The following extract appeared in the “Woking News and Mail” in November 1966

 

WEST BYFLEET SECONDARY SCHOOL SPEECH DAY 1966

 

BEST YEAR EVER FOR SCHOOLS EXAM SUCESSES

 

                Pupils at West Byfleet Secondary School were told on Wednesday they would be mistaken if they thought the first job they took after leaving school would be their career for life.

 

                This statement was made by Mr. Robert Beldam, chairman of Woking Educational Committee, at the school’s annual prize day.

 

                “Careers are very important and to choose a career involves teamwork between parents, the school careers master the youth employment officer”, he said.

 

                He prophesied that at least half the children at the school would find a career in industry.  “There are wonderful opportunities in industry, providing one are prepared to put a shoulder to the wheel”, he added.

 

RAPID CHANGES

 

                Mr. Beldam said that almost all the pupils would be dealing with computers at some stage in their life and stressed the rapid rate at which the world was changing.

 

                “About 30 percent of products manufactured before the last war are now extinct”, he said.

 

                He urged the young people to set their standards high and warned that older people had standards that were now being questioned by the younger generation.

 

                “Young people today seek security.   They are questioning the standards set by the Church, the country and the community”, continued Mr. Bedlam.  “They have got to be made to feel secure in their job because there is so much insecurity in the home today”.

 

 

                Mr. Bedlam told pupils to “let endeavour exceed your reach”.

 

 

                To mark the opening of the school’s new sixth-form unit Mr. Bedlam offered a picture to be hung on the wall.

 

 

NO FANCY PLAN

 

                For the headmaster Mr. F. W. Goodger, the day was tinged with sadness.  It was the last school prize giving he would attend because he will be retiring at the end of next summer term.

 

 

                Speaking of the school’s outstanding academic successes, Mr. Goodger said it was a popular belief that only specially selected children attended West Byfleet School.

 

                “This is not true”, he assured parents and pupils.  “Only three county selected children are at the school.  All the others are local”.

 

 

                He said the school had no fancy paper plan for success.  “We just get on remarkable well together and the result could hardly be avoided”, he stated.

 

 

                Mr. Goodger pointed out that 83 percent of ‘O’ level passes were in academic subjects.    “That would answer anyone who claims secondary school children can only gain ‘O’; levels in woodwork and metalwork”, he said.

 

 

120 STAYING ON

 

                He paid tribute to Geoffrey Green, who gained 11 ‘O’ level passes at one sitting, and Timothy Simkins who gained two ‘A’ levels.

 

 

                He reported that since the school started taking ‘O’ level examinations in 1957 a total of 563 children had passed 11,795 papers.  This year the school had its greatest successes since external examination were introduced.

 

                “Of the 632 children in the school 120 are remaining after school-leaving age”, Mr. Goodger revealed.

 

 

                He spoke of the trust and encouragement he had received during his 12 years as headmaster at West Byfleet.   “I feel it is a great privilege to have spent my life with children with teachers who are intelligent with good morals and ethical standards”, he continued.

 

                Mr. Beldam presented prizes and certificates.  The headmaster’s junior prize was awarded to Margaret Cranham and the senior prize to the head boy, Chris Dennis.

 

                .

 

PRIZES LIST

-------------

 

 

 

                        FORM PRIZE

PROGRESS PRIZE

 

 

Form R2

Lynda Cooper

Stephen Mills

 

 

   “    1B

Pamela Jackson

Jeffrey Drury

 

 

   “    1A2

Gillian Aylesbury

Barry Lynch

 

 

   “    1A1

Janet Payne

Michael Way

 

 

   “    1R

Angela Jones

Robert Budd

 

 

   “    2B

Stuart Letts

Jonathon Doggett

 

 

   “    2A2

Barbara Hurley

Penelope Earle

 

 

   “    2A1

Richard Golding

Jane Roberts

 

 

   “    3C

Hilary Smith

John Gammon

 

 

   “    3B

Margaret Bate

Alan Jordan

 

 

   “    3T

Josephine Fletcher

Tom Saddington

 

 

   “    3G

Stephen Last

Paula Yallop

 

 

   “    4C

Roger Reed

Richard Tweed

 

 

   “    4B

Ian Harland

Peter Cook

 

 

   “    4T

Roydon Norton

Jane Striven

 

 

   “    4G

Marion Rideout

David Reed

 

 

   “    5T ( C )

Margaret Adams

Christine Barron

 

 

   “    5T  ( T )

Edward Mitchell

John McDarren

 

 

  “     5G

Geoffrey Green

Clifford Butler

 

 

SUBJECT PRIZES

 

Senior English

Kim Maskell

Needlework

Carol Whittaker

 

Junior English

Janet Williamson

Domestic Science

Yvonne Mills

 

Public speaking

Paula Yallop

Woodwork

Christopher Dedman

 

Senior Maths

Anne Gerrish

Metalwork

Clive Hancocks

 

Junior Maths

Geoffrey Hall

P.E. and Games (Girls)

Mary Kokarevics

 

Science (Girls)

Carol Whittaker

P.E. and Games (Boys)

Ian Hicks

 

Science (Boys)

Geoffrey Green

Gardening

Roger Reed

 

History

Margaret Adams

Short story

Edward Mitchell

 

Geography

Roger Bullen

Poetry

Sharron Berry

 

Music

Sandra Dawes

Commercial Course 6T

Anne Gerrish

 

R.K.

Sandra Hughes

 

Sally Richardson

 

Senior French

Christine Bateman

Engineering Course 6T

Timothy Simpkins

 

Junior French

Barbara Roscoe

 

Roger Seagar

 

Art

Christine Bateman

Academic Course 6G

Alan Gent