When I Was A Lad

When I started talking to people about Suffolk's proposal to change the catchment areas for Kedington's school children to Samuel Ward. I knew it was only a matter of time before somebody told me that when they were a lad they always had to walk to school and they were OK. Unsurprisingly in this case it was not three miles across open country along the side of an unlit A road. All I can say to this is that when I was a lad on occasions I walked home from Samuel Ward School unaccompanied in the dark on quite a regular basis.

I will add that this was not common practice among even the handful Kedington children who went to Samuel ward back in those days. I was on the School Student Council and involved in various school musicals which meant on such nights I would not be out in time to catch the school bus. It also transpired that the school council would end at just such a time as to make me miss the hourly bus to Kedington. This would leave me with the choice of standing around alone in the cold for an hour on the edge of a Haverhill estate which at the time did not have a great reputation or walk home which took about an hour. Walking home was at least a good way to keep warm and less boring than standing still.

So let me describe the journey. When one starts school one is just starting the journey in to winter, by the time you get to December most of the journey is made in darkness (I'd make it all in darkness but I was starting late). The pavement runs out at the Fox (It was the Rising Sun in those days) and that's about where the wind starts to get up. It's also where you will find the last of the street lights. You would probably be surprised how much light there is in an unlit area at night, but it's mostly just an optical illusion as your eyes adapt to the darkness. Still It's enough to see by which is a good thing because every ten or so yards along the grass verge is a ditch running across your path from the road that you have to jump or fall down. They aren't big or hard as long as you can see them, which you can until the first car comes along. Cars do not dip their headlights for pedestrians and when you don't have head lights of your own to lighten your surroundings your eyes dilate to their full extent so when the beam hits you it really hurts and you find yourself walking along a grass verge you can't see next to a road you can't see hoping you've remembered where the ditch you can't see is and trying to block out the pain and not close your eyes so that at least you can see where the fast moving cars are and angle your coat at the right moment to protect yourself when they hit the puddle that you can't see but know is there or at least was their until it was thrown all over you as you trip in the ditch who's location you'd forgotten and go flat on your face... but at least it was better than waiting on my own on a corner in late 80's Haverhill for a bus. It was unpleasant and frightening. I was obviously a bit of an stubborn fool to have made the effort, and back in those days I don't think the words "Stranger Danger" even crossed my mind.

So for anyone who thinks it's acceptable to make kids walk home from school from Samuel Ward I can only tell you that I've been there and done that and would not consider it acceptable to force that on any 13 year old and remember it's going to be 11 year olds by the time this all begins.

Of course I don't expect any parents to let their kids walk home like this (I normally told mum I'd taken the bus and never told her what a nasty walk it was). I expect even the most hard up parent will at least pay for a bus journey home on a public transport bus (Even if it does cost them over a half a months wages per child each year) so long as they have the money to do so.

Article by M P Upton
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