School reports and the 'Big Picture'

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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Kim2s70-77
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School reports and the 'Big Picture'

Post by Kim2s70-77 »

I found a stash of school reports from Hertford this weekend - together with an old diary, with entries from 74, 75 and 76. Knowing the negative experience I had in the second form with a Housemistress and the experience of being sent to Coventry for an extended period in 4th form, together with some serious turmoil in my home life - it is interesting to note the blissful ignorance of ANY of this in the reports. I had done exceptionally well in Primary school and had more fun in first form than academic effort, but had held it together with respect to grades/ exam results etc. Then - when I was struggling with what was happening in the House - I came practically BOTTOM in everything. How come no one thought to ask - what's happening to this bright child, who's suddenly performing so poorly? Then, when I was sent to coventry - and had nothing better to do than study, I came TOP in everything. Didn't anyone think this was strange??? The only comments were along the lines of "Needs to stop acting so surly and speak up for herself" - then "Finally applying herself" etc. Always about CHARACTER and never the possibility that we had FEELINGS!! Really, reading those diaries - I am quite shocked with all of the stuff with which I was struggling. (A lot of which I had clearly blocked out!)
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Re: School reports and the 'Big Picture'

Post by Mid A 15 »

Kim2s70-77 wrote:I found a stash of school reports from Hertford this weekend - together with an old diary, with entries from 74, 75 and 76. Knowing the negative experience I had in the second form with a Housemistress and the experience of being sent to Coventry for an extended period in 4th form, together with some serious turmoil in my home life - it is interesting to note the blissful ignorance of ANY of this in the reports. I had done exceptionally well in Primary school and had more fun in first form than academic effort, but had held it together with respect to grades/ exam results etc. Then - when I was struggling with what was happening in the House - I came practically BOTTOM in everything. How come no one thought to ask - what's happening to this bright child, who's suddenly performing so poorly? Then, when I was sent to coventry - and had nothing better to do than study, I came TOP in everything. Didn't anyone think this was strange??? The only comments were along the lines of "Needs to stop acting so surly and speak up for herself" - then "Finally applying herself" etc. Always about CHARACTER and never the possibility that we had FEELINGS!! Really, reading those diaries - I am quite shocked with all of the stuff with which I was struggling. (A lot of which I had clearly blocked out!)
An interesting thread subject.

Were the Hertford reports in the same format as Horsham, namely subject reports, housemaster then finally headmaster?

From what I've read here Hertford was much smaller than Horsham in terms of pupil numbers so, theoretically, one would have expected the teachers, and houseparents especially, to know the girls well as individuals and thus pick up on the variable performance you describe.
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Re: School reports and the 'Big Picture'

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They were separate pieces of paper for each teacher (about 1/3 the size of a regular piece of paper) held together in one corner by a string clip. Headmistresses overall summary on top; then Form mistress and then individual subject teachers. All handwritten and all quite wordy, considering the number they must have had to write. My children's teachers press a key for an automated response that is utterly generic! No Housemistress report - thank God!
I had forgotten the grading system - 75 and above in exams was Distinction and I believe 50 was the pass mark. Here in the US, everyone's self esteem issues are such that an "A" is 93 and above and I think you pass an exam at 70 something. Strange skewing of the curve!
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Re: School reports and the 'Big Picture'

Post by MaryB »

In the late 60s Hertford reports were on a single sheet with a space for each subject, form mistress' report and then HM's. I don't think there was a housemistress space, but I always felt her comments were reflected in DR's bit - especially that word "irresponsible". And I suspect (takes off glasses and chews one earpiece meditatively) that the idea of a correlation between house matters and academic performance never entered anyone's head, and since there was almost no communication between house and teaching staff in our time, there was no way it could have taken root. As for feelings, there was a sense around that they were self indulgent, so it was entirely our own fault if we chose to let them affect what we did or didn't do. I catch myself in this attitude even now, 40 something years on...... oh dear.
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Re: School reports and the 'Big Picture'

Post by Kim2s70-77 »

MaryB - the first form report was like that (Ms Champion, was it?) - but it changed for 2nd form. Don't know if it changed BECAUSE it was 2nd form - or because that was when the entire school changed report format. Does anyone else still have old reports? And how I came to have them in another country (which means I must have actually lugged all this stuff on an aeroplane at some point!) is beyond me!
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Re: School reports and the 'Big Picture'

Post by icomefromalanddownunder »

I have my reports - saved by Mum. Mine (65-70) are all single pages, with subject designated boxes.
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Re: School reports and the 'Big Picture'

Post by Kim2s70-77 »

Wrong thread, I know - but I posted new pics

http://photobucket.com/Kim2s70-77
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Re: School reports and the 'Big Picture'

Post by J.R. »

Kim2s70-77 wrote:Wrong thread, I know - but I posted new pics

http://photobucket.com/Kim2s70-77

Kim

I see you've managed to get these photo's into the Photograph thread.

Would you like me to delete this one for you ? John.
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Re: School reports and the 'Big Picture'

Post by Kim2s70-77 »

No thanks - I thought it might draw Hertford 'girls' to the other thread!
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Re: School reports and the 'Big Picture'

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Kim2s70-77 wrote:No thanks - I thought it might draw Hertford 'girls' to the other thread!

No probs !
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Re: School reports and the 'Big Picture'

Post by Jo »

The report format changed during my time at school. I always assumed it was so that teachers could produce their reports simultaneously/independently, rather than each report having to circulate round every relevant teacher to add their comments. Must have been a logistical nightmare to co-ordinate. It would have been much easier for each teacher just to submit their report individually.
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