Kingsley School 1960 1963

I was a boarder at Kingsley 1958-1962. Judy Impleton as I was! My house was Anderson - I was never very happy there - but made some very good friends. I remember Miss Hammond - we used to call her Hammy the Hoover as she always used to hum as she walked. I remember Mr Nicolson who taught scripture and his wife who was Teddy's sister! Mrs Cronin who taught Latin and French - I was terrified of her! Miss Stradling maths - she gave up on me but she made amazing fudge!

Yes the dorms were named after poets. I remember Rosetti, but I can't remember any of the others.

Hello Judy - How good to read your note. I had forgotten the names of other teachers - Miss Willett was my form mistress. The projects we did were always interesting. My parents held on to the folders and my granddaughter has been fascinated to see what subjects we covered at age 9/10. I recall a coach trip up London to the British Museum once. Miss Willett also taught us Nature Study. You recalled Miss Stradling who made fudge but do you also remember Miss Knight who took us for gym in the old Tythe Barn - I remember that she too made a delicious treacle toffee.
I was lucky enough to do ballet with Miss Sharp. I was always enthusiastic but not much good - not sylph like - (unlike Mary Jane Griffiths who was & was good at class).Mandy Berthelson (as was) brought pointe ballet shoes back to school one term for us all to see.
I like you made some good friends but always pestered my parents to let me live at home once they'd settled back in the UK.
Can anyone else recall the names of the other dormitories? I shared with Clare Jefferies, Miranda Mary (Piddy) Morris, Fiona Brown, Mandy Berthelson.
The Houses were Mackenzie, Turner, and I can't remember the names of the others.
It's fun to recall these times 50 years on - surprising how much you do remember.

These comments evoke so many memories.
I was a day girl 1961-1967 but stayed to tea and Prep with the Boarders. I too did ballet with Miss Sharp - she could balance a cup and saucer on her knee doing a plie in second.
Miss Willett used to sing instructions and I remember visiting the Bluebell Railway and Weirwood Reservoir. I still have my science books from her lessons, and a hand-drawn map with a bird survey.
The houses were Mackenzie - green, Phillips - purple, Anderson - blue and Turner - yellow
My brother also attended the school for a short while before moving to Burys Court.
Amanda and Mark Dyson

Gosh how weird to read all those names again! I was at Kingsley in the early sixties too and remember all those teachers and I do remember Judy Impleton, along with Ruth Gamble, Jennifer Kevern, Rosemary Mickelson, Doreen Fergusson, Banke Plumtre and the Bowen Davies twins Carol and Gillian - I wonder what happened to them all!! Walking to the church in a crocodile on a Sunday, sneaking out on a Saturday to see Cliff Richard in Expresso Bongo in the local cinema - I was so scared we would be caught I couldn't enjoy the film!! I was a boarder and hated it but got used to it in the end! I was in Mackenzie House and have pictures of us at Sports Day. I was Caroline Maxwell in those days long gone!

I started at Kingsley when I was 9, the corridors seemed huge, the floors were red at the start of the year! I don't really remember my first teacher, but we had silkworms on tables at one side of the class. The next year I was in Miss Willet's class, I thought she was very intimidating, I remember we had a small garden at the back of the class, I've only got memories of digging up dandelions, none of planting anything! I certainly didn't do very well in her class, She often took us on nature walks. I remember a very old oak tree near the grass tennis courts. I think Miss Willets got us to hold hands around it. Don't know how many it took, I've often wondered if it's still there.
Once we started the senior section our teacher was a lovely older Maths teacher, one algebra lesson really helped when I got a holiday job at a betting ?shop! My friends and I spent most playtimes either on the metal bars or playing hopscotch. I remember Rosemary Diver, Antonia Bird, Rachael , most of them left at the end of that year. I know there were about 6 to 8 of us, I can visualise the others but have forgotten their names. Linda Shanks joined our class a few years later.
One year it snowed and the younger classes got to go home after lunch for a week or so. The bus once skidded across the back road , the older children on the bus helped to push it back. No health and Safety then! The best class to be in that year was Art, it had a roaring stove with a railing around it. We went swimming in an outdoor pool from about March, we had to walk across the fields the teacher would wave a stick to keep the cows away. The pool was absolutely freezing, we changed in the cubicles around the pool. Sarah? had ezcema the cold water made it worse. I really felt for her.
If you had to go to the staffroom, as the door opened a cloud of smoke would waft out. When we were about 13/14 someone set off a stink bomb the teacher locked us in class and sat outside. I do remember how kind Ms Edwards was.