First Draft: South Shields. Education Summary To-date

At the age of 11 and living on the shores of Lake Ullswater I had failed to pass the 11+ examination to attend Grammar School and I was sent from a 2 teacher country school to Penrith Secondary Modern School to try and improve my education level which it did.

At the age of almost 14 we moved to Kidside, Milnthorpe, near Kendal and I was back to a 2-teacher school.

My interest was in electronics, I wanted to be a sea-going Radio Officer, and the minimum educational level of General Certificate of Education (GCE) was required to train with passes in English, Maths and Science.

Meetings with the local Department of Education, I was offered a funded scholarship provided I could pass a set examination in English and Mathematics at GCE level.

At Grammar School, GCE was sat at 16 years. I was almost 15 this being the mandatory age to leave school in 1949 when not attending a Grammar School.

Milnthorpe school headmaster took me under his wing and daily after school taught me a crash course of mathematics in a few weeks to the required level.

I sat the required papers in Maths and English. Science was arranged by the Department of Education to be waived. I passed the 2 papers.

In 1949, I was in the month of February, 15 years old and I was offered a place at South Shields Marine and Technical College to start after the Easter break.