There were 48 students in rows of four wooden desks, which were clamped to the floor and a seat held two people but folded back and we had to put those seats down without making a sound. Silence was one of the main features of classrooms in those days. Talking was a serious offence and you would be put outside the classroom door into the hall where your fear would be that the headmistress would come along and say: ‘What are you doing there?’ And that would deter even the most talkative… there was a very small playground area – running was more or less an offence in the playground…