'Sleeping' school must awaken
By TERRY SUTTON

DOVER Grammar School for Boys is a 'sleeping giant' and new head teacher Julia Bell has warned it is her job to wake it up.

Mrs Bell, also head teacher of the girls' grammar school, was giving a straight-from-the-shoulder talk to members of the old boys association, the Old Pharosians, at their annual dinner at the school on Saturday.

Examination results this year were just not good enough, she said. With the school 'not in a position of strength'.

She warned: "This is going to change."

Mrs Bell said she looked to the day when Dover boys and Dover girls were top of the list of examination successes. "Only the best will do. I am not interested in second best," she insisted.

She warned the boys would have to smarten up their dress code. All boys would be expected to adhere to the dress code while at school.

"Sloppy dress leads to a sloppy attitude. This school will not be sloppy. Boys, you'll have to tuck your shirts in," she said.

They would also be expected to take responsibility for their mistakes, apologise and take their punishment. She also aimed to improve the environment of the school. Flower troughs had already appeared and new toilets, and other facilities, were planned in the next capital works programme.

Mrs Bell said she wanted the school council to have a hand in drawing up improvement priorities.

"We start on a long journey. But Dover is a tough town which fights back. Dover has survived tough times with the closure of the mines and job cuts at the port. But Dover bounces back and that's what we are going to do," she added to applause.

It was a busy weekend at the school, which held its prize giving on Friday. Mrs Bell reminded the boys who had been selected for grammar school education: "You are different but not better than pupils from other schools."