My First Impressions of the School (1956)

I WALKED rather apprehensively up Norwich Road and when I reached the bend at the top of the hill, looked out of the corner of my eye at some of the boys on the other side of the road who were probably thinking the same thing as I was. As I caught a glimpse of a part of the school, I began to walk more quickly and my heart missed a beat, stopping me in my tracks. I stared up at the tall, clean school with its three great storeys towering above me.

My pace quickened to a trot and then to a sprint as I became more excited and ran the last stretch to the Wiltshire Lane entrance to the school. Once I was inside the gate my eyes raced over the playground and building, taking in every detail and storing it in my mind. The cycle shed, the playground (which struck me as being immensely spacious) the School, the gymnasium, the coloured walls, tremendous glass windows, crystal stairway and big assembly hall—these were all conspicuous features which most impressed me.

Fifteen minutes later, I was amongst some friends, striding into the school dining-room and entrance-hall, where, on a raised platform stood a truly frightening array of masters. Eventually a group of us were shown over the building.

First we visited the gymnasium, a fine airy place with changing rooms and showers. At the time the apparatus was awe-inspiring, but now I am more familiar with it. Then we were taken to the craft rooms which seemed full of equipment, much of it strange to me. There were tools, benches, machines, a potter's wheel, a printing press and various articles needed for painting. I left the science laboratories with a picture of assorted glassware and apparatus that reminded me of a scene from a film about the future and contrasted with the Library, which struck me as a homely, warm room, perhaps because of the bright wallpapers and the contemporary furniture.

I went home that afternoon in a rather excited state, but I was sure that I liked my new school.