Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

My Journey with HSDC

October 24, 2024

Newspaper cutting as part of the 50 years campaign

It is hard to believe that 50 years ago last month, I walked through the doors of the brand-new college in Purbrook to return to education and become a ‘mature’ student. We are now called adult learners! I was there to take ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels. The college was named South Downs College, and it was a very modern, state-of-the-art building. It was referred to as a brick box by those who were not so keen on its stark design. Inside there were very few walls, just big spaces with screens that could be moved around depending on the size of the class. Some loved this modern concept; others were less enamoured with the fact you could hear teachers in the next room as they delivered their lessons!

I need to go back a few years to explain how I made the decision to return to education at 19, after leaving school at 16. In September 1966 I started my first year at Havant Grammar School. The headmaster was called Mr Rivers-Moore and my memories of him were of a smartly dressed man wearing a gown and mortar board, sweeping along the corridors. His study was a place you did not want to go to as it usually meant you were in trouble. Threats of the cane were still legal in those days, but thankfully, hardly ever used when I was a pupil there.

If I remember rightly, we were expected to take 8 subjects at ‘O’ Level (now called GCSEs). I loved school and have fond memories of playing tennis and netball on the area that is now the main carpark. I wasn’t so keen on hockey and lacrosse (yes, lacrosse!) as I was often at the wrong end of a hockey or lacrosse stick and had the bruises to prove it. I enjoyed most lessons and made lots of friends, so generally, it was a very happy time.

We were expected to work hard in all subjects with the aim of passing all the exams and staying on to take ‘A’ Levels and then go to university. I was the first person in my family to go to a Grammar school, so expectations were high. Unfortunately, due to several issues out of my control, I was not able to study as much as was required and I ended up with only 3 ‘O’ Levels, not enough to carry me through. I remember being offered 3 options, train as a nurse, a policewoman, or become a management trainee at Knight and Lee in Southsea. I chose the latter and within a week of leaving school, presented myself to the HR department of the store.

To cut a very long story short, I stayed with Knight and Lee for a year before leaving and taking a variety of low-paid and unsatisfying jobs. One day, I was walking from my house to Waterlooville shopping centre and saw a banner advertising a modern new educational facility offering ‘A’ levels and a variety of interesting vocational courses. I scribbled down the phone number and a few days later called them. I was called in for an interview and was offered a place to re-take some of the exams I had failed plus study a couple of ‘A ‘Levels. As I was 19, I was considered a mature student and consequently was offered a grant for living expenses. I joined the college in 1974 with the first intake of students. The mature student cohort was about 20 in number with ages ranging from 19 to mid-40s so it was a very interesting time getting to know such a diverse group of people. We had one main thing in common. We wanted education and qualifications!

Two years later I was encouraged by my English teachers to apply for university. (In those days it was free!) I was very keen on film and TV production, so I ended up taking a Media Studies degree at what was Central London Polytechnic. I left the Poly in 1979, had a gap year, and then worked in the media for a while. I have had lots of interesting jobs but after being made redundant in 1998, I wanted a new challenge. I returned to South Downs to be a volunteer English support assistant and alongside this, I studied for a teaching qualification.

Since 2001 I have taught full-time, and latterly part time, at what is now HSDC. I still teach adult classes at both the South Downs campus and the Havant site. It is very strange how my educational journey has come full circle. There is now a Havant Grammar School reunion group who have an annual get-together and last June visited the ‘old school’ site.

The major turning point for me was scribbling down the phone number of the new college, 50 years ago, to re-start my education. It was the best thing I ever did. That is why I enjoy teaching adults who return to education for whatever reason. It really can change your life.

Maggie Hellier