I was at Barrow Hills between 1964 and 1966. I can’t remember who the Headmaster was at this time. After Barrow Hills I went on to St. George’s College, Weybridge.
My first experience of the school was total disorientation. I came from a school in France and, although we spoke English at home, everything else, including all the subjects at school, was in French. All subjects had different content and Maths sums were done differently. My written English was also very shaky, so I felt completely out of my depth. In addition, I went from a very enjoyable time in France (probably the happiest years in my school years) to being wrenched away from my parents and friends, and plunged into a fairly strict religious environment.
I boarded at Barrow Hills from 10 to 12 years of age. Initially, it was very difficult being not only away from, but also far from my parents as they lived in Italy, so there were no weekend trips back home to help. I don’t think I ever fully adapted.
It was a long time ago, so hard to remember all the details of Barrow Hills life. A few things do, however, remain prominent in my memories: sports, and team sports in particular, recreation breaks (roller-skating, playing conkers, marbles, board games, the train room) and the library.
I learned to appreciate reading books (Enid Blyton!) and this has stayed with me to the present day, as an avid reader. A shout out to Fr. Paul and his evening “talks” in the washroom before going to bed. It was the highlight of the day! Last but not least, friendships that were established and, in some cases, carried on to St. George’s.
Unfortunately, I do also remember being “whacked”, which happened a few times, for rather futile reasons in my view.
Another vivid memory is when my father died in October 1965. I shall always remember everyone stopping by my bed, where I was crying my eyes out, to try to cheer me up. I didn’t see my mother for over two weeks after he died (in Italy), so that psychological support from my school mates was fundamental.
I also remember being knocked out during a rugby match(!). I remember feeling weird and collapsing on the pitch, then waking up in hospital and having to spend a week in the infirmary at school to convalesce. I was only allowed the occasional visitor, so very boring.
As I mentioned above, the evening talks with Fr. Paul were a really great moment. He was such a good communicator and full of positivity. School outings were always a day to be enjoyed.
There are also many single moments that I clearly remember, in all sorts of contexts (sports day, the school play, certain matches, etc.)
It’s difficult to reflect on the impact of my time at Barrow Hills. It’s easier to evaluate the impact of university, then secondary school; primary school is a long way back down the line!
It certainly gave me a love for sport though, and team sports in particular, as mentioned above. I continued sport at St. George’s and got a lot of satisfaction in grass hockey, along with some of the others from BH. The emphasis on the broader good taking priority over personal interest was instilled at BH through team sport.
Access to the library and reading opened up a world of curiosity and it is almost automatic for me to search for an alternative view whenever I hear something that impacts me; something that has become essential to try to navigate the world of fake news and the misuse of AI.
I’ve had a very cross-section employment history. After graduating, I moved to Trieste, Italy, where I lived until I retired in 2016. I now live in a small town not far from there.
I started as an ESL teacher in a private school in Trieste. I then went on to teach ESL at Trieste university, and after that, freelance. It’s fair to say I have taught English either as a main job or a second job for almost all my working life.
I have also worked in insurance, shipping, warehousing, office administration, process quality control in production, and ended my career as an Alumni Relations Manager for UWC Adriatic, an international school in Duino, Italy, for students in their final two years.
“Would I choose Barrow Hills in the ‘60s again?”
The answer is no. That is to say, not as a boarder. In my day, there were no day boys but had there been, the experience would have been completely different. I would have continued to grow up with my family, I would have continued to see the same friends during the holidays. Instead, I was flung out of my comfort zone (far too young) and stripped from my family and then whisked off to Italy during the holidays, where I knew no-one.
We lived those years, as well as the early years at St. George’s, in a kind of cocoon of privilege. As a day boy, we would probably have started helping out at home with the chores (cleaning, shopping, cooking, washing up, laundry, etc.), whilst, as a boarder, it was all done for us. It wasn’t really until university that we suddenly had to learn how to be independent.
I am not a supporter of “boarding”. Family are important and daily contact at such an early age is essential in my view. My relations with my family were heavily impacted by my boarding life and I envy those day boys (at St. George’s) whose friends didn’t disappear elsewhere during the school holidays. Weekends and holidays were often times of solitude for me.
I’m glad Barrow Hills now has a completely different setup!