Looking to the future

Alice is looking forward to half term, as she has not been well again.  She thinks it is probably something that she ate, but Alice is trying to hide out in bed until she feels better.  She is avoiding the Sister, who appears to be a matron-like presence at the college and helps students when injured or poorly.

After half term, Alice has a practical exam, which will include performing in Modern Dance.  There will be an external examiner coming in to watch not only the students’ performance, but also to access the college standard. These checks were long before the OFSTED inspections that we are familiar with nowadays.  Alice wants to do particularly well in her practical assessments, as she has been struggling with her dissertation.  She refers to a “row” about it, which has left her “a little bit sore”

Alice has joined The Physical Education Association of Great Britain.  It will provide literature and keep her up-to-date on schemes, which will be important as she goes forward into work. The cost for the year when earning will be £2.2s - £48.12 in today’s money.

She has also been busy with swimming lessons and has enjoyed teaching children to swim. The college used the Bedford Modern swimming pool for their swimming lessons, which you can see as it was in Alice’s time from the photograph below.

Bedford Modern Swimming pool 1950s

Students practising their Modern Dance, Bedford, 1950s

Article from the Daily Telegraph

Alice finishes her letter with reference to a “Peeping Tom” incident at Dartford College of Physical Education.  Girls at the College caught the man and surrounded him with cricket bats and rounder clubs, which Alice finds highly amusing.