At a Modern Secondary School in Britain

4.8

We arrive at Jim’s and Mary’s school at 8.54 am. Boys and girls are still running in through the gates of Davenport Secondary Modern School — on bicycles and on foot. The cloakrooms are full of boys and girls hanging up their hats, caps and coats.

In Mary’s and Jim’s classroom the Fourth Year is busy — talking, sitting on the radiators, looking at homework.

Just then Miss Crow, the Fourth Year’s form mistress, comes in and asks Jim, who is the window monitor, to open a window.

At 9 o’clock the bell rings and Miss Crow calls the register.

“Ainly?”

“Yes.” “Barker?” “Absent,” says Mary, who is Susan Barker’s friend. “Ball?”

“Yes.”.... there are two people absent with colds.

Another bell rings. That is the bell for Assembly. The whole class walks to the Hall. The Headmaster walks on to the platform and says “Good morning” to the school. They sing a hymn and there is a prayer. Then the Headmaster makes two announcements.

“The basketball match against Silverstone Secondary was won by our team 42 to 38. This evening there is a meeting of the Photography Club at 4.30 in the Chemistry laboratory.”

Mary’s and Jim’s first lesson is English. The class is reading a play by a modern writer. Mary loves acting. She often acts in the school play at the end of the summer term.

Break is at 11 o’clock. Today is fine and so everyone can go into the playground. On the way Mary stops to look at the noticeboard. Is she in the basketball team for the next match? Hurray! She is! She decides to go to the next meeting of the school Film Society, and to ask her parents about the school visit to Paris in the spring holidays.

Out in the playground Mary joins her friends. One of them is trying a new hair style. Mary helps her to pin her hair up. “It suits you like that,” she says.

Jim lives quite near the school, and so he goes home for lunch on his bicycle. Mary stays at school for lunch.

In the afternoon Mary has Domestic Science. Her class is making cakes. At the same time Jim is doing Metal-work. He is making a spade.

This afternoon after school, there is a football match. Jim is not playing in the match, but his brother is. Jim and his friend stay to watch. They all shout together:

One, two, three, four.

Whom do you think we’re shouting for?

Davenport!

Five, six, seven, eight.

Whom do we appreciate?

Davenport!

The school day is over.