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FEATURES
TALKING ABOUT MY GENERATION How much has changed at RGS since the 1980s? We caught up with current Head Girl, Jess, and her Dad Chris Bates (RGS 1980-1988) and Head Boy, Charlie, and his Dad, Steve Jenner (RGS 1978-1986) to see how their experiences of school compare.
What were your highlights?
Chris: RGS was a different place when I was there – predominantly because it was all boys up to Sixth Form. But also because people come from much further afield now – there was one bus from Horsham in my day! Most of my memories revolve around sport, with rugby in winter and cricket in summer. The friendships are the most important thing I took away. Every morning, Martin Russell (RGS staff 1975-2019) ran a basketball club, which people from across the school could attend – it was a great way of gelling together students from different year groups. Steve: I agree that it feels very different now, especially with the academic pressure on students, but that’s what we all aspire to. In my day we had boys with wider academic abilities, and fees were around £1,500 a year, which was a lot at the time. My father had died when I was younger and my Mum was working as a nurse and it was a real stretch for her to send me and my brother to RGS, but it was absolutely the making of us. Like Chris, the highlights are the friendships I made. I’m still in touch with a lot of my school friends, which becomes more important the older we get. Most of my friendships were founded through sport – the school has always had a strong rugby pedigree. I played a lot of rugby and Chris and I were both 1st XV captains. And then Old Reigatians RFC has been a big part my life, having played there for ten years, then coached minis and juniors for another 14! Like Chris, early morning basketball was an absolute hoot!
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Charlie: My highlights come from sport and the atmosphere which creates – the team that you spend so much time with – you build a close bond. There are a lot of good memories from rugby – we’ve never been quite as successful as in Dad’s era, but a lot of my best memories come from that. Jess and I had an hilarious time in Wales doing our Duke of Edinburgh Award. Those are the sort of experiences that I’ll never forget. Jess: Oh, DofE! It rained for five days straight, but no-one cared that we were soaked and looking awful... it was nothing but laughter! The people at RGS are the best – we were in the middle of Wales, with nothing but each other, and had a fantastic week. I’ve loved playing netball – spending so much time with my teammates – training and going to matches – that’s what I’ve missed most in 2020. The people I’ve met and the friends I’ve made are the highlights for me.
How different do you think RGS is now?
Chris: It was strange to turn up on Jess’s first day and bump into Martin Russell and get embroiled in a conversation, forgetting that I had my little girl standing there! Jess: I actually really like the fact that I had a connection to the school already, albeit a long time ago! It’s great that we can compare experiences and teachers and we all love listening to Dad’s stories and hearing what’s changed. Dad was obviously quite good at school, which makes it easier! I haven’t actually been taught by any of the teachers he had, but I see them in the corridors and my brother, sister and I are all called ‘Batesy’! Steve: I was pleased that my boys could go to RGS. I was surprised by the number of teachers who were still here! Charlie: Like Jess I really enjoyed having a prior connection to the school – it almost
