House Marks?

Share your memories and stories from the Hertford Christ's Hospital School, which closed in 1985, when the two schools integrated to the Horsham site....

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Angela Woodford
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House Marks?

Post by Angela Woodford »

Here's a letter from DR, 23 March 1966 -

"It may help parents to know what what Order Marks etc. are given.

Order Marks: for forgetting books, mainly.

Disorder Marks: for talking and rudeness.

Conduct Marks: for breaking one of the major School rules, and can only be given by the Headmistress.

House Marks: introduced this term, to try to stop continuous minor punishment, are given for talking, being late, and leaving things about in the House. Any girl getting five in one week receives further punishment.

A Star: for very good or much improved work

A Classroom: for work badly done.

D. R. WEST,

Headmistress.

For one thing, all these dire "marks" were called "reports".

And for another, this House Mark introduction must never have taken off. I don't remember them at all! Does anyone else?

Munch
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Post by Vonny »

I don't remember anything like that being in force in the 80's.
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House marks...

Post by kayinbaja »

Maybe you were in a pretty well behaved, or at least, tidy house, Munch! I think I remember that house marks were accumulated and called out at the end of term. The idea being that, if you got lots of them your house would be "shamed and named" in front of the whole school. 5s being a bunch of sullen, rebellious, grubby ne-er-do-wells, I think we did our best to win.

Also, where does the dreaded "Below Standard" come in? Was that just needlework? (Sorry, I feel her dreaded presence looming again, she is spinning in her grave, quivering with indignation.)
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Re: House marks...

Post by Katharine »

Well I wouldn't remember House marks, I was already an OB when that letter was written!
kayinbaja wrote:Also, where does the dreaded "Below Standard" come in? Was that just needlework? (Sorry, I feel her dreaded presence looming again, she is spinning in her grave, quivering with indignation.)
Yes, that was just for needlework, along with the Commended. They all added up to see which House won the Bookends - a singularly uninspiring trophy alledgedly from Queen Vic's Piano. Can't remember whether the bookends were awarded annually or termly.
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Re: House marks...

Post by Ajarn Philip »

Katharine wrote: They all added up to see which House won the Bookends - a singularly uninspiring trophy alledgedly from Queen Vic's Piano.
Classic, absolutely, classic. I just love it! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Post by Angela Woodford »

I feel sure that the final Needlework total Commendations per house (minus the Below Standards) was an end of year thing! Yay! Queen Victoria's Bookends! In the winning of which, Christine Goodwin's buttonholes played a major part.

House Marks - it's occured to me in retrospect that in 1966 DR might well have seen the House discipline and punishment as dished out by senior girls as a bit irregular and thought of this House Mark system as a way to make things above board. No question about it, seniors could punish juniors according to whim. I must have spent a great deal of my time cleaning shoes, baths and basins and writing essays of self-condemnation etc.

Was it seniors or housemistresses who awarded the House Marks, Kay? I really don't remember, which is very odd!

Although I've always thought the boys at Horsham had a freer, less restricted time, distinctive uniform, band, chance to drink and smoke behind bushes etc, I'm utterly grateful that there was no custom of attacking each others' nipples at Hertford. Of all the bullying/punishment systems I've ever heard anywhere this seems to me to be utterly cruel and bizarre! Somewhere, there's an account of one boy using pliers on another's nipples! I can't imagine it, I just can't!

What would Sister have said in the after-breakfast queue up t'Imf when confronted with the victim?

Munch
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Post by midget »

Angela Woodford wrote:I feel sure that the final Needlework total Commendations per house (minus the Below Standards) was an end of year thing! Yay! Queen Victoria's Bookends! In the winning of which, Christine Goodwin's buttonholes played a major part.

House Marks - it's occured to me in retrospect that in 1966 DR might well have seen the House discipline and punishment as dished out by senior girls as a bit irregular and thought of this House Mark system as a way to make things above board. No question about it, seniors could punish juniors according to whim. I must have spent a great deal of my time cleaning shoes, baths and basins and writing essays of self-condemnation etc.

Was it seniors or housemistresses who awarded the House Marks, Kay? I really don't remember, which is very odd!

Although I've always thought the boys at Horsham had a freer, less restricted time, distinctive uniform, band, chance to drink and smoke behind bushes etc, I'm utterly grateful that there was no custom of attacking each others' nipples at Hertford. Of all the bullying/punishment systems I've ever heard anywhere this seems to me to be utterly cruel and bizarre! Somewhere, there's an account of one boy using pliers on another's nipples! I can't imagine it, I just can't!

What would Sister have said in the after-breakfast queue up t'Imf when confronted with the victim?

Munch
"You silly child. What have you been doing?"

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"You silly child. What have you been doing?"

Post by kayinbaja »

This made me laugh out loud, Maggie!
I don't remember seniors doling out housemarks, only the housemistress (Curtis?) who looked like Maggie Thatcher. Our seniors were all much messier than the juniors (sorry, girls) with the exception of Linden who was perfect in every way, and so astonishingly polite that she used to ask permission of her neighbours at the dining table before peeling an orange!
I'm sorry, wandering off topic here - are we supposed to be back on needlework? Or punishment? Short term memory fade again.
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Re: "You silly child. What have you been doing?"

Post by icomefromalanddownunder »

kayinbaja wrote:This made me laugh out loud, Maggie!
I don't remember seniors doling out housemarks, only the housemistress (Curtis?) who looked like Maggie Thatcher. Our seniors were all much messier than the juniors (sorry, girls) with the exception of Linden who was perfect in every way, and so astonishingly polite that she used to ask permission of her neighbours at the dining table before peeling an orange!
I'm sorry, wandering off topic here - are we supposed to be back on needlework? Or punishment? Short term memory fade again.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
I, too, had a good laugh at Maggie's response to Munch, than also fell about at Kay's memories of Linden asking if those in close proximity agreed to her peeling an orange, because I do this in the tea room at Uni and work - also ask if anyone objects to me opening cans of tuna (I can eat tuna because it is not in sauce, and I can see what I'm eating. Plus, no bones or finger nails or whatever else used to lurk in the fish mornay. Oh, just excuse me for a moment, I feel an up-chuck coming on).



Phew, all better now. Anyway, I do ask, but never expect an objection, and was somewhat miffed when the tosser who has the desk next to mine replied that he did, indeed, object to me eating tuna in his vicinity :roll:
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Post by englishangel »

make sure it is something in garlic next time Caroline
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Post by Angela Woodford »

Although it's funny to think that Sister would have responded with "you silly child..." I do think that any sign of physical abuse would have resulted in immediate investigation. I've been utterly horrified by the accounts from Horsham.

I don't remember anything worse than apple-pie or salt beds, although I believe that Barbara has a few bad memories?

And then Mary V got into a brush-and-comb bag fight! :lol:

Something that I found miserable in House was being excluded at times from a particular clique. I was the only "A" form member in 6's in my year, and was disliked for it. I can recall a note being passed up the dining table to a girl who was maybe a leetle bit plump. The note read

" You are FAT, GREEDY, GUTSY. Is it wise to eat so much?"

Everybody read the note on the way to its victim. There was lots of giggling. The eventual recipient was mortified, blushed crimson and didn't speak for the rest of the meal.

Munch
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Re: "You silly child. What have you been doing?"

Post by sejintenej »

re Canned tuna
icomefromalanddownunder wrote: I feel an up-chuck coming on).
I'm not surprised............
icomefromalanddownunder wrote:
Phew, all better now. Anyway, I do ask, but never expect an objection, and was somewhat miffed when the tosser who has the desk next to mine replied that he did, indeed, object to me eating tuna in his vicinity :roll:
I may be on anti horse, dog , cat , mites, wheat and everything else pills (and I still work with those except the mites) but the pills certainly don't stop me wretching and having breathing problems at the smell of canned tuna. Yeuch; should be banned to save the planet.

Tosser? just because you like something which he doesn't does not imply anything about his good / bad taste. He continues to sit next to you - doesn't that suggest that he has good taste?
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Post by J.R. »

Tuna & mayonaise sarnies !

Scrummy !! :o
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Post by cj »

J.R. wrote:Tuna & mayonaise sarnies !

Scrummy !! :o
Tuna, sweetcorn and salad cream is better!!
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Post by midget »

Tuna, mayo and pasta for a take to work lunch.

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