SCHOOL MEMORIES 1946-1960 By Jill Sands (neé Collins) Notting Hill and Ealing High School was the educational establishment I attended for 14 years, and reading the alumnae magazines today shows me how much has changed since those early days. I began my academic career at the age of four in Redlands, a converted house. At that time the school was made up of two old houses (Redlands and Skipton) and the main senior school building on the site. I remember Miss McCaig with affection as the first headmistress of that part of the school. I started in Lower Kindergarten but was swiftly moved to the next class as I seemed to be bright but it was hard. My friend Susan and I literally moved our desks from one class to another. We received a quarter pint of milk each day. The toilets were designed for toddlers with low seats and hand basins. Transition was the next class with Miss Viper who I recall loved pepper and discipline. I remember the navy knickers we wore which we called Harvest festival pants (all is safely gathered in!) Assembly happened each morning and rest after lunch. One girl wet her knickers, oh the shame to be told to admit it in front of the class! Those were the days. She is still a great friend forged in those times. In assembly I also remember
standing still for the announcement of the death of King George VI in 1952. I used to stand on my bible to see over the other girls. Our school hymn was 'Thy Hand, Oh God, has Guided' which we belted out at the end of each term. Then I moved to Skipton which was another transformed house at the other end of the plot. Here I failed the 11+ twice, once early and then later the next year. However, I progressed to the main school and my parents had to pay, oh the shame. My mother kitted me and my two sisters out with our uniforms in a shop in Ealing each term and we had lace up shoes in the winter (two pairs, one on and one off) and sandals in the summer with our dresses. We had panamas in the summer and berets or a cloth hat in the winter. My mother used to compete with my friend Celia’s mum to see who produced the whitest Aertex shirt for games. My mother always thought she won. We used to ride our bikes to school when old enough. I was banned for a week when caught carrying a passenger. Little did we know that the headmistress had spotted us careering down a hill! We used to go to the public baths in Ealing for swimming lessons and to an out-lying hockey pitch where I was a back. We played netball
and I was a shooter. I managed to obtain my Gym colours at some point and sport, English, Latin and play time were my favourite lessons. Often I was in disgrace and the punishment was to sit on a wooden elephant outside Miss Merrifield’s office so all could see you had been so called naughty. We had to learn the psalms and I grew to love them as the psalmists seemed to be relating to my own predicament! However, despite my difficult struggle at school I managed to gain 5 O’levels which allowed me to enter a nursing career at the Royal Masonic Hospital. I stayed in nursing for many years including Family Planning clinics when my children were young, and then for 15 years in Mental Health. Despite being told I could not sing at school and nor could I ever excel at art. I have sung in my church choir for many years and am in a singing group too. My naïve art probably leaves a lot for the critics to laugh at but for me it acts as therapy and my friends love it. I am grateful for my schooling days and still stay in touch with a few friends. In my 50's I obtained a 2:1 degree. It’s not too late to learn.
NHEHS OGA Newsletter 28
