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Old report card

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 3:17 pm
by LongGone
I came across my report card from when I was 15. There are no others, so I am not sure just how this one survived. The common theme (probably quite accurate) was that I was unfocused and erratic. While some tried to be optimistic, it is clear reading between the lines that not much hope was seen. Of particular interest to me is Archbold's comment on Biology, "Immature work that shows no promise" that I suspect was right on the nose. Luckily for me Dick Fry entered my life the next year and kick-started my interest in biology and research that eventually paid off (ten years later). In all my years teaching/research I observed many students who needed a few extra years for their brain to click 'on' and I fear we lose many who are eased out of the system too early.

Re: Old report card

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 4:37 pm
by sejintenej
I am convinced that in the hot house atmosphere that brain "kick in" arrived at arounf 14 -16 years of age; a bit earlier than outside. In my case I was consigned to the 5th kick-out form but rehabilitated a year later with a move to Deps and went on to take A levels. They never recognised that I have dyslexia

Re: Old report card

Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2017 12:35 pm
by J.R.
I have absolutely no idea what happened to all my school reports.

When my Mother passed away and my wife and I cleared her personal effects, they never came to light. Probably a good thing.

Re: Old report card

Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 5:26 pm
by michael scuffil
I have the complete set. Academically I was always good, but my housemaster's reports make for interesting reading. As a new boy I was 'scruffy' (though by the age of 17 I fancied myself a bit of a dandy, which would probably have raised John Page's ire in equal measure). By the age of 13 I was in danger of becoming a 'jazz addict' (in ordinary English: I was observed listening to pop music on the house radio), and at one stage I was 'not only a malcontent, but guilty of spreading discontent'. To which Seaman commented: 'This is a poor attitude. He must change it.' (What had I done? I had been overheard saying, in respect of a cup-tie: 'At least if we lose we won't have to play any more.')

Re: Old report card

Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:36 pm
by J.R.
The only things I vaguely remember from my CH reports are, "He must try much harder" for my first years at CH, and then something along of the lines of, "He really should take lessons more seriously" towards the end of my scholastic years at Horsham

By that time I had already decided that I was off, and no-one would ever push or change me any more and that I had become my own person.

Re: Old report card

Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:37 pm
by jhopgood
I know my mother kept mine but cannot remember where I consigned them when I cleared out her house.
I do remember CJ Miller (Housemaster) commenting that he was disappointed that I didn't like him, which required a bit of explaining. It was true but I can't remember why I disliked him.
When I was interviewing for the British Volunteer programme, one of my references had made a remark to the effect that I would not go far. I correctly identified him as CMES, with whom I had had a run in just before I left.
Some boys had done some damage down at Doctors Lake, and he had information that they were from Barnes B. As a monitor in Barnes B, he assumed I knew all about it and was convinced that I was withholding information.
Unfortunately for him, when he told me, it was the first I knew about it.
Miller held an inquest at the beginning of the Michaelmas term since someone had put holes in the lav end aluminium bowls. He was convinced that we had been bashing them around, but we later discovered that a leaver had used them as targets for his air rifle. How Miller thought that perfectly drilled holes could be caused by bashing them on corners I have no idea.

Re: Old report card

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 8:47 am
by Katharine
I don't remember our Housemistresses writing anything on our reports, do you Chrissy. I have no idea what happened to mine.

I do remember having to write the envelopes to post the reports home. We were given very strict instructions on the correct way to write an envelope, every single term!

Re: Old report card

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 12:14 pm
by seajayuu
I seem to remember that our reports arrived home before we did at the end of term. In my case that made for a slightly downbeat home coming!
It was a good thing that House Mistresses didn't get to make a comment on our reports. Bad enough that they had a major influence on termly interviews with DR!

Re: Old report card

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 1:28 pm
by michael scuffil
Our housemaster's reports were the only thing on the report form of any significance (except maybe for grecians, whose report forms were much longer). Mostly the subject teachers just wrote things like 'Good.' or 'Fair.' Kit Aitken used to write your position in the form on the bais of tests, like: 23/24.
CMES's one-liners were a considerable achievement, considering he had to write more than 700 of them. They were often very apt.

Re: Old report card

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 2:07 pm
by Katharine
Did you have the equivalent of our house interviews, Michael? Each term, near the end, after the reports had been written, DR would visit each house and speak to each girl about her report, except as Chrissy says there was input from the housemistress into her comments. I can't think where the housemistress went, she certainly wasn't present!

Very few girls, if any, looked forward to their interviews!

Re: Old report card

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 2:49 pm
by michael scuffil
We usually had interviews with the housemaster. I suppose it depended on the (assiduity of the) housemaster, and sometimes I remember only problem-cases (and new boys generally, of course) were summoned. But not with the headmaster, no. He was a distant figure.

Re: Old report card

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 5:30 pm
by sejintenej
michael scuffil wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2017 2:49 pm We usually had interviews with the housemaster. I suppose it depended on the (assiduity of the) housemaster, and sometimes I remember only problem-cases (and new boys generally, of course) were summoned. But not with the headmaster, no. He was a distant figure.
I remember routine interviews with Kit's cane and my slipper but otherwise only two. The good one was when he told me I was to be trades mon but would have a swab (which was unusual) and would have the priveleges of monitors. The bad one followed a fight during clearing-up trades at lunch; I had to escort one victim direct to the sicker without getting matron's permission. Returning to the house I was told Kit wanted me in his study so, butterflies in stomach, I approached his office. No, no comment on the fight but simply "your mother died this morning. Mr B***** (her employer) will come to collect you. You are due to play rugby this afternoon but you can miss it if you wish. You can stay in here for now" and he went out of the room.
It might sound brutal but what else could he say? Her job was a combination of Gordon Jackson and Mrs Bridges (from Upstairs, Downstairs) so I saw her only to collect the morning trays or do the drying up or shelling peas etc. so she was just someone I knew almost as well as I knew Kit and the cleaning lady.
Edit: a memory shock when I tried a new bit of music - Chabrier's Habanera which was the theme tune for "In Town Tonight" which followed "The Archers" in the 1940's/1950's which was the only programme she took time off to listen to.

As to the report cards, my mother's belongings were cleared by the holidays so I have no idea if she kept them. I never saw the Christmas or Easter reports (were there any) and it was late September before I saw the summer one (which was probably the only good one I got!)