The smart way to fail an exam

An EducaTional charity known as the Green coat School was established in 1760. a wealthy man called Gabriel newton funded it. in 1726, he’d become an alderman of leicester and was elected Mayor in 1732. Having established quite an estate, when newton died, the interest alone helped fund pupils in need of support. The school closed in 1895 and the newton Exhibition Foundation was formed. This charity still exists and is known as the newton Scholarship. newton had relatives in my home town of Hertford and, because of this, funds were available for local pupils. in 1932 we were going through the Great depression when 25 per cent of the working population was unemployed. i was seven at the time, and the mayor told my father that i should apply for the scholarship. i sat a test and passed. The reward was that every year i received two suits, two pairs of shoes, four shirts and four pairs of socks. during those difficult times you can imagine what a great help this was to my parents. When i was 11, my headmaster said that as i was a bright pupil, i should sit the entrance exam for my local grammar school. But i knew that if i went to that school i would lose the newton funds. i lay awake in bed thinking what to do. i decided to flunk the test and did three sums wrong. My headmaster was shocked by the result, but it meant i was smartly dressed for seven years and, more important, my grateful parents didn’t have to worry.