“Miss Boyd — very blue eyes — back like a ram-rod. Always wore shorts in winter with lisle stockings although there was no visible sign of support. No sign of suspenders and I don’t think tights had been invented.” Audrey Toothill ‘37-’42

“… Brilliant Miss Boyd and wonderful times in the gym and swimming pool learning life saving.” Sheila Fingret ‘41-’47

“Miss Riddoch made a great fuss of me after seeing a dress my mother had smocked for me (I was hopeless at sewing then). We met up again years later, and when we adopted a baby she brought him a vest!” Janet Rawlins ‘38-’44

“Miss Riddoch always said ‘pattren’ instead of ‘pattern’.” Audrey Toothill ‘37-’42

“… Miss Taylor who told us about her trip to Africa where she was nearly bitten by a Black Mamba!” Thelma Earnshaw ‘49-’54

“I remember so many of the teachers - what amazes me, looking at their photographs now, is how young they all were! We all thought most of them were in their dotage.” Lesley Hooper ‘56-’59

“Miss Gilham frequently reminded us, ‘If a thing is worth doing at all it is worth doing well.’ She also took us for writing, ‘Light upstrokes - heavy down.’” Margaret Sarvent ‘30-’39

“Has no one memories of Mrs. Senior who ran the office (next door to the Headmistress)? There always seemed to be a whirlwind of activity.’” Dorothy Sclater ‘38-’41

“How come no one seems to remember Miss Holden? She was there for the first year, I think.” Gill Crossley ‘59-’66

“I certainly remember Miss Holden. She was headmistress during my years at Lawnswood. She reminded me of Joan Crawford, & seemed very remote.” Avril Escolme ‘46-’51

“As I was head girl I saw a lot of Miss Holden as it was my duty to go to her room every morning to collect her hymn book and any notices and then follow the dignified figure into the hall for the morning assembly.” Margaret Riley ‘43-’50

“Miss Holden - she was a very attractive, dignified and competent person. She succeeded Miss Willey just after I went to Lawnswood. She lived with her parents very near me and we sometimes walked up the road together. She was always very informed and charming.” Dorothy Sclater ‘38-’41

“Miss Holden - Although she was very dignified and seemed somewhat remote, I saw a different side of her - my father was a Leeds headmaster and knew her quite well from meetings etc - used to pass on little samples of her humour. He had a bronze coloured Vauxhall for a while - she always referred to it as the “yellow peril”! We went to visit her once in her home in the Dales after she retired. She had become quite involved with the WRI.” Joan Hardy ‘58-’65

“Mum (Mrs. Bower) told me that the redoubtable Miss Holden was not all she appeared. She would sweep in to Mum’s class in her academic gown, causing an immediate uprising of the girls into a standing position. She would then stand at Mum’s desk and pass her a note. My mother would open it and on at least one occasion it read ‘Give me a fag. I’m gasping.’ Mum would discreetly place a cigarette in a tin box and pass it to Miss Holden, who thanked her and left.” (from Jane Bower, daughter of Sadie Bower who taught Biology & Art at Lawnswood from 1949 onwards)

“I remember Mrs Bower very well. She was a great teacher. I can picture her now, always immaculate, smiling, very friendly to her pupils. I'm not sure how many years she was my Biology teacher but I still remember a lot of the subject and I did get my 'O' level. I didn't take other sciences, but my son is a research chemist and my daughter is a biologist, so something rubbed off somewhere!” Joan Tetley ‘52-’57

“Miss Holden — she really was quite human under that haughty façade and LOVED men! We could tell that, even as young teenagers; batting her eyelids at visiting dignitaries.” Jennifer Newman ‘43-’55

“I remember on one occasion, after a piano lesson in one of those rooms behind the stage, I took a flying leap down that little flight of steps into that short corridor and landed slap-bang in front of Miss Holden! She tried to frown, but was quite impressed with the leap and warned me not to do it again in case I landed on top of someone next time!” Jennifer Newman ‘43-’55

“Miss Holden was indeed a striking figure but very nice to me when I was hauled into her office for crossing the white line on the grass to chat to the boys and being late for the bell!” Linda Crookes ‘54-’60

“I recall Miss Holden as tall, handsome and kind. She had an air of calmness about her, and I was very sad to see her leave during my time at the school.” Linda Crookes ‘54-’60

“Miss Holden was Headmistress then, and always seemed very austere and unapproachable. I guess I was just scared of her!” Beryl Midgley ‘55-’60

“Not only a great headmistress but a great teacher. We had her for first year Latin in 1954/5. We had to greet her with ‘Salve, Magister’ and end the lesson with ‘Vale, Magister.’ (Not ‘magistra’.).” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“Miss Holden - I remember her with great affection. She used to give me individual Latin lessons twice a week - I'd missed out on Latin at my school in Essex, and she offered to teach me, so that I could do languages at university. She must have been sadly disappointed after her efforts, as I never went into sixth form, but perhaps she would have been pleased to know that eventually I did a degree in Linguistics here in Sydney.” Lesley Hooper ‘56-’59

“Miss Holden was a delightful lady.” Catherine MacDonald ‘49-’54

“I remember being sent to Miss Holden by Miss Bradbury because I told someone an answer. Miss Holden had her desk strategically placed in the furthest corner of her office so you felt you were crossing acres of carpet, but she was really very kind if somewhat unworldly. I had a session with her once a week to prepare for Oxbridge entrance. In an essay on the Press I mentioned the (then) Daily Worker of which she assured me she had never heard.” Ann Cole ‘49-’56

“Miss Holden gave us our exam results personally. We presented ourselves at her door on the appointed day, the door was duly opened and Miss Holden read each candidate’s results aloud in front of the other girls in the queue.” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“I remember Miss Holden for the first year of school.” Maureen Whitehead ‘59-’64

“Miss Holden - I was always somewhere in the middle and always found her a very understanding if remote person, she always seemed slightly 1920's.” Catherine MacDonald ‘49-’54

“As Hilda came in our final year we regarded her as something of a joke - not in the LEAST like the imperious terrifying Millie who I do not remember having a great sense of humour.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“I remember when Miss Longworth took over, and we saw her come onto the stage at assembly, through that door in the back, and she looked so aloof and strange. When my parents asked what she was like I said she had frizzy hair and thick lips - they wondered what nationality she was! Not very PC today, I suppose.” Unascribed...

“There was a rumour (obviously false) that Miss Longworth was actually married and had a daughter.” Sheila Galbraith ‘60-’67

“I always remember going to see her [Miss L.] about career choices and she quite bluntly told me I would have been better off at Thoresby High School for nursing. Lawnswood was more suited for future Doctors, Lawyers and Teachers.” Maureen Whitehead ‘59-’64

“Miss Longworth: she told me I would never make it as a Radiographer, 'my Physics was not good enough'. Well I retired in 2009 after 41 years in a wonderful career as a Radiographer working on three continents and loving my choice of career. I would like to have told her it was her Physics teacher that was not good enough!!!” Pat Curtis ‘59-’65

“Careers Advice – that was a complete waste of time I thought. Everything I wanted to do would be met by the teacher’s ‘Oh that’s a man’s job, I’m afraid’ and sadly she was backed up by my dad. I often wonder what would have happened in life if I had become a Geologist or an Archaeologist as I dreamed of doing?” Jane Thorp ‘65-’72

“I entered Lawnswood in 1968 just a couple of weeks after my mother died. My favorite teachers were Mrs. Doig for Art and Latin and Mr Slater for Math. I left in February 1971 and emigrated to Australia with my family and new stepmother. The only time I had detention was when some friends and I found a door off the gym to a passage of tunnels underneath the school. We told others and soon 10 or more of us began meeting at lunch break with torches that we brought in from home. We would climb in and explore the tunnels which was very exciting – until someone told a teacher. We were all called into Miss Longworth’s office standing before her in a long line, worrying about being expelled. I recall she walked up and down hands behind her back calmly explaining how we could have easily been electrocuted or even possibly fallen down into some deep underground pits. Of course when she asked who was the ring leader someone gave me a shove from behind. I am actually glad we were caught before something bad did happen! The next day a padlock was placed on the tunnel door!” Christine Hill ‘68-’71

“… … the somewhat forbidding Miss Gilman; wherever Miss Gilman went so did her clock. What other school would have a teacher who carried a clock so that she could send a girl to ring the bell when it was time to change lessons? This was a task we all vied for but what we most hoped for, and were constantly on the look out for, was a chance to sneak to the front and advance the time!” Margaret Riley ‘43-’50

“Miss Gilman always seemed to be wearing a cardigan with daisies embroidered on the pockets.” Margaret Sarvent ‘30-’39

“I remember with great affection Miss McLeod, Mrs. Webster & Miss Sketchley (though I think I was a bit afraid of the latter).” Stephanie Dalton ‘44-’57

“Mrs Webster: Much loved. She was our form mistress in IC in 1953. She never wasted a minute. In the ten minutes between the register and the bell for the first lesson she read us The Family from One-End Street. She taught us maths in the first year and English in the first and second years. In 1960 when we left the SVI Rona Smith, Ann Wilson and I felt so moved by her concern for us over seven years that we bought her a present She came to my wedding in 1966 and I still have her present of a pretty coffee jar. We corresponded till her death in the seventies. Interestingly she signed all her letters’ Webby’ but I don’t remember her ever being given anything but her full name and title and always with great respect.” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“Re: the Kindergarten, I don't think anyone has mentioned Miss Hartley. She was small and cuddly and wore a brightly coloured overall. Her form was the second year and was known as Transition. I can still see the word 'Transition' on a notice on her door. Miss Hartley's form came the year after Miss McLeod's and before Miss Sketchley's. After two more years (with Mrs Webster) it was the 11+ & big school! I think the boys transferred to the Modern School when they were 7/8.” Irene Furze ‘43-’54

“Miss Kendall was always immaculately dressed and was so pretty. She was our form-mistress in the third year. I met her last summer at a function and she is just as glamorous still, beautifully dressed in diaphanous blue.” Heather Newman ‘53-’60

“I remember when Miss Espie (later, Mrs. Bower) came on staff, a year after Miss Kendall (maths), Miss Meade (history) and Miss Moore (art). Miss Espie replaced a tall, dark, statuesque, loud-voiced art-mistress who had recently married. But they were all right out of university - one the first graduating classes after the war. How great it was to have some YOUNG teachers!” Jennifer Newman ‘43-’55

“Miss Cherry [maths] was also pretty: married a widower [Mr. Bodenham] with a little boy.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“Did anyone else confuse Miss Walker and Miss Heap in their first couple of weeks at the school? For a while I thought they looked so much alike when seen at a distance.” Sheila Galbraith ‘60-’67

“Miss Walker (I was in her 6th form) didn't forget me. She was a patient in Brotherton Wing and sent a message over to the nurses home asking if I would care to visit her if I had the time. She greeted me like a long lost friend - and I was well into my second year by then.” Margaret Eastwood ‘59-’66

“Did you call Miss Walker ‘Wiggy’ and Mrs. Brierley ‘Basher’?” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“Does anyone remember Miss Bradbury who taught German? I was useless but for some reason she liked me and I became teachers pet. This was important because anyone not paying attention or getting it wrong had to avoid the wooden backed blackboard cleaner which came winging across the room. Miss Bradbury was scary but lovely if she liked you.” Catherine MacDonald ‘49-’54

“Miss Bradbury - French. An elderly lady with her grey hair swept back in a bun and anchored with bobby pins. Many years later when I returned from Australia after being on the Flying Dr Service (in the North West) I met her in the Linen Department of the Army & Navy Stores in London. “I remember you!” she snapped. “You were very bad at French! What are you doing now?” I had to confess that I was a Chief Air Hostess and frequently flew to France where my French was definitely proving sufficiently adequate for the purpose.” Hilary Steeple ‘44-’51

“Mrs Bates (née Unsworth): taught 1C French in 1953/54.” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“Miss Hall taught me geography for 6 out of the 7 years at Lawnswood. Even by A level, I was still in awe of her. I remember the Fair Isle cardigans but does anyone also remember the thick lacy stockings? I wonder if she made those herself. Looking back, some of her teaching was probably quite enlightened - filmstrips and slides to illustrate features we could not see in the classroom and even a field trip/day out in the first year to Fewston Reservoir and the lead mines above Pateley Bridge where if you were lucky you could find a line of galena glinting in the rock which you showed to Miss H in the hope it was lead ore.” Sheila Galbraith ‘60-’67

“When in 3Bpar (Miss Hall was our class teacher in the geography room), Joss [Jocelyn Laws] brought in a Camembert cheese, courtesy of the French exchange student staying at her house. It was a very hot day and returning to the room after lunch, there was the most almighty stink in the place! It was a while before Joss realised that it was the cheese in her desk! I think she had to go down to the Domestic Science room and place it in a 'fridge!” Jane McConomy ‘59-’65

“Miss Hall the Geography teacher. That corner classroom was so cold we used to wear our coats and gloves!!!” Pat Curtis ‘59-’65

“Did you know Miss Hall was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society? When it was announced in assembly I thought ‘how boring’ but she must have been exceptional to get that.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“Miss Hall, although not an inspirational teacher for most, inspired in me an abiding interest in geology; indeed, I now belong to the Open University Geology Society and have a house full of bits of rock and fossils!” Anne Watson ‘64-’71

“The only year I enjoyed Geography was when we had Miss Hall. Her enthusiasm was catching..” Barbara Catton ‘57-’62

“The other subject which was brilliantly taught was English with Mrs Toppely(?- I can't remember how her name is spelt) and I still have my weather beaten Poetry of the Thirties and know many poems by heart, thanks to Lawnswood.” Alison Dalwood ‘65-’72

“Mrs Senior, English - because of the love of language she gave me. I found it a pain to be only allowed to read books one chapter at a time - if I liked a book I expected to read it right through at my own speed. We were given poems to learn off by heart and the next lesson were expected to stand up and recite at least one verse. We read aloud from whatever book was current, too, and I learned to love Dickens.” Hilary Steeple ‘44-’51

“Does anyone remember Miss Leuford? She was a brilliant English teacher. One year we staged a mock trial on April 1st - she was on trial for murder (a wasp she had dispatched a few days earlier). She was found guilty despite the fact that I was her Defence Council. Unfortunately the plea of insanity did not sway the jury!” Margaret China ‘61-’66

“Miss Luford was such an outstanding English teacher - she really opened my mind to Shakespeare. And Mrs Pickering opened my mind to history.” Lesley Hooper ‘56-’59

“Miss Luford: A joy to have. My English exams results yoyo-ed – I think because Miss Luford must have liked my creative writing style and Mrs Hanson did not!” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“Miss Wallace - History. I still love History passionately, thanks to Miss Wallace.” Hilary Steeple ‘44-’51

“I remember Miss Wallace our history teacher and indeed I majored in History one and two but that was later in Cape Town.” Sheila Fingret ‘41-’47

“The inspiring Miss Wallace limping into the room with her unique greeting of 'Good morning peoples'.” Margaret Riley ‘43-’50

“No-one seems to have mentioned Mrs. Pickering in the Teachers' section. She was very jolly, our history teacher, and one of the very few married teachers when my year started (1953). Most teachers left the profession when they got married in those days, and there was no such thing as maternity leave. Mrs. Pickering's daughter was Susan. I think she was a year below my year. Tragically Susan died aged only 21, in an accident. She had epilepsy, and I think she fell off a bus. But I liked Mrs. Pickering very much, and although I was not terribly good at history I now have an abiding love of all things historical - buildings, cathedrals, graveyards, biographies, Egyptian, Greek etc. etc. so something must have got through to me!” Heather Newman ‘53-’60

“Mrs Pickering: a splendid History teacher who made a really dramatic impression.” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“Miss Mead: taught us history in 1C in 1953. A happy experience.” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“No one seems to have mentioned Miss Bryden who was my form and geography teacher in the second year. I can’t remember her married name. She and her husband invited us all to their new house, somewhere on or off the Barwick Road, for a sort of late afternoon tea party.” Sheila Galbraith ‘60-’67

“Do you remember Miss Leach who taught English? She was the only teacher who seemed at all glamorous to me at the time.” Jane Illingworth ‘58-’62

“I think the teacher I remember with most affection was Miss Leach. She taught me English to A level, and was never cross, always courteous and gentle, and had a nice sense of fun. She was always very sweet to me - the shy one who never put her hand up. I remember one occasion when we were sitting in the hall in serried ranks - can't recall why. This was during the short period when I sported a pony-tail, and I suddenly felt it being tugged from behind. I turned round - and there was Miss Leach grinning impishly!” Elisabeth Stephenson ‘59-’66

“I had Miss Leach for English and she was lovely. I met her in Headingley about 20 years ago, [approx 1991] and she did not look any different.” Pat Curtis ‘59-’65

“I think Miss Hall knitted her own cardies.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“Re: Miss Bradbury. Sept. 1952 we started German. Apart from the funny writing and grammar she insisted we learned the German National Anthem, which was still banned in Germany, and many of our parents went crazy so soon after the war. Then before Christmas we learned a Christmas Carol ‘Tannenbaum’. We didn't realise till we sang it at home that the tune was the International, the Red Flag. Many parents had steam coming out of their ears ...” Catherine MacDonald ‘49-’54

“Miss Gill: she was form mistress of Form I at the Modern, when I arrived there in '44. All the prep. classes at the Modern had form mistresses, not masters. Because it was in the Prep. rather than the Main School, we saw quite a bit of our form mistress. She presumably transferred to LHS as the male teachers came back from WWII and, equally important, as the preparatory department was phased out.

... “She certainly taught biology, though nothing as sexy as earthworms (they came in the Form IIIs.) But one of the very few vivid memories I have of her, and of Form I, was the first chapter of our biology textbook which, appropriately for the school year, began with a chapter on ‘Autumn’ and was headed by a quote from Keats: ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.’ I remember Miss G. saying she wasn't very keen on Keats, but that his Ode to Autumn was an exception that she did enjoy. It impressed the hell out of me (at 9 years and 7 months) that someone could have an opinion on Keats, and that quote has stuck in my mind, and has been quoted by me many times.” Ian Jackson ‘44-’53

“Also I think Miss Gill one of the best teachers I ever had - despite her fetish for: one inch margins, underlining everything twice, and insisting that the only double letter in the alphabet was W - i.e. G-I-L-L, NOT G-I-double L!!” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“Did anyone else notice that Miss Gill and Mrs Harris had the same suit – collarless in sage green tweed? I never saw them wear them on the same say so I guess they came to some agreement!” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“... Miss Gill who was wonderful if scary.” Carol Newton ‘64-’70

“Miss Gill was one of the best teachers at Lawnswood.” Margaret Eastwood ‘59-’66

“Miss Gill, biology - she was an excellent teacher and inspired me with the love of nature I have to this day. I remember the earthworms - we had to go out into the garden and select our own “victim”. We used a scalpel to slit it open and then had to pin it down using four pins so we could see its insides, poor thing. The frogs were worse!” Hilary Steeple ‘44-’51

“Miss Gill - I remember an experiment when we were told to leave half a lemon in the fridge for a week. She asked us what had happened to the lemon. Now the point of the experiment was to prove that mould could not grow if there were no sugars present so, when I said that mine had gone mouldy, she all but accused me of lying.....an accusation that has stayed with me for 42 years (and I know it went mouldy all on its own!)” Carole Dalton ‘64-’71
(Still smarting Carole? S.M.)

“Miss Gill - always terrified me. She was my science teacher in the first year and one of our first homeworks was to label (so aptly described by the other contributors) a drawing of liquid in a test tube. I had to redo mine because I drew the meniscus as a straight line and not curved. I’ve never needed to draw one since but haven’t forgotten the name of the curve of a surface on liquid. Why did I need to know it at all?” Sheila Galbraith ‘60-’67

“Miss Gill - if a man came into the lab, her skirt seemed to creep up as she crossed her legs ! Was that our dreadful imagination?” Barbara Catton ‘57-’62

“Miss Swain: Taught us science in the third (?) form. I was given my one and only order mark. I think that was true for a lot of us. A sad situation. I still feel bad about our behaviour. She was a nice person and deserved better. I suspect LHS was her first job. I believe she went on to Allerton Girls High School.” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“... Maths teacher Miss Humphries who had been in Africa (as a missionary?), Mr. Slater and Mrs. Head who smoked and drank coffee - a cardinal sin amongst teachers as I realised! She was great as long as she didn't have to explain anything!” Carol Newton ‘64-’70

“… Miss Maynard who took us for O level Music - she was like a little bird but even managed to help me understand the music of Benjamin Britten.” Sarah Sharp ‘64-’71

“Does anyone remember Mrs Doig who taught French? Also Mrs Ingham who taught chemistry?” Carol Hazelwood ‘66-’71

“Mrs. Collins - Maths. I remember Mrs. Collins well. She engendered in me a dislike of maths which endures to this day. I tended to be a daydreamer in lessons and she would introduce a new topic as I gazed out of the window. Algebra: “Sorry, Mrs. Collins, I didn't understand that”. “Then you should have been listening, miss!” she would counter, and that was the only answer I'd receive.” Hilary Steeple ‘44-’51

“Mrs. Hey - taught maths - I went to her when she was Careers Mistress and said that I wanted to study Chinese at Leeds University and she told me not to be so silly and that no one would ever want anyone to speak Chinese!!” Sarah Sharp ‘64-’71

“Mrs. Hey - The only time I ever did well in Maths was the year I had her. We covered Algebra and Geometry.” Joan Hardy ‘58-’65

“Mrs Hey taught me Maths. A really lovely lady who was always apologising about the state of our exercise books after she had marked our homework as her cats insisted on walking over them and leaving paw prints.” Bev Powell ‘64-’71

“Mrs Hey was, without exception, the best teacher I have ever had; she made controlling a class look effortless. She brooked no nonsense and was the only teacher who had all her pupils give in their homework on time. She certainly had my measure – on the first day of a new year we all rushed to get the best seats, and for once I managed to get a window seat, only for Mrs Hey to cast her eye round the class and say 'You'll spend all your time day-dreaming if you sit there!' and make me swap seats with someone else!” Anne Watson ‘64-’71

“Yes, I remember Mrs. Hay, she had it in for me, because she knew me from Shire Oak and I was so hopeless at maths! She used to give us loads of homework that kept me up half the night. My maths got no better! I didn't like her at all, she was so fussy!” Polly Peller ‘59-’66

“I had Mrs. Hey for Math and yes she gave an awful lot of homework!!!” Pat Curtis ‘59-’65

“Does anyone remember a maths teacher who came to the school about 1962, probably in her first teaching post? She had dark hair, Scots accent and long, painted finger nails. If so, do you know her name?” Sheila Galbraith ‘60-’67

“Mrs Head was a brilliant Maths teacher who I thought was telepathic as she could always tell when you were not paying attention, but she gave me confidence that I could do maths and made me work hard enough that I actually got a Maths O level which had seemed very unlikely.” Pamela Nunn ‘67-’74

“... Miss Leader (some of us used to call her 'Yogi Bear' because of the long brown coat she wore!).” Polly Peller ‘59-’66

“Miss Leader: always seemed to have lipstick askew and trouble with her bra straps! Quite scary.” Barbara Catton ‘57-’62

“... Mrs Webster, she used to get quite emotional when they tested the fire siren - reminded her of the war!!!” Ann Hutchinson ‘59-’64

“... Miss Froggat who taught music and organized a great choir but could not give me a good voice to my regret.” Sheila Fingret ‘41-’47

“Miss Froggatt. Singing lessons were a joy, we were divided into two teams, with various ‘competitions’. Higher and higher. Rock, jelly and custard amd so forth. At the end of term she gave the winning team a little chocolate bar each! For the last few minutes of each lesson she told us stories about Arabella the ghost - we were part of the story, as though we were at boarding school. Oh we adored her.” Janet Rawlins ‘38-’44

“On at least a couple of occasions we were bussed to the Town Hall to hear a concert/talk which introduced us to the sound of the various orchestral instruments. I remember one piece was ‘Peter and the Wolf’.” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“Miss Clayton - I remember her taking us to Sir Malcolm Sergeant’s live concerts (at 6d a time) at Leeds Town Hall and hearing “Flight of the Bumble Bee” for the first, thrilling time.” Hilary Steeple ‘44-’51

“... Miss Clayton was inspirational - she gave me an abiding love for music and singing.” Sarah Sharp ‘64-’71

“I heard that Miss Clayton was taught by Vaughan Williams.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“Miss Clayton: I remember being in awe because she had Vaughan Williams for a teacher.” Barbara Catton ‘57-’62

“I can still sing (badly) most of the Te Deum and The Magnificat - I have to give thanks to Miss Clayton who had such great expectations of us and our abilities as I don't know too many people especially over here (in Canada) who can do that.” Sue Kellett ‘55-’62

“… Miss Clayton, who once criticised our modern pop music because she couldn't understand the words, and I said that most of her operas were in languages I couldn't understand either!” Jeanette Spink ‘57-’62

“Miss Clayton gave me, like so many others, my first appreciation of classical music and the hard work and detailed preparation required to give a top class performance. She was the best kind of teacher, a hard taskmaster but an inspirational leader.” Jane Baxendale ‘62-’69

“Miss Clayton - Music. A wonderful teacher. I loved her classes. It was because of Miss Clayton that the school bought a large, dark wood radiogram - a wonder of the age - on which she played recordings of classical music during our music lessons.” Hilary Steeple ‘44-’51

“Mr. Scarf - Music. We played around in his lessons and were amused at the various emphases he put on the songs we sang: “Now IS the month of MAYing, When merry nymphs were PLAYing! Tra-la-la-la-la-la-lah-ah-ah, trala-la-la-la-la-laa. Each with his merry LASS, a-dancing on the GRASS!” and a lot more “lA-LA-LA'S” and who could forget “WHO is SYLvia...” and “Hark, HARK, the LARK...” Hilary Steeple ‘44-’51

“Tiny Miss Goodall ensuring we took ice-cold showers after swimming and trying to teach us the ‘facts of life’ without being uncomfortable.” Linda Crookes ‘54-’60

“Miss Goodall always wore a divided skirt - grey - was there ever any other colour?” Sue Kellett ‘55-’62

“Miss Moore: taught us art in our first two years, I think. I was never any good but I discovered that as long as I put lots of figures in the scene, however bad, my marks would be 70+!” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“I remember a young art teacher who came about my second year - she wore pastel coloured suede shoes, with little Louis heels, and we all thought she was the last word in cool!” Val Hill ‘56-’61
[Mrs. Mess or Miss Lucas, perhaps? S.M.]

“I had the most brilliant art teacher - Mrs Walker, and I learned more from her than from the subsequent six years I spent at university.” Alison Dalwood ‘65-’72

“Miss Harlow [Art] used to put out appeals for used wine bottles so she could melt down the glass and use it as slip for pottery, I seem to remember. I always felt guilty I couldn’t help - wine on our table in the early 60s was unheard of in my family.” Sheila Galbraith ‘60-’67

“... Miss Harlow, who was the epitome of the art teacher, all trailing scarves and ethnic clothing.” Janet China ‘65-’70

“Miss Hodgson who taught us English - and even invited her sixth form group round to her flat before and after our A levels - we thought that she was rather daring.” Sarah Sharp ‘64-’71

“... Miss Gill - form mistress when I was in year 5. Bark worse than bite but always telling us that if we dyed our hair or backcombed it, we would go bald.” Jocelyn Laws ‘59-’65

“... Miss Lynes - she married, as someone said, and I think she did become Mrs Bunn. She was lovely. Taught Biology. We used to hurry back from lunch, those of us who went home, and she would be dissecting an earthworm or a dead bird. It was very avant garde!” Gill Crossley ‘59-’66

“My memory of Miss Lynes was that she used to move faster than a greased ferret if any of us dared to get within 10 foot of the imaginary line that ran between our playing field and the one used by the boys next door - no fraternising in those days.” Carol Hazelwood ‘66-’71

“I remember Mr. Dawson and Mr. Speakman who taught me English.” Carol Newton ‘64-’70

“Mr Speakman came to teach us in Year 5 when his wife was pregnant. We were the first year to do a trial of English coursework essays as part of our O level.” Jennifer Pearson née Peace ‘63-’68

“Miss Rowling - R.I. (Religious Instruction). A stern lady who didn't seem keen on me as a pupil. I recall learning large tracts of the Bible and receiving small booklets of St. Luke, St. Matthew etc., on reciting them successfully in front of the class.” Hilary Steeple ‘44-’51

“Does anyone remember Miss Rowling and her flannelgraphs? On odd occasions, probably at the end of term, she would come to R.I. lessons carrying a large easel and board on which she would place layers of blue, green and yellow felt to represent sky, fields, desert etc., then she would tell us bible stories using cut out figures.” Irene Furze ‘43-’54

“Miss Rowling was good in RI because we could always sidetrack her from the original subject and have discussions with her.” Jocelyn Laws ‘59-’65

“Miss Rowling used to make us read bits out the Bible - it always went like this:- “Janet read Peter, Audrey read Judas, Flo read Pilate - and I'LL be Jesus!” She was always talking about her mother. Someone once asked her what the uncircumcised meant - I'd no idea myself - I was an innocent child - but she told us.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“… who could replace the great flannelgraphs by Miss Rowling!” Linda Crookes ‘54-’60

“Miss Rowling - pronounced sellotape, ‘seelotape’ which amused us.” Barbara Catton ‘57-’62

“Miss Leach. I liked her very much. She was always encouraging and warm, unlike some others.” Elizabeth Stephenson ‘59-’66

“Miss Heap who set me on the way to being a Food Tech teacher. I never have had such immaculate hands - how did she get them so white?” Carol Newton ‘64-’70

“Miss Heap who had been there donkey's years. She would remember me for embroidering my cookery apron to my gymslip.” Janet China ‘65-’70

“Miss Heap and Miss Gill were both senior mistresses in 1959/60. Miss Heap invited the Head Girl and two deputies, i.e. Rona Smith, Ann Wilson and myself to dinner. Miss Heap’s elderly father was also present. Miss Gill played a word game with us, presumably while Miss Heap saw to the food. Miss Gill was quite a different person from the person I had had in 1C Science and if Miss Heap remembered I had burnt my pancake in cookery six years earlier she forbore to mention it!” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“Miss Croft’s Latin helped me so much at P.E. College in understanding the words in anatomy and physiology. Students who had not done Latin at school were at sea with the terminology.” Jean Dunbar ‘31-’39

“Miss Boyd helped me by arranging for me to take classes in the gym during free periods in the sixth form. It really gave me a terrific start in teaching practice. I don’t know whether I told you that I trained at Anstey P.T. College where she had trained — second oldest P.E. college in the British Isles.” Jean Dunbar ‘31-’39

“Miss Croft: I remember being quite over-awed by her and I recall that she had a lethal aim with a piece of chalk. She would shout "Bosh!" (a favourite word) in reply to someone's attempt to answer a question, bang on the desk and then the chalk would come flying across the classroom. I wonder if anyone else can recall a rhyme which I seem to think was passed on from generation to generation. It ran:-

We thought it hysterically funny at the time. Such innocent humour!” Brenda Hawer ‘43-’50

“I remember Miss Croft. She taught me Latin through the forties. She could be fierce, but had a sense of humour. I don't remember "bosh" as one of her words but I do remember her using the word "gormless". I loved Latin and saw her as a very systematic efficient teacher. In the middle forties she was our form mistress, and we were all so attached to her that we decided on a special Christmas present. We bought a shopping basket and filled it with items of food from home that were in short supply or rationed. She was very touched and I think gave us a quotation from Cicero in thanks. She did retire in 1947 but came into school for one more year for Renee Savage and myself to complete our Higher School Certificate Latin course..” Shirley Wray ‘41-’48

“… The admirable Miss Croft: surgo. ambulo. revenio and sedeo.” Sheila Fingret ‘41-’47

“Miss Croft (Latin) had a good aim with chalk or book.” Margaret Sarvent ‘30-’39

“Miss Croft … published a few books, one of which was a Latin grammar, which of course we had to purchase. I can’t remember the chalk thing or the ‘Bosh’, but I do remember her arriving majestically in our form room. I always thought Miss C would not have looked amiss in a toga! We had to stand up in those days when the teacher entered and she delivered a “Salvé o Puella”, to which we replied “Salvé o Magistra” before we commenced the lesson. And who could forget the “Omnia Gallia in tres partes divisa est” (opening sentence of Caesar’s Gallic Wars). And all the declensions (bellum, bellum, bellum, belli, bello, bello) - at least I think that’s how it went.” Dorothy Sclater ‘38-’41

“The "Miss Croft" rhyme was certainly passed down, as we used to apply it to Mrs. White (Latin) as follows:

Ah! ..................memories!” Heather Newman ‘53-’60

“Mrs. White used to terrify me. I had her for Latin and I was pretty bad at it. But she was a different person as a form teacher and we got to know her much better during that year and she seemed quite a dear old soul.” Jane Illingworth ‘58-’62

“Mrs White (Latin) was the teacher I was probably most frightened of at school -probably because she was so large and overwhelming!” Joyce Latto ‘59-’64

“Mrs. White: I liked her lessons but then loved languages.” Polly Peller ‘59-’66

“Mrs White - made English very enjoyable..” Barbara Catton ‘57-’62

“Mrs. White never taught me, but I still have a mental picture of her sitting at a [dining hall] table by the door, legs akimbo, with her stocking tops and suspenders on display.” Margaret Collie ‘59-’66

“Miss Tweedie confessed that she too had been scared to death of Mrs. White. However, she told me that when she (Miss T) was a pupil, Mrs. White had been in the habit of arriving at school on her motorcycle, complete with helmet and suitable biker clothing. Mrs. White would’ve scared the life out of even the toughest Hell’s Angel.” Sandra Baker ‘59-’64

“Miss Norwood was a truly inspirational and unorthodox teacher. When we were in the first year she was allotted to teach us 'handwriting'. After a few months of this she and the pupils grew bored with handwriting and one day she decided to introduce us to her personal passion for Italian Renaissance works of art. She brought in pictures of Michelangelo's 'David' and we were allowed to come up to the front desk to have a look at them. I remember her saying 'How can one paint a hand open and facing the viewer as Leonardo did in his painting 'Madonna of the Rocks'. I remember thinking of this remark when I saw the painting in the Leonardo exhibition in London.” Margaret Bradbrook ‘59-’66

“Miss Norwood - She was the teacher who made the biggest difference in my school career. I had always failed History until I had her - suddenly the subject came alive. She was a large woman, tall too, and would act out events for us, making them exciting as she rushed back and forth at the front of the room, fighting at first on one side of the battle then the other. I went on to do History at University as a result of her teaching.” Joan Hardy ‘58-’65

“Also Miss Norwood was lovely; we experienced history with her! I also appreciated Mrs. Holden (Miss Haley), and Mrs. Rowe too, they were great French teachers. Mrs. Holden also said she had studied German, why didn't she teach German???” Polly Peller ‘59-’66

“I remember Miss Norwood during the Cuban missile crisis when she explained what was happening there.” Pat Curtis ‘59-’65

“Mrs. Wenham taught Latin - she was delightful - we were all invited to her house in Wakefield when we were in the 6th form and had a wonderful day with her.” Sarah Sharp ‘64-’71

“No-one seems to have remembered Miss Ellis (PE before Miss Skellern's time) or Mrs. Harris (Latin) who was very gentle and used to revise her lesson walking along to the classroom, her nose in the book!” Heather Newman ‘53-’60

“Mrs. Harris: Such a kind and gentle teacher. A joy to have I learned a trick from Mrs Harris that I have found more useful than anything in my Post Grad. teaching year: after we had translated a passage of Latin into English, she would make us close the text and translate it back into the Latin. Knowing we might be asked to do so really made us concentrate!” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“I remember fondly Mrs Harris trying to teach us Latin” Pamela Nunn ‘67-’74

“We had a giant crush on Miss Skellern, poor woman.” Barbara Catton ‘57-’62

“I feel more guilty about Granny Gothard than anyone. One April-fools day someone put a notice on her back saying, "I am the biggest fool of all". She cried on the way out of assembly - I'm filling up at the thought - we all thought we were so clever end marvelous didn't we.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“... Miss Gothard - we were terrible in Geography, always throwing paper planes around the room and paying no attention whatsoever to the importance of some dam in the middle of Africa. One day she turned her back on us all, faced the blackboard and said, "I can ignore you all".... so we continued!” Carole Dalton ‘64-’71

“My sister Sylvia said Miss Gothard had an aversion to the smell of oranges so they would peel one before her class to upset her.” Barbara Catton ‘57-’62

“Miss Johnson - Geography. We teased her unmercifully on discovering she was shortly to be married and was going to South Africa to live with her new husband.” Hilary Steeple ‘44-’51

“Miss Walker: In chemistry she would punctuate her sentences with an emphatic ‘SO’ which happened so frequently we started to count them and had difficulty not bursting with laughter. A great form mistress in the Junior VI in 1959/60.” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“I also remember Miss Walker who told me off profoundly for writing on the wall once! However, she took us for chemistry later until 4th form and like Miss Gill she softened up and became quite human.” Polly Peller ‘59-’66

“Does anyone remember the other male teacher who came to teach maths in the 5th and 6th forms? He was epileptic, I think, because Miss Longworth preceded him into his first ever class to warn us. I always felt sorry for him that she did that. I ended up with a strange fascination in him, wondering if he was dangerous, and what he would do. I remember doing pure and applied maths and calculus with him.” Unascribed...

“Did you have Mr Stockmann for Physics? What sort of man goes to teach in an all girls’ school I ask myself? I remember passing out in one of his classes and having to be carried down to the sick room - not a happy memory.” Jane Illingworth ‘58-’62

“In my day we had 2 male teachers but not at the same time. I wonder if the staff rooms had their own toilets and if so did the men use them?” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“Miss Haley used to take games sometimes as well as French. She was severely vexed when she came onto the Ring Road courts and found 8 of us lying sunbathing instead of playing tennis. She was long, lanky fair and plain-ish. She used to do the Highway Code quizzes.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“On the subject of French, does anyone else recall being grilled for their oral test by an external examiner called Miss Snowball?” Margaret Collie ‘59-’66

“We were mean to Miss Gothard. I can remember her being in tears over some things we said or did.” Jocelyn Laws ‘59-’65

“Every bugs lesson Miss Sissons used to come in from the next lab and asked to borrow the microscope - it obviously p'd Miss Gill off, but one day Miss S trapped her hand in the bugs lab door - she didn't say anything but I saw it and she went all red and tears sprang to her eyes - splendid fun.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“Miss Sissons took Biology - and I recall she died during my time at the school - I believe from Cancer.” Linda Crookes ‘54-’60

“Did we really have Miss Lucas as our Form Tutor? All I remember of her is that she was the art teacher who used to do her nails while we had to draw the blossom outside the Art room window ... She made my life miserable by using my drawing as an example of how not to draw!!!” Ann Beardsmore ‘59-’63

“I never did learn anything about drawing from Miss Lucas. (What did she get us to draw when the flowering cherry on the Ring Road was not in blossom?)” Margaret Bradbrook ‘59-’66

“Miss Lucas also taught us hand writing and introduced me to italics which I then incorporated into everything. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to the liking of all the staff. Miss Hall returned my book one lesson, with scathing comments about “this new fangled writing”.” Sheila Galbraith ‘60-’67

“Miss Hall: I had to laugh when I read that Miss Hall had objected to the Italics used by one pupil who had been taught the style by one of the teachers.” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“Miss George was my first year form tutor and so taught me French throughout that year. In spite of Toto, Bebette and Whitmarsh I was hooked. I vividly remember when teaching us the names of animals, she mentioned the French for a lamb was agneau and her Christian name was similar - ‘Agnes’. I was both shocked and thrilled that a teacher had imparted this personal information voluntarily.” Sheila Galbraith ‘60-’67

“Miss George - taught me French - not that I was very good at it, and I recall dropping it for R.I. - as I thought I would get a better mark in that than the French.” Linda Crookes ‘54-’60

“Miss George: At Christmas she would bring a portable gramophone to class and play French carols. One of these was a tenor singing Minuit Chrétiens. I loved it so much I saved up my pocket money and did my best to buy it but could not find it. When we were in the VI form Miss George introduced Ann Wilson and myself to the French community who had a social gathering every month at a room in the R.C. Cathedral in Cookridge Street. ” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“I also remember how Miss George made the distinction between the oral and the aural tests by pronouncing the latter as ow-ral. It took me years to realise that the two words should have sounded the same.” Margaret Collie ‘59-’66

“Were you in the Barnardo Helpers League? If so, you would have had one of the “cottage” boxes. I think Miss Boyd was in charge of these and later Miss Kelsey. I seem to remember that these boxes were put away until the day before they had to be given in, then there was a frantic hunt for half-pennies, pennies and threepenny bits to fill the box. I believe the badges were given for “long service”.” Irene Furze ‘43-’54

“I had one of Miss Kelsey’s pâpier maché ‘cottages’ – money boxes to save for Dr Barnardo’s. I remember one year I got the ordinary badge changed for a silver version as I had managed to collect 15/-. I fear, however, that the badge should have gone to my mother as the money came out of her house-keeping more often than out of than my pocket money!” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“Oh, yes – I remember the little Barnardo’s cottages (I can see mine now!) and the Guild of Help......It must have made an impression on me, because on the shelf above my computer I now have a little box with a slot in the top labelled “The Children’s Society”!” Valerie Hill ‘56-’61

“I remember Elsie Kelsey showing us some work Danny Kaye had done for Barnardo's in an effort to get us to join - which I did.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“I remember something about Pestalozzi Villages. We wore a ladybird pin, but I’ve no idea what the Villages were about. Did Miss Kelsey run that as well, or was it Miss Rowling?” Sandra Baker ‘59-’64

“The Pestalozzi Village was a home for orphans. We also sent money and gifts from our Sunday School (the Friends' Meeting House in Adel) so it might have been a Quaker institution.” Heather Newman ‘53-’60

“... Miss Kelsey who organised the French Exchange through which I made a friend I am still in touch with 30+ years on.” Carol Newton ‘64-’70

“I got to know Miss Kelsey a little better when I was working at Falk Opticians in Headingley and she was a client. In the winter months, rather than wearing a hat, she preferred to wear a wig!! It was obviously a very good one as it made her look as she had many years before!! She had been my French teacher from the 3rd year. She was also a supporter of the Lawnswood Singers and left a considerable legacy to the choir in her will. She really was a lovely lady.” Jane McConomy ‘59-’65

“We used to call Miss Kelsey ‘Elsie’ and Miss Leader ‘Eldreda’.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“Miss Leader was a gentle soul. One surprising thing for me was that she was the only teacher, who, in spring, when we begged to have our class outside, was willing to take us out to sit under the almond tree near the tennis courts. She took the trouble to invite us to a Christmas service and party with the German community. They gave us copies of the New Testament in Gothic Script. I still have mine. One of our ‘A ’level set books was the fiendishly difficult ‘Das Brandopfer’ The Burnt Offering by Albrecht Goes about the Holocaust. Miss Leader was herself Jewish and in 1959 those events were still very fresh in our minds. I have always admired the way she handled the material with quiet dignity and let the work speak for itself.
Janet Ball 56-61 [see above] called Miss Leader ‘Eldreda’; we called her ‘Evadne’ but was it her first name, a nickname or both?” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“I liked Miss Leader very much and we got on well together. I never thought about her being Jewish. However once when I was in the 6th form I mentioned someone's race and she turned on me in fury and said that there was no such thing as a pure race. I have not forgotten this over the last 50 years.” Margaret Bradbrook ‘59-’66

“Herr Raatz: We had several young and pretty French assistants but Herr Raatz was our only German Assistant. He was, we thought, about thirty, tall and dark with a heavy moustache. He was from Bavaria (and for years after I left school whenever I spoke German, I was asked why I had a Bavarian accent, so he obviously had an effect.) He had us in twos for tutorials and on the 29th February 1960, Diana Davies ‘dared’ me to propose to him! Never one to funk a ‘dare’ I obliged and when he had stopped laughing, he replied in English, ‘Unfortunately, I am already hooked!’ (English because he didn’t want any misunderstandings?) I was expecting a walk up Miss Holden’s carpet, but nothing was ever said, so perhaps he kept it a secret or she decided to laugh too. I have to hand it to him: his answer was very tactful.” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“Miss Kelsey - She made the mistake one day of telling us she could not stand the smell of orange peel. After that, without fail, there would be orange peel in the wastebasket when she came into class. Poor Miss K - we were unkind to her.” Joan Hardy ‘58-’65

“Poor Miss Kelsey. I had her for conversational French and we {my cronies and I} used to blow lead shot at her when she wasn't looking. I'm ashamed of myself because it's really not in my nature to be cruel, and wish I could apologise to these people.” Maureen Whitehead ‘59-’64

“We were unkind to Miss Kelsey but maybe no more so that today’s teenagers who spot a vulnerable teacher. She taught me for A level and when I didn’t perform as well as expected, she sent me a sympathetic card wondering what had happened and wishing me well. Poor results can’t have done any harm. I went on to teach French for a number of years.” Sheila Galbraith ‘60-’67

“Poor Miss Kelsey....I suppose many of those spinsters about that age and time had lost young men and fiancés in the first world-war, of which at that time WE had no idea of the scope and horror of those losses. They were perhaps all set to be wives and mothers but had to somehow find careers to support themselves — and many were emotionally ill-equipped. There were very few eligible suitable young men left to them. But we had no understanding of such issues in our very sheltered years at Lawnswood.” Jennifer Newman ‘43-’55

“Does anyone remember Miss Ullman? I too remember Miss Kelsey.. a kind soul.” Anne Pash ‘65-’68

“Miss Kelsey - I always seemed to be turning round to talk to my best friend in her French lessons and one day we were summoned to the front at the end of the lesson to explain our inattention. Something (can't remember what) gave us the giggles and we just could not stop. She was dumbfounded by these two silly girls in hysterics and probably gave us detention. My best friend moved to France several years ago and now speaks the lingo fluently!” Carole Dalton ‘64-’71

“I well recall the pride we took in collecting litter - little though it was - and gaining house points for it.” Linda Crookes ‘54-’60

“Does anyone remember the Scavengers? Miss Kelsey sponsored and we wore white badges and picked up litter!! Cross between Bunty and Blyton!!” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“I remember the scavengers — and being one. It's had a lasting effect on me — I hate seeing litter anywhere. I can remember collecting on the playing field. I think it was a specific outing. I don't remember it being inside the school buildings; all I remember is on the playing field. Any sort of reward for this? I'm sure we didn't — it was just being educated in a 'community-spirited' sort of activity.” Christine Haiste ‘54-’62

“I was at LHS from 1955-60 and was a ‘scavenger’ for the whole five years. I don’t remember any regular meetings, but am sure we were expected to pick up and dispose of any litter we found either inside or outside the school grounds. I wore a little white round badge on my tie. I don’t remember any kind of reward system but the whole idea of not littering has stayed with me all my life.” Beryl Midgley ‘55-’60

“As far as I can remember we volunteered to be scavengers and wore our badges with pride. I'm pretty sure it was for the younger girls and recall one lunchtime going round the field picking up discarded lolly sticks with friends.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“I used to have a litter monitor's white badge, lower down the school and I'm sure our remit was to collect litter in and outside of the building. But I have no recollection what we did with the offending items or if there was a reward for being particularly diligent in that respect.” Pat Kelly ‘57-’64

“Scavengers - we were all members of one of the 'houses'. We volunteered to pick up the litter for which we were awarded points. Can't recall what the House with the most points received at the end of the term. We took such pride in keeping the school clean.” Linda Crookes ‘54-’60

“‘Scavenger Patrols’ were not active in my time.” Mavis Webster ‘46-’51

“I also remember Miss Kelsey - the awful time when the class made her cry, and I felt so sorry for her. Stood up for her on the bus though, later. I'll never forget the Marseillaiese that she taught us (is that how you spell it?)” Margaret Anderson ‘59-’66

“We were rotten to Miss Kelsey - she must have been one of life's natural victims. However, I thought of her only the other day. I was watching a video of "Casablanca", and in the scene where they sing the Marseilleise, I sang along, knowing all the words, and only because of Miss Kelsey!” Val Hill ‘56-’61

“Miss Kelsey never taught me but once got me out of a scrape with Miss Leader! I had told Miss Leader that I couldn’t afford to go to the German Open Day which was true but only because I wanted to go to the French Open Day and couldn’t afford both. I was doing German ‘A’ level but not French and when I came to pay Miss Kelsey the registration fee she quietly told me not to because Miss Leader would be very upset!” Pat Thompson (Tommy) ‘53-’60

“I can still sing the German version of the first verse of Silent Night thanks to the efforts of Miss Lieder. The other thing that’s still stuck in my mind was her clue for speaking the sound ei. She told us we could remember it if we thought about the German for egg “das ei”. It would have been much simpler to say it sounded like eye.” Sheila Galbraith ‘60-’67

“There was a French club after school - I never went as I hated French.” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“Mrs. Rowe - she was our first form mistress in form 1R (by that time we had adopted the initials of our teachers as the form denominator - then it moved onto the room we were based in)” Sarah Sharp ‘64-’71

“I think the only lessons I really enjoyed were the English lessons and I remember Miss Donovan coming in to teach us straight from a French lesson and 'bonjour'-ing us. I still enjoy English and even though I left school before the O-levels and didn't get any qualifications, I went to evening classes a few years ago and managed to pass both language and lit exams. Not bad for an old fogey. (Is that how you spell it). Thanks to Miss Donovan for instilling something in me that has stayed with me from school. Not much else did!” Diane Clarkson ‘59-’64

“Miss Donovan: in 1D we had her for history. I didn't really like her, or should I say she didn't like me, because I was too exuberant and talked too much! She gave me two order marks when I was in the first form. My parents were disgusted with me!” Polly Peller ‘59-’66

“Miss Donovan: She once accused us of being SUPERCILIOUS and wrote the word in big on the blackboard. I was intrigued and liked the word immediately.” Margaret Bradbrook ‘59-’66

“Miss Donovan arrived with black hair piled on her head in a bun but later had it cut short and seemed far less exotic after her hair cut. She taught me about the Egyptians and I remember her suggesting we went home to try and carve hieroglyphics in the butter to see if it was possible to create a circle in a soft surface. My mum was not impressed.” Sheila Galbraith ‘60-’67

“Miss Maynard taught music - she had a very dry sense of humour which I think we misunderstood for most of the time.” Sarah Sharp ‘64-’71

“Mrs. Hanson was a great English Teacher. I recall on the last week of school, sitting outside and she asked what we wanted to do. I said I wanted to work outdoors, with children, and that if she called me in 10 years the last place she would find me would be in an office..... Oh how naïve we are at 17. Over 40 years later - I still work in an office!” Linda Crookes ‘54-’60

“Miss Gothard killed geography for me for ever with those endless rainfall charts. The one interesting fact I carried away from her lessons concerned some group in the Andes where the women wore black brimmed hats. Also I remember her often wearing a pair of navy shoes with white trim - I suppose I must have spent quite a lot of time staring at them!” Joan Hardy ‘58-’65

“I remember many of the teachers: Miss Kelsey, Mrs. White, Miss Goodall ('the important thing to remember after having a bath is a good rub with the towel'), Miss Clayton (wonderful school song), Miss Gothard and Mrs. Johnson (I still can't swim, despite her best endeavours). My biggest regret was that I had to leave Lawnswood in the fourth year as the family moved with my father's job. I then went to a mixed Grammar school in Cheshire but it wasn't a patch on Lawnswood. I loved the few years I was there.” Jeanette Goodman ‘61-’64

“Poor Elsie [Miss Kelsey] - she had a face like a cross between a skeleton and a mask, and her hair looked like a George IIIrd wig. She used to go to Michael the hairdresser in Adel - as did I!!” Janet Ball ‘56-’61

“And was it Miss Gothard or Miss Kelsey who wore her hair in two rows of neat finger rolls?” Susan Rolfe ‘58-’63

“My main memory of the teachers was most were older, with greying hair, usually rolled up - as did Miss Gothard with her hair in two rolls. Most of them were ‘Miss’ in the 50’s. The days of dedicating your life to the teaching profession. I can still see their faces. .” Linda Crookes ‘54-’60