Juliet's Kenya Days blog

From Juliet’s diary 28 Jan 1975 –

This morning mummy took me to Loreto school (Loreto Convent Msongari) to see if she could get me a place there. The headmistress is called Sister Pauline. I like her very much. I had to do a maths test – some of it was quite easy. Then we went to the nurse to get a uniform. I got a blue skirt, some blue shorts, a white short-sleeved blouse and a red blazer, but not a red cardigan as I have one already. I passed the test so got a place there. Daddy came to collect us and we went into Nairobi to do a bit of shopping while daddy did some business at the bank.

From Juliet’s dairy 29 Jan 1975 –

Today is my first day at school. I had to be there by 8am. Caroline Trent (our neighbour at Alliance who worked as a teacher in Nairobi) took me in to Sister Pauline who asked a girl called Eva to take me to my classroom. I’m in form 1A.

Letter from Graham to Diane & Sydney 29 Jan 1975 –

Yesterday Juliet went to a secondary school to take an entrance test and today she started there. The minimum age is 12 so she scraped in narrowly. She likes the school – there is a swimming pool and the buildings are modern. It’s run by Catholics but the non-Catholics have special provision for them as regards religious education. Helen did some tests to determine which class she should enter . In Kenya it is usual to have classes with pupils of widely differing ages because of the variation in primary education.

From Juliet’s diary 31 Jan 1975 –

In school today I locked the key of my padlock for my desk inside my desk. Luckily I have the oldest desk in the room – some of the wood had been broken off on the top and the ends of the screws that hold the padlock clasp together stick through it so all we had to do was push the screws through.

Letter from Judy to Nanny & Grandad 4 Feb 1975 –

Today Helen has gone to school for the first time so I am writing this while Fiona is doing her ‘work’. We have been very lucky and managed to get Juliet & Helen into the secondary and primary part of the same school – Loreto Convent – a Catholic school on our side of Nairobi which make transport easier. Everyone recommends this school and certainly the nuns have been more than helpful. Juliet has been going for just over a week and loves it and has made lots of friends so I expect Helen will settle in very quickly. There are about one third Europeans, one third Asians and one third Africans. They have both gone into a Standard (class) above their ages but I think the stimulus will do them good and of course age groups are much more flexible than in England – some of Graham’s Sixth Formers are in their early 20’s, while others are only 16.

Letter from Helen to Grandma & Grandad Feb 1975 –

Juliet’s uniform is the same as mine. We are both using the red cardigans that you knitted for us. Mummy bought me a new swimming costume. I have a packed lunch and we sit and have it on a verandah because the kites can swoop down if you are under a tree or just in the field and take the sandwiches out of your hand.

Letter from Judy to Jane & Malcolm 13 Feb 1975 –

The school run takes a chunk out of each day as that means a trip to Nairobi twice. Until our minibus arrives (being shipped from UK) I don’t have that chore of course. Fortunately our neighbour teaches at the school next door to the girls so she is taking them at the moment.

Letter from Helen to Nanny & Grandad May 1975 –

Fiona has started school at ‘Jack & Jill’. She says she likes it there. She only goes in the mornings only (which is normal until age 8 here) and goes every day.

Letter from Graham to Simon & Pat 12 May 1975 –

Fiona started school last week and loves it. She goes to a nursery school with another girl, Karen Lewis, who is about the same age and lives a 100 metres away. Fiona is able to ‘look after’ her little friend who is rather shy and retiring.

Letter from Graham to Diane 25 May 1975 –

Fiona enjoys going to nursery school – she liked the school right from the start because it is mostly a playing situation with outdoor climbing frames and I suppose a generally good atmosphere like her nursery school in Bristol. It is about quarter of a mile from the school Juliet and Helen go to. This was an important consideration since we have to travel about 9 miles from home to take them. Luckily I don’t need to go each day because there are ‘school runs’ with other teachers with school age children. Fiona does interesting pictures now – often by copying – and she is progressing through the easy Ladybird books which we brought with us. Books are about the same price here as at home as there is no import duty, and there is an excellent choice in the Nairobi shops.

Letter from Juliet to Grandma & Grandad 10 June 1975 –

I am enjoying it very much at school. It is the athletics season and we are doing discus, javelin and putt shotting (sic).

Letter from Judy to Sue & Gravel 13 June 1975 –

Helen & Juliet are getting a much more formal education than in England but so far it doesn’t seem to have done them much harm. They both have homework etc to do and compare the amount of work unfavourably with England but in fact they have both gone into classes a year ahead of the ones they were in at home so are bound to have to work harder. They don’t see the logic of this at all though. Helen is now a demon at tables and mental arithmetic which I suppose can’t be bad! Schools are expensive here and we are costing the British taxpayer over £150 a term in school fees ! It’s costing us a bit too as we have to drive 12 miles to school every day and the minibus uses a lot of petrol. Actually, because of the number of children on the compound who all go into Nairobi every day we have a very complicated system of school runs; 3 cars in the morning, 2 at lunchtime and 1 in the afternoon, to get them there and back. In fact Graham only does 4 runs a week. So far I have chickened out of driving.

Letter from Judy to Jo 13 July 1975 –

Juliet’s school have been given the last three days of term off so that the staff can mark exams in peace which seems a very sensible idea ! It seems a bit hard on the parents of boarders who come from all over Africa who suddenly have to arrange flights home 3 days early – also Helen’s part of the school is continuing on for the full term which is awkward if you have girls in both parts. Fiona’s school goes on until 1st August but we will take her away for the last week – it doesn’t matter so much at that age.