Finding the opening brochure for my old school online has been very interesting but also a bit of a let-down; what seemed complicated and complex becomes commonplace when scaled into an schematic floorplan drawing. Some areas are revealed as what they started off as, became or should have been; I had forgotten that whilst us boys went to do woodwork & metalwork, the girls were doing housecraft (cookery & domestic science) and commerce (i.e. typing). The boys had a Cork floor in our gym, whilst the girls had a maple one in theirs. School isn’t the happiest days of your life, but they are certainly the formative ones.

The Harry Potter films have re-awakened an interest in School Houses, as per Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. My school also had a House system of sorts, but not to the extent extolled in the 1961 opening brochure;

A special feature of Kenton Secondary School is the House system, which plays a vital role in the life of the school. It is a means of making pupils feel that they belong to a recognisable group, more intimate in nature and numbers than the whole school and is also a means of promoting various out-of-school activities. The four houses hold social evenings each week for two hours, thus encouraging the comprehensive social aim, as both certain age ranges and all ability ranges mix socially during these House evenings.

It goes on to say that the four Housmasters/mistresses have what we would now call a Pastoral role in children’s development and that further building work would lead to six houserooms in total.

When I joined the school in 1969, there were four Houses, which from memory were called Kielder, Norham, Walkworth and Alnwick, all names associated with Northumbria (Castles, methinks). I was in Kielder, which had a red shield. The only real manifestation of the House system was in high standards of work- you collected stars, three of which earned you a Merit Mark. (Outstanding work could earn you a Merit mark straight off if you got 10 out of 10, but that might also earn you a bit of a kicking afterwards for being a swot!). There may well have been House Masters, but I don’t recall them, or requiring the services of one. In assembly, the ranking of the Houses was occasionally mentioned, and four coloured shields in the stairwell next to “Geogger” Johnson’s Lower School Classroom used to get re-arranged in order of superiority.

When we moved on to upper school in the third year, the Houses were never mentioned again…

The social events mentioned from 1961 above were restarted in the fourth year two evenings a week, there was ninety minutes or so of activities, culminating in a disco in the hall for the last hour. This was the start of Ian grey Dee Jay and my eventual world domination of School Christmas Parties. I arranged with one of the deputy heads (Mr Lorriman) to do the school parties in 1974 for the grand sum of £30, which was what Impulse charged per disco, a dramatic saving for the school and lots of Wonga for me to buy lighting, records & strobes. I also remember hiring a Mirror Ball rigged up in the middle of the hall, with the various Focus Lanterns focussed onto it in different colours. Mirror balls are very cheesy but a striking effect if done well. The hire Company was in Sunderland and I can vaguely remember taking this Mirror Ball on the Bus in a large straw filled box!

One other word about schooldays before I leave the subject for a while- when we were about to start school, our parents were sent a big list of what we needed, both clothing and equipment. (I can remember a frisson of unexplained sexual excitement at the sight of the words “Navy Blue Knickers” in the list). It suggested that pupils should have a Briefcase or a Haversack. I chose the former, then found that only nerdy types like Gavin Atkinson (whose Dad was a teacher, albeit a remedial one) had Briefcases so rapidly obtained a Haversack which for credibility must only be worn with one strap over the shoulder.

*Marxist Bingo- Just like ordinary bingo but when you get a card, instead of shouting House! you call out Property is theft! instead…