Starting Boarding School

I was nine years old when my parents asked me how I would feel if I went to boarding school. Now up until then I went to a Junior school just across the road from where we lived and my sister was in the Infants at the same school. I was a very shy quiet child and didn't particularly like going to school. I usually sat at the back of the class and in those days the classes were large and I don't remember anyone else being in the class room other than the teacher. There were no such people as teaching assistants then not even in the Infants, at least I don't think there were. I very rarely put my hand up to ask or answer questions as I didn't have any confidence and my marks were not brilliant.

Apparently my Uncle Jack (not a real uncle, just a friend of the family) thought I would do better at a smaller school and he would pay for me to go, to which my parents agreed. I thought it sounded really exciting just like some of the books I enjoyed reading. I don't think I thought much about leaving home and missing the family to begin with, it just sounded like a great adventure to me. My Mum and I had to go to London to buy the uniform, we had a list of exactly what was needed including 3 liberty bodices to keep me warm in the winter. They were like a fancy vest and a bit old fashioned even then. I didn't wear them for long!! As far as I can remember the uniform was a brown tweed skirt with a lighter brown jersey and cardigan for winter and a dress for summer but I can't remember what colour that was, probably brown as well. We also could take 3 dresses to wear after school, one of them was a red tartan, I remember.

The school was St Nicholas School for Girls in Hemel Hempstead,about an hour or so from where we lived then, in Harlow. It was a very small school and the headmistresses name was Miss Clegg. I don't remember anything much about her except she was kind and fair. I wish I could remember some names of friends I made there but I don't but I know my time there was good. I did well in the smaller classes and enjoyed all the other things we did. I remember a large garden with a huge tree and we played some great games there. In the summer we had picnics under that tree.

 I was a weekly boarder there and was allowed home at weekends which meant I had to travel home on a bus on my own. I think to begin with someone would have come to fetch me but I do remember travelling on my own as well. I had four years at this small school and I am sure this helped to shape who I am today as from then on my confidence began to grow and my marks at school got better as well.