TUESDAY 4th MARCH 1980

Nick Rowe, our resident terminal underachiever is puzzled about what all the fuss is about regarding Steve and his heroic drinking achievement - it seems he has never had a drink, unless you count Babycham which even our female members regard as little more than a soft drink. Its likely that Nick has never been in a pub before either.

This information is duly filed by certain members of the sixth form.



WEDNESDAY 5th MARCH 1980
Morning: Went to the South Bank Polytechnic for an interview today. They told me pretty much what I already knew, namely that I would need two A levels as the minimum qualification for a degree.


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Got back to Gaynesford in the early afternoon to discover that Mark and Diane had been engaged in that low level guerrilla warfare that typified their relationship.

Apparently Mark had been tied to a table in the green rooms and left there for several hours. Mark tried to carry himself and his burden out of the green rooms which meant going into the dining hall – the only route out of the green rooms, unfortunately it was dinner hour and the dining hall was full of pupils. Mark quickly gave up his efforts.

He eventually freed himself and spent the rest of the day planning his revenge. On the tube coming back from the South Bank I read an article saying that kids in school were more stressed now and with more pressure to succeed than at any other time in history - wonder if I should tell the sixth form?

Piner called another meeting today - this time I was ready. I asked that we discuss the problem and reach a decision on whatever was troubling Piner this time (although I was a bit more diplomatic than that!

According to Tracy, although most of the prefects were playing the game, playing being the operative word here. Some were still doing little or nothing. I ask for names and not unexpectedly Stuart, Beverley Ashok and Ray Morris appears, less expected is Karema Virani and Nick Rowe.

Karemi I hardly know and I would be surprised to find Rowe, as part of any rebellion must less in the vanguard of one. Piner cites the problems −

• Stuart is rude and makes sexual references;
• Ashok ignores her;
• Ray appears to have vanished;
• Beverley ignores her;
• Nick didn’t seem to understand what it was that he was supposed to be doing;
• Karemi just mutters when asked to do anything.

I try hard not to smile - naturally I fail and Tracy is not at all impressed with me. I make the following suggestions:

• I will speak to Stuart and suggest that not everyone is a sex mad nymphomaniac with the morals of an Amsterdam prostitute, (This will come as both a surprise and a disappointment to him).
• If Ashok ignores her she should make her point more forcefully, she is head girl after all;
• We are not truant officers, so Morris’ attendance is not our problem;
• Beverley would need to be told with some force, she had a job to do;
• Nick comes under the heading of insoluble problem. Besides, of all of them, I had little doubt that Nick would at least try. It was doubtful that Rowe could exert his authority against a twelve-year-old girl.

Editors note. Shortly after this a rather curious memo appeared in on the sixth form notice board, although seeming to come from the Deputy Headmistress, the was no record in the school day book and no mention of it in any heads of year meetings. While at first sight appearing to be a continuance of the series of dictum which had come to the sixth form from the deputy head, certain elements of the note make it rather suspicious. Interestingly there is no reference to this memo from Cook who may have decided that a low profile was the way forward.

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