChill You are probably a year older than me, just because I did my O-levels in the same year as you BUT as already mentioned I was year accelerated.[/quote]
Sorry, just trying to say that we are of exactly the same era but you might have a few months of actual age....

My tact and diplomacy button obviously stuck in 'backfire' mode. Sorry!!! Trying to achieve solidarity but failing miserably...

I have my burgundy ROA on my shelf in my classroom. Inc half of the original bumf they made us fill it will (I do laugh if I read it) along with my GCSE and A level certificates, my degree cert and my letters of employment as well as a school leadership qualification I got too!

It has TOTALLY lifted all the black ink off the surface of what's in there (that wasn't typed or printed on a dot matrix printer back in the day) so everything now has to stay exactly where it is.

I'm really pleased to read the info about the Welsh covid jab but am wondering at the vocab of 'at higher risk' and whether that means CEV (which I missed narrowly due to not enough steroids last year) or CV. And whether it's the CV category that qualifies me to get the flu jab (asthma) as I've read on here I think that it doesn't automatically mean a covid jab and the criteria could be slightly different. Wales are making noises about yes, probably being open only for key workers until end of Jan (def) and half term (probably) BUT that they might start sending more groups back in those weeks. Inc primary probably. And I teach the older group of primary. Lots of our families have covid in their homes at the moment inc a few of our y 5 and 6s.

@cornercupboard

Oh Lord all these memories. Locking myself out of my icy garret room when in Cambridge for the interviews and having absolutely no idea how to tell the porters and being terrified of all the Hoorays swinging round the place. Accidentally going into one of my interviewer's bedrooms in his "set" of rooms rather than going out of the door. Cringing here.

That has given me the first belly laugh of the day!!!! Brilliant!

He was a priest as well...

Hilarious corner, can easily imagine that happening! I wonder if safeguarding has banned fellows from interviewing in their sets these days, precisely because of that kind of possibility!

Was only joking can't, kind of knew that's what you meant.

(Piggy I know I don't know you in RL but I can kind of picture you as a prison officer..... )