In 1975, when Mr John ‘Jake’ Ashurst was Headmaster, I joined the Sixth Form. This entitled us to go in the Sixth Form Common Room. But arriving there, we found the small room in the corner was suddenly out of bounds to boys and was to be the domain of two girls – Véronique Bouchet, OH 1975-77 and Jackie Sprinz, OH 1975-77.

To have girls in school every day was a completely different thing all together. We were not sure what to do. Or what to say even. Social distancing had arrived long before the pandemic! After a year, they multiplied and another two arrived. One of these was Helen Parsons, OH 1976-78, who was destined to be in Neil King’s form (OH Staff 1974-2006) and later my wife.