Compulsory Games...

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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Liz60
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Compulsory Games...

Post by Liz60 »

This may have been dealt with under other topics but since it is a subject which figured hugely in almost every day of my CH life, I thought I'd give it a thread all of its own!

Games were never my forte anyway but having arrived at CH and being put into the 3rd form, thus missing out on the final year of primary school, I was immediately thrust into the bewildering world of hockey and netball, neither of which had reached my primary school. There was a particularly dragonesque and unsympathetic Games Mistress at the time - Mrs Hislop, I think - who simply could not understand that a girl existed who did not know what Left Inner or Wing Attack meant - and was certainly not going to enlighten me; indeed, she merely ridiculed me publicly when I did something wrong!

That woman had it in for me from Day 1. We had swimming on the first afternoon, and having mislaid my School Ma, I had to find my own way to the swimming pool. I was late and on apologising to Mrs H and explaining that I'd got lost, was bawled out with "What do you mean, you got lost? You were shown round the school yesterday, weren't you?"! So a few days later, when I noticed "Floating Lesson" on the timetable, I was determined to be on time (where WAS my School Ma?). So I arrived on time, got changed and came out of the cubicle...to see all these enormous 6th formers!! The mortification is still with me. You can imagine Miss H's reaction... She gave me a disorder mark and then I got another one for being late for the lesson I should have been at!! (Both of which had to be confessed, of course, at the Friday form meeting: sackcloth and ashes for months.) I never did learn to swim at school - music lessons were a great way of getting out of it - but at least Mrs H left at the end of my first year and a nice Miss Westthorp arrived.
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englishangel
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Re: Compulsory Games...

Post by englishangel »

No, we don't have thread devoted to games, though they have obviously intruded on other threads.

I can't believe you never played netball, I started playing at my first primary school which I left before I was 9. I was taller than average though. My "whole school" photo in September 1962 shows me as the second tallest in the school (including the boys) and I was not 9 until the following February. it was a very small school of some 55 souls but even so! Incidentally the tallest was a boy just 4 months older than me.
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MKM
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Re: Compulsory Games...

Post by MKM »

I don't remember any organised team games at my inner London primary school. Possibly we played rounders, but not netball or hockey. (Which is odd, now I come to think of it, because my brother played football). The new games must have been explained to me when I reached CH (we even had hockey theory lessons). Although I was never any good at sports, I think Miss Norman tried to avoid ridiculing anyone. I was a year behind Liz, so avoided Mrs Hislop.

My primary school did take us swimming, though, once a week. By the time I reached CH I could swim confidently, if not stylishly.

I somehow missed the tour around the school on my first day (I'd like to claim this is why I never quite knew what was going on for the next seven years). But fortunately there were several of us in the same form and house, and we went around as a group, so I never had to know the way anywhere.
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englishangel
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Re: Compulsory Games...

Post by englishangel »

I have a good sense of direction and I also always seem to look as though I know where I am going. Two days after we moved into the village with our new baby someone stopped me and asked me the way to somewhere. I fished out the local map I had secreted under the pram mattress.

Was driving yesterday and daughter had the map and kept turning it so it was running in the direction I was driving. Aaaaargh. She could not understand how I could read a map with North at the top.

If anyone knows Southend/ Westcliff they will understand.
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Angela Pratt 56-63
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Re: Compulsory Games...

Post by Angela Pratt 56-63 »

Yes, Mary, I do know Southend/ Westcliff and DO understand. Having lived here for over 30 years now, my sense of direction has improved , but at first after coming from a small Northamptonshire village, and only been driving a year, I found it terribly difficult!
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englishangel
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Re: Compulsory Games...

Post by englishangel »

My brother lives on one of the roads right in the middle of Westcliff, the northern section being one way northbound and the southern section being one way southbound. Extremely confusing.
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Re: Compulsory Games...

Post by Pixie »

I learnt to swim at my inner london primary school too but I don't remember organised team games either. Perhaps it was because we didn't have a school field, just a playground. However, once I got to CH I found I really enjoyed sport and ended up in several school teams. I also found it to be a sort of release valve which helped me get through the frustration of daily life at the school.
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Re: Compulsory Games...

Post by anniexf »

Pixie wrote:I learnt to swim at my inner london primary school too but I don't remember organised team games either. Perhaps it was because we didn't have a school field, just a playground. However, once I got to CH I found I really enjoyed sport and ended up in several school teams. I also found it to be a sort of release valve which helped me get through the frustration of daily life at the school.
My experiences exactly, Pixie!
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