We attended St. Mary’s Church one morning per week since, historically, Church Green Road School was a Church School.

During the afternoons we listened to stories from books.

I remember very well how pleasant the reception class teacher was. As I had never attended nursery School she was my very first contact outside my immediate family.

I took all my personal belongings including plimsolls with me inside a little white bag which I would hang on the back of my school chair. My mother had used an old pillowcase and embroidered it with my name and a floral design.

The School was Victorian and divided up between reception class, school cloakroom and a large classroom which was again sectioned off by a folding door and a small room for the top class of 7-year olds. This class was taught by Headmistress, Mrs. Bailey, who seemed to me very old, but very caring. She always wore a lot of facepowder.

I can also remember how cold it was during the winter months in this building.as it was heated by stoves in reception and I can’t remember how we fared and what we used in the other two rooms.

During my second year I missed much of my schooling because I suffered with an ear complaint. I was hospitalised at Northampton General Hospital for this and spent some time convalescing.

I found the teacher of this year, Mrs. Duncan, extremely supportive, since I was missing reading skills and she lent me books which included “Noddy”. When I went back to school she gave me support over Mathematics. During that year I won first prize in the class competition of Artwork which featured two blackbirds about litter entitled: “We pick up the worms - you pick up the bits” for which I won the princely prize of 2/6d. This sum of money was presented by the Mayor in 1957.

All in all it was an enjoyable time I met my good childhood friend, Elizabeth Pacifici, as an only child this was also important influence outside the family circle and the first of my socialisation skills. However I was still desperately shy.

HOLNE CHASE 1958-1962

From September 1958 until July 1962 I attended Holne Chase School. The Headteacher was Mr. Harding and he had a family home at the side of the School. There was also a Library within this building which my Father and myself used to use regularly. This building was built at a later date than the School and reminded me of a Victorian house. Mr. Harding kept an aviary at one side of the School and this contained budgerigars. I always enjoyed looking at the birds in the aviary before going to dinner in the School canteen which was situated further down from the aviary and was connected to the School via a corridor it could also be reached by a path at the side of the aviary.

A very large field belonging to the School was situated at the back, and to the left of this from the Buckingham Road to near to the Oxford-Bletchley railway line were paddocks where horses and ponies grazed. Very often they would come to the fence so that we could pet them and they would come to expect it.

At the bottom of this field where the railway line ran my father told me that a bomb had exploded during the Second World War. Certainly this is possible since the car factory at Cowley may have been turned into a munitions factory for the War Effort and Bletchley was then an important railway junction for between Oxford-London.

My first teacher at this School was Mr. Lewry, a very kind, gentle man. Unfortunately during this year I was again admitted to Northampton General Hospital for an ear operation as before in 1957. Mr Lewry visited me in Hospital and gave me a book from the himself and everyone in the class entitled “Heidi” by Joanah Spyri.

I walked to School with my friend Elizabeth Pacifi a distance of perhaps half a mile and again having a large field at the back of the School gave us a wonderful space for Sports Day and athletics. We also had a climbing frame in the School playground surrounded by Horse Chestnut trees.

The School Cook, Mrs. Smith, whose son Peter was in the same class as myself, would produce some wonderful dishes. These included really creamy mashed potatoes which were scooped and put on the plate with delicious dishes such as steak and kidney pie with tasty meaty gravy. The puddings were also very good, but I remember the dinner particularly, sometimes there was a chance to have “seconds.” There was always a competition amongst the children to see who would sit next to the Headmaster, Mr. Harding on the benches next to the long dining table.

During the second year I can remember one naughty episode of having to to stand outside the classroom after having attempted to trip the teacher, Ms. Newman up. There was also an occasion when Mr. Harding had to confiscate a catapult from me.