The video club

A few of us at Anfield formed a video club. Each fortnight or so we would take our sandwiches to one of the lecture theatres to watch the latest film. Bear in mind we are not talking Mary Poppins or the Sound of Music here.

The videos mostly came from the caretaker who got them from the local police station. I understand that the police had a facility set up to make copies of any videos they'd impounded which they then distributed to selected people.

The rest of the staff must have wondered where twenty odd teachers were disappearing to for these lunch time sessions but never said anything.

All was going well until one lunchtime a young teacher arrived at the lecture theatre followed by the members of his stamp club. I think they were intent on watching a video about the origin of stamps.

The young teacher quickly realised that what we were watching was not suitable for his first year charges and managed turn them away before any of them caught sight of the screen.

Some time later, a senior member of staff who was part of the club, was summoned to see the Headteacher who had become aware of what we were about. The senior member of staff was told in no uncertain terms that this activity was to cease.

From then on viewing had to be conducted at home. I was entrusted with the collection of tapes and before you ask - no I don't still have them. They were lent to a Science Technician who never returned them.

There were a few other occasions when I was involved in a reprimand.

The next occasion was when I was in charge of external examinations. I was in the stock room sorting the papers out when the Headteacher's Secretary came in. We were having a laugh and a joke about some issue or other. Our conversation was quite noisy and raucous.

The Head's office backed onto to the stockroom so he obviously heard the commotion and came to investigate. Being the gentleman that he was, the Head announced his presence before rounding the corner where we were. When he saw us, he politely asked us to keep the noise down and left.

When he'd gone it occurred to us that he possibly thought we involved in some carnal activity which is why he was so discreet. On reflection, the incident probably caused him more embarrassment than it did us.

Then there was the occasion when Roger and I decided to take our new pottery teacher, Pat Gamble out for a drink on her birthday. Unbeknown to us she was supposed to be in a meeting with her Induction Mentor, the Deputy Head. On our return we got told off for a) taking her out and b) drinking at lunchtime. We never went out to the pub at lunchtime after that.

The most amusing telling off though was when Stanley Park Girls and Anfield Boys merged to become Priory C.C. School. We had a few days before the pupils arrived to sort ourselves out. I'd been promoted to Sixth Form Coordinator and was duly summoned to a meeting with the Headmistress. She had one of those traffic light systems on her door.

When the green light came on, I entered her sanctuary with the cigar I was smoking in my hand. I was immediately stopped by the coldest most withering stare you can imagine. After a pregnant pause, Miss Wilkinson handed me an ashtray and told me that under no circumstances would I be allowed to smoke in her office. I dutifully put the cigar into the ashtray where I left it to smolder until our meeting was finished at which point I retrieved it and continued smoking back into the staff room.

My last telling off was when the Senior Admin Officer and I placed one of the Site Managers on the same scale as his colleagues. We were told by the Head that we would face a disciplinary meeting with the Governors for our actions. That was until we pointed out that the three of us had discussed the promotion at one of our regular weekly meetings and that in fact the Head had signed the pay advice to the Authority placing the Site Manager on his new scale. When we later asked for the date when the meeting was to take place we were promptly told to forget it.