( Remember to check the top of the home-page to see if there have been any recent additions to this section.)

 In 1976, Sexey's changed its status and became a Middle school, catering for pupils between the ages of 9-13. At the time of writing (March, 2008), Mr D.A. Cameron is the headmaster.(From the beginning of 2009, Geoff Woolston (Deputy) became the acting headmaster.)

Needless to say, since the '70's, there have been tremendous changes to the school . One of  the first things a visiting 'Old Sexonian' notices is the greatly increased car parking facilities - the large increase in pupil numbers has led to many more staff being employed.

A visitor's first port of call has to be at the reception desk. In order to obtain   admittance, the receptionists will open the security controlled, outer doors to let you in to the main building - how things have changed! 

Wandering around the school, you can very easily become disorientated, as so many classrooms and corridors have been added. The school's present layout is best seen on the Hugh Sexey's website. Here, you will find many up to date images of the school and its grounds, as well as lots of other information about what goes on - it really is an excellent website.

Inside the security doors, just after the reception area, is the wall display of old photos dating from the earliest decades of the 20th century (the school has kindly let me copy some of these and they appear in the website).

This 'History Wall' of photos is actually dedicated to the memory of John Bevan, who was a pupil in the year below me, starting school in 1965. I've been told, that in later life, John became a very good auctioneer - anyone who can remember his lively personality and likeable cockney accent would surely have agreed that he was made for the job.

Sadly, John died, far too early of course, in 1996. The wall plaque will ensure that his memory will live on with all future staff and pupils.

Another wall, close by, houses the Sexey's School 'Roll of Honour'- remembering those past pupils who  died in the two World Wars.

A number of local surnames can be seen here. To the casual onlooker, names of particular interest are E.J.Smith (Edward Smith) and F.M.Smith (Frank Smith), who were the sons of the first headmaster, Edward Henry Smith.

Sadly, Edward was killed in action in 1916. As well as being a past pupil at the school, Edward gained a post as science teacher there and eventually was put in charge of the Farm School. Frank Smith, the younger of the two sons, was killed in action, fighting in Africa, in 1942. Losing both sons like that must have been a devastating occurrence for the Smiths. In later years, Mr Smith was to have a book published about the two of them.

At this point, I would like to thank Geoff Woolston, the school's deputy head, for giving up so much of his time to take me round the school and assembling the archives for me to look at - all the staff I've come into contact with have been really helpful. (Some staff members were actually pupils there in the mid seventies.)

Wandering around the school (2008) I noticed that many, many changes had taken place since the early '70's. The first floor room, which was the main boys' dormitory back in 1966, is now the school's staff room - I can remember it being used as a classroom in the late sixties and early seventies but my memories of it as a dormitory are more vivid by far.

 Imagine this wall with 5 or 6 iron framed beds along it, sticking out into the room. My bed would have been inbetween the two curtained windows - to the right was Geoff Thorne and to my left, Marvin Cooper, who was in the form above me. In between each bed was a small, wooden chest of drawers, which we shared. I'm pretty sure we didn't have the luxury of those radiators then! 

The only fixed feature that was in the room was a very large, built-in wardrobe in one corner of the room, that was used by all of us.

Back in 1966, at the bottom of the stone stairway leading to the dormitory, was the entrance to the male boarders' bootroom. It was here that shoes were polished (usually by the younger boarders!) and football boots, daps etc were kept. The bootroom (which was a wooden construction) has long since gone.

What would have been the entrance to the bootroom, back in the '60's, is now the red, emergency exit door you can see in this picture.

To anyone who has not returned to the school for many years, this scene will look very different. Beyond the red door you can just make out the arched doorway that leads out of the main building, besides 'Room 4'- (as it was called in the '60's) - the window you can see is the side window of Room 4. As you can see, the whole area has now been roofed over and looks very different.

In the 'Memories of the '60's' section, Pauline Thompson took a picture of the school field, from in front of the cricket pavilion. I've used her shot again here, and placed it alongside my own recent photograph (2008) so you can easily view the changes made since the '60's - quite a few!

 

As you can see, a lot of the grass has been lost to tarmac, the trees that Hubert Fisher planted as 3 foot saplings are now huge and a new building has been added. Needless to say, the sandy high jump area and wooden cricket pavilion have gone, too.

Melita Edwards (Dodge), has sent in this shot of the girls' hostel, from the early sixties. For those of us who were there in the '60's and '70's it's typically how we remember it, with its open, lawned front and a number of apple trees.

At that time, there was easy access, to the left of the building, onto the school playing field. The scene today is very different, as it has now become privately owned and I believe there are two? residences there.

This photo of the old hostel is taken from the side of the school hall facing the road and shows that the whole area is now fenced off from the actual school site and additional building has taken place.

Standing on the school field and looking back at the school reveals that the many wooden 'huts' that once lined the field are now purpose built classrooms. The rooftops of further 'new' purpose-built buildings can also be seen.

Further to the right (just out of picture) are remnants of the original privet hedge, where many of 'us pupils' had the dubious privilege of being 'hedged'!

This section of the website has now come to an end and it also marks the end of the main body of the website.Needless to say, Sexey's has gone through many changes since its small beginnings in the barn at Stoughton and no doubt will continue to change and evolve as politicians and educationalists alike make decisions regarding the most suitable structure of our education system. Who knows, we may yet see the sign 'Sexey's Grammar School' over its front entrance in the years to come! Whatever the outcomes no one can deny that Sexey's, from its very beginnings to its final years as a Grammar school was a very special place and fond memories of it will  remain with its past pupils for the rest of their lives - MJ 

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