The following extract appeared in the “Woking News and Mail” in November 1965

WEST BYFLEET SECONDARY SCHOOL SPEECH DAY 1965

FLEXIBLE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

The re-organisation of secondary education in Surrey was a subject touched upon by Dr. F. S. Marston, the chief inspector for Surrey, when he addressed pupils, teachers and parents at West Byfleet County Secondary School’s speech day on Wednesday.

“We have in Surrey at the moment a very flexible system of secondary education, based upon close co-operation with the schools in the area. The system we have now I would regard as a comprehensive system, which provides opportunities for all pupils who are prepared to work hard to get to the top as far as their abilities will let them”.

“If changes does come,” Dr Marston said, “and I suppose that as time goes on we have to accept that changes do we, we must ensure, as administrators, headmasters, headmistresses and inspectors, that the standards they have set are preserved”.

Dr. Marston went on to speak of the shortage of teachers and how important it was that young people should be encouraged to take up teaching ass a profession.

“We are faced with a tremendous shortage of teachers and are going to be some years to come. Meanwhile, the school leaving age is to be raised to 16, already the period of training for schoolmasters and mistresses has been extended to a three-years minimum, and all these steps involve us in making demands which the supply of teachers will hardly meet”.

It was, he stated, necessary for schools to see that enough young people were coming forward and better conditions were prevailing to attract them.

Dr. Martson continued: “We hear a great deal about young people today – we are told they are difficult. I suppose they are, but then young people always have been, and that is why it is good for some of us to think back. Perhaps today there is a bigger gap between the generations, and it is more difficult to understand youngsters. This was perhaps the case when their grandparents tried to understand our parents in their youth”.

PLAYED GREAT PART

In his annual report the headmaster, Mr. F. W. Goodger, spoke of Dr. Martson’s retirement as chief inspector for Surrey. “He is”, Mr. Goodger commented, “going to be sadly missed… he is a firm believer in the Surrey plan of Secondary education in which he played a great part”.

Mr. Goodger then went on to talk of the school. There were 630 pupils at the moment, housed in the main building, which was of 1937 “vintage”. Detached from the main building were 15 classes, to which teachers and pupils had to travel in all weathers. The library was a converted play shed, but by Christmas the new sixth form unit should be ready.

“This is”, he said, “one of the few schools in the county which is going to have a sixth form unit to provide a social centre for sixth form children”.

More and more pupils were staying on over the age of 16 years, and actually one-sixth of tall pupils were either in the fifth or sixth forms, with 72 per cent of the whole school staying on over the age of 16.

Dealing with examination results, Mr. Goodger said that 78 children passed 243 papers in 18 subjects. Seventy-two per cent of the passes were in academic subjects and the remainder non-academic.

At least 42 of the 78 had three or more examination passes, and since 1957 the number of examination subjects taken by pupils had increased from two to 18.

The number of successful candidates during that period had increased by 480.

The headmaster announced that during the year the school raised £299 16s 8d for charities. This year the money went chiefly to the War on Want Campaign and the schools society’s fund for old people.

PRIZES LIST

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FORM PRIZE		PROGRESS PRIZE
Form R2	Angela Jones	Barry Freeman
“ 1B	Stephen Boutwood	Stuart Letts
“ 1A2	Janice Turner	Elizabeth Floody
“ 1A1	Richard Golding	Rosemary Williams
“ 1R	Robert Wood	Paul Robershaw
“ 2B	Susan Austen	Christine Lloyd
“ 2A2	Nigel Carter	Cheryl Simons
“ 2A1	Christine Pullen	Stephen Last
“ 3C	Jean Danel	Esher Hale
“ 3B	Ian Harland	Hillary Doe
“ 3T	Andrew Norton	David Morgan
“ 3G	Maryanne Wheal	David Pring
“ 4C	Olive Bosher	David Swadling
“ 4B	John McDarren	Roy Doe
“ 4T	David Wilson	Derek Cooper
“ 4G	Anthony Covie	Peter Drinkwater
“ 5B	Derek Allwood	Clive Doughty
“ 5T ( C )	Gillian Cook	Sally Richardson
“ 5T ( T )	David Owen	Austin Brann
“ 5G	Jeanette Payne	Martyn Pearce

SUBJECT PRIZES

Senior English	Rosamund Gee	Needlework	Susan Aylesbury
Junior English	Christopher Holehouse	Domestic Science	Christine Pullen
Public speaking	Paula Yallop	Woodwork	Keith Stevens
Senior Maths	David Cunningham	Metalwork	Keith Nannery
Junior Maths	Anne Simms	P.E. and Games (Girls)	Rosemary Stevens
Science (Girls)	Jeanette Payne	P.E. and Games (Boys)	Stephen Brown
Science (Boys)	David Benham	Gardening	Robert Goble
History	Maryanne Wheal
Geography	Rosamund Gee	Commercial Course 6T	Rosamund Gee
Music	Maryanne Wheal		Ann Baker
Religious Knowledge	Stephen Brown	Engineering Course 6T	David Benham
Senior French	Jean Rogers		Paul Evans
Junior French	Anne Simms	Academic Course 6G	Rosemary Clark
Art	Melinda Platford		Barbara Yeoman

Best Performance in C.S.E: Edward Stephens

Best Performance in G.C.E.: Geoffrey Payne

Netball Trophy Hamilton House

Athletics Trophy MacClure House

Football Trophy MacClure House

Cricket Trophy Maclure House

Cross Country Trophy Stollery House

Tennis Champions Stollery House

House Competition Trophy Stollery House

Headmaster’s prize: David Thorton