Tag Archives: school

Jan 28 2025
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Daily Post, Landscape

High Knoll: Code?

Tuesday 28th January 2025, 2.25pm (day 4,905)

High Knoll Fort, 28/1/25

I have absolutely no idea, for certain, whether this will be my last full day on St Helena or not. I have given up speculating, for if I don’t leave tomorrow as currently scheduled, I might succumb to despair. I tried to avoid this emotion today by going on a walk up to High Knoll Fort — appearing for the third time on this visit. This view is taken from inside, looking down through the battlements to the island’s secondary school on Francis Plain. What the code means, I have absolutely no idea either. One Exits Now? That would be good.

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Jan 23 2025
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Daily Post, Landscape

Francis Plain, early

Thursday 23rd January 2025, 7.40am (day 4,900)

Francis Plain, 23/1/25

Was ‘at work’ ridiculously early this morning, at least by my standards. Francis Plain is the location of St Helena’s secondary school: that this view is taken across the nearby football pitch is not a further manifestation of my, perhaps, over-interest in that sport but just because that’s what the view is. On a generally dull day this was one of the few observed shafts of sunlight. Yes, the litter bin to bottom left does irritate, but otherwise, there are worse views to gee one up at 7.40am.

100 days to go until day 5,000. I guess I can keep it going until May 3rd.

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Nov 14 2024
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

Off to school

Thursday 14th November 2024, 8.05am (day 4,830)

Canal school walk, 14/11/24

Most of the kids who live in Hebden Bridge, but attend Calder High School about 2 miles away, get the bus there. But these three look to have decided to walk it — and good for them, it was a very beautiful morning, and there’s no need to walk along the main road.

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Oct 28 2024
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Daily Post, Urban scene

An outstanding evening?

Friday 25th October 2024, 10.25pm (day 4,810)

Outstanding, 25/10/24

Maybe not ‘outstanding’, but Friday night was pretty good; the first part of a fine weekend away, to celebrate Clare’s birthday (Saturday).

If you’re wondering what exactly is so outstanding here, it’s a school, trumpeting its Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) rating. Not a modest institution.

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Nov 24 2021
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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Back to school

Tuesday 23rd November 2021, 11.30am (day 3,743)

I am an educator, yes — a teacher if you like — but that doesn’t mean I hang around schools very often, if at all. This morning was an exception, however, and here’s where I spent it; St Helena’s only secondary school, opened in 1988. This is, of course, a model, which resides in the reception area, but it’s as good a way as any to get a feel for the place. The eponymous Prince visited in 1984 and obviously made a big impression on the islanders. Whether, in light of more recent events, they are thinking of changing the name, is not yet recorded.

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Sep 23 2020
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Daily Post, Portrait

In a room, with people!

Tuesday 22nd September 2020, 4.40pm (day 3,316)

MGS event, 22/9/20

As Our Glorious Leader mumbles, fumbles and bumbles, people with lives to live get on with their jobs.  For the first time since 8th March, I got to be in a room with other people, and taught. As it happens, I was teaching other teachers, the good folk of Manchester Grammar School, a venerable establishment that has been around in some form or other since 1515. In the grim year 2020, this felt like an explosion of humanity.

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May 24 2019
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Daily Post, Interior

Joe’s school leaving shirt

Thursday 23rd May 2019, 1.50pm (day 2,828)

Joe's signed shirt, 23/5/19

On the day I started this blog, 26/8/11, Joe was just short of being eight-and-a-half years old. He did not finish primary school until July 2014. Yet today was his last day of lessons at Calder High — there are still exams to do, but no more classes. He arrived home at lunchtime in a shirt scrawled with signatures from staff and classmates. I can’t be the only parent asking — where does the time go? How quickly it passes…  at least for him. (Not for me. My life moves at a crawl.)

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Jan 31 2018
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Daily Post, Family Member, Portrait

Joe in the school library

Wednesday 31st January 2018, 4.45pm (day 2,351)

Joe in library, 31/1/18

When I started doing this blog on 26/8/2011 Joe was nine years, five months and twenty-two days old. His first appearance was a few days in, sat in the Railway and looking really very small. Not any more. I guess he hasn’t reached his complete adult form yet, he is not fifteen for a few weeks, but he cannot be far off. This is his ninety-ninth appearance on the blog. Doubtless I will find good reason to mark the next one.

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Jul 18 2014
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Daily Post, Friend, Interior, Portrait

Joe’s last day at primary school

Friday 18th July 2014, 2.10pm (day 1,058)

Riverside year 6, 18/7/14

Today was Joe’s last day at Riverside, his primary school. You may do things differently in your country but this is a significant transition point for us. And here are the rest of his cohort. I like the animation in this picture, a sense of the joy of today, as well as its deeper meaning. Good luck to all of them.

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Dec 29 2013
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Daily Post, Interior

After-school club (empty this week)

Saturday 28th December 2013, 1.25pm (day 856)

Valley Crew, 28/12/13

Clare works here during the school term but at the moment, obviously, it is closed. We dropped off some spare toys today, being as we are clearing the house at the moment, so I used the opportunity to get a shot of the nice afternoon light within, at a point where I can do this without being arrested for taking photos of other people’s kids (these things have been known).

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