I started school at Cromwell St in Nechells and heaved at the smell of the Gas works all the way there ,once an old man stopped us to ask mom what was wrong with me as he'd seen us many times and thought my mom should take me to the doctor.
Moved to Erdington and went to Court Farm Primary in Tedbury Crescent which I loved Everyones favourite teacher was a Welsh man called Mr Hill, very strict but fair, He used the blackboard ruler like a cricket bat to whack the boys with, his catchphrase was "Bend my little friend " then whallop the poor lad was sent flying across the room, we girls were never hit at all but i do remember being sent to the Head Miss Codling, she made me sit in her office all day twiddling my thumbs for some minor misdemeanor, and gave me back my dinner money so I could tell my mom why I had no dinner did I hell, spent it in the sweet shop on my way home.Sobbed all day on the last day. Next to Erdington Grammar for Girls. Oh boy I hated that place except for sports (excluding hockey) Pat Lowe was one of our sports teachers won't say what I thought of her she was in the Olympics once how could we forget she never shut up about it. How could you take any teacher seriously when she was called Miss Muffet (taught Cookery) For science we had Dr Brownbridge he only had one hand,not much confidence in him then when conducting potentially explosive experiments. A team from our school won young scientists of the year on telly.Miss Hill was the Head apparantly she gave an end of year speech in assembly on what should have been my last day ,saying what a poor lot that years 5th formers had been, I wasn't there to hear her,I'd been wagging it for the last 2 weeks to work at Woolies in New St to earn spending money for my first YHA holiday with 5 other girls some of whom I am still in touch with.