Accidentally hit teacher on the head with snowball
I MUST wear my school cap at all times when going to or from school. I must wear my school cap at all times when going to or from school. I must wear my school...
After seeing the old school photos of Humphrey Perkins school in Barrow-upon-Soar, one Looking Back reader has got back in touch with memories of getting the cane for snowballing a teacher in the head (by accident) and having to do lines for being caught by a teacher on his way to school for not wearing his school cap.
Mr Pete Johnson went to Humphrey Perkins from 1959-1964 and got in touch with some of his school memories.
Mr Johnson said that he remembers a number of teachers from his time there including: Mr ‘Spud’ Elliott (History), Miss ‘Jet’ Jarvis (Geography), Mr ‘Dickie’ Blackburn (PE), Miss Jones (History), Mr Marshall (Deputy Head), Mr Lee (Physics), Miss Mayes (Biology), Miss ‘ Mademoiselle Vert’ Green (French),
Mr Meakin (French), Mr Hurd (English), Mr ‘Shirley’ Scott (Latin, I think, not too sure on that one), Mr Strutt (Chemistry),
Mr ‘Teddy’ O’Brien (Art), Miss Walker (French), Mr Smith (PE), Mr Wetherall (Woodwork), Mr Marriott (Woodwork), Mr Crump (Metalwork), Mr Bonser (Music).
Mr Johnson said: “All male teachers were addressed as ‘Sir’, and all women teachers as ‘Miss’, irrespective as to whether they were married or not!
“Teachers addressed male pupils by their surname, and girls by their Christian name.”
He said: “Assembly was held in the school hall every morning before lessons.
“Pupils lined up in front of the stage, younger classes at the front, older classes at the back, boys to the right, girls to the left.
“On the stage teachers sat in rows of chairs, women to the right (in front of the boys), and men to the left (in front of the girls).
“The headmaster sat in a chair, with a high back on it, at the very front of the stage.”
Mr Johnson said that if you got in trouble at the school it was either detention, lines or the cane as your punishment.
He said: “I remember once getting 50 lines from Mr ‘Shirley’ Scott. I lived in Mountsorrel at the time, and was picked up by Barkus’ Bus (Barkus’ were coach operators based in Woodhouse Eaves).
“On returning from school one evening I got off the bus at Mountsorrel Green, as per usual, and walked up Leicester Road to my house.
“I was outside Clarkson’s Garage (which is now a Kia garage) and a car screeched to a halt, and the aforementioned ‘Shirley’ Scott, alighted from the vehicle, and asked me why I was not wearing my school cap.
“You were supposed to wear your cap when going to or from school. However, as a young 14-year-old it was not good for your ‘street cred’ to be seen wearing a cap.
“Scotty asked me to write 50 lines saying that ‘I must wear my school cap at all times when going to or from school’.
“The lines were to be given to him before assembly the next morning.”
Mr Johnson said that detention was usually on a Wednesday afternoon, immediately after the days lessons had finished.
He said: “If in detention you had to stay behind for one hour to complete extra work.
“You were always given a few days notice, so that you could inform your parents you would be late home, also you had to arrange alternative transport to get home if you came in by bus. I used to cycle into school if I were in detention that afternoon.”
Mr Johnson said that the cane was administered by the headmaster, and that he experienced this on two occasions.
He said: “Firstly, during the winter of 1963, I threw a snowball at a teacher, when walking between lessons, from some 30 yards away, hoping to hit the body. However, my aim was a little off, and the snowball hit the teacher full on the head.
“I was immediately sent to the headmaster, and had 3 strokes of the cane.
“The second instance was for climbing a tree in the school grounds, which was strictly out of bounds. Another three lashes ensued.
“When in the headmaster’s study you were asked to bend over his desk, and heard a whooshing sound as the cane passed through the air before slamming into your backside.
“This would never happen now, but I’m pleased to say it did me no harm, it was the norm at that time.”
Mr Johnson also had memories of a shortcut used when on cross country runs known as ‘Mud Alley’ and the ‘Staff path’ that if you were caught using it then you were in trouble....
Mr Johnson said: “You would come out of the school gates, and turn right up Cotes Road towards Walton, then return to Barrow on Nottingham Road, finally running across the Recreation Ground where Barrow Old Boys FC played, and returned to the school grounds by the Old School Field.
“That route was called ‘The Road Square’, you could also take a short cut through ‘Mud Alley’ if no teachers were about.
“‘Mud Alley’ was a sort of unofficial footpath, prone to mud, and would cut a couple of miles off the route.
“In the grounds of the school there was a ‘Staff Path’ that only teachers were allowed to use. It was basically a short cut between buildings.
“If any pupils were seen using it, there was trouble ahead, usually lines, but detention for persistent offenders.”
He said: “The photograph in this week’s edition, of Mr Greenwoods class, was taken outside of the then Orchard Block. A relatively new building at the time.
“This bordered The Old School Field, where the football and rugby first teams played their home matches.
“On the other side of Cotes Road, opposite the school, was The Beacon Field, presumably called as such because you could see Beacon Hill from it.”