Occupation school certificate examination
Occupation school certificate examination
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In June 1943, 91 young people spent up to three weeks sitting in the Great Hall at Victoria College writing what they hoped would give them good grades in the School Certificate Examination.
There were 38 girls. 49 boys and four older candidates, three of whom were hoping to add extra subjects to those that they had already gained. One of them, Peter Crill, would later become Bailiff of Jersey.
The special status that made this examination unique was the fact that they were sitting for what was hoped to be an Oxford and Cambridge School Certificate Examination, without the Oxford and Cambridge Boards having had any input or knowledge of it, as contacts between the Channel Islands and Britain had been severed three years previously on the arrival in the Islands of German troops.
With the probability of German Occupation imminent, the governments of the islands had arranged for any available vessels to come to collect as many people as wished to leave — the evacuation, taking place over four days, German troops arriving shortly afterward.
A new census was taken, and it was found in Jersey that just under 1,000 pupils had gone; about 9,000 remaining. In Guernsey, which now included almost the entire population of Alderney, the States had ordered the evacuation of the schools en masse, with their teachers, and 5,000 went, although 1,000 remained, whose parents had refused to allow them to go.
This was later to have some relevance in relation to the School Leaving Examination. With the chaotic state in June 1940 of the evacuation and the subsequent arrival of the Germans, there was no possibility of holding an examination of any sort.
The town of St Helier had three boys', two girls’ and one mixed-sex elementary school, with some separate infant schools. In the country there were eleven mixed—sex parish elementary schools, one in each of the villages, and two other elementary schools where the population of the outlying areas of the parishes made these necessary. Most of these schools had their own infants‘ department.
There were also numerous private schools throughout the island, all the colleges, single-sex convent schools, through preparatory schools to dame schools.
In addition the States of Jersey Intermediate School, equivalent to a small grammar school, had a one—form intake of about 35 pupils per annum, based on an 11+ examination taken at all of the elementary schools and at those private schools which requested it for any of their pupils. About half of these entrants were paid for by a States Scholarship, the remainder paid a small termly fee.
Finally, there were the two States owned colleges — Victoria College (for boys), and the Jersey Ladies College, both fee-paying, but with scholarship intakes also, taken from the same 11+ examination. The two colleges were, and still are, the responsibility of the Department of Education.
The school-leaving age was 14 for the elementary schools, but not before 15 for scholarship pupils, though the last three schools mentioned continued up to sixth form level for those prepared or financially able to take the full course.
Organising the examination
In February 1941 the question of the possibility of holding what would be an equivalent of the Oxford and Cambridge School Certificate Examination was raised, for the two Colleges and the Intermediate School. Some members of staff from Victoria College were consulted, and it was decided against.
It was raised again in the following January, in view of the prolonged occupation of the Island. This time the committee conferred with P Tatam, acting—head of Victoria College, and Miss E Barton, head of the Ladies College.
It was agreed that such an examination be held in June 1943, head—teachers of schools with possible candidates to meet to draw up syllabuses, and to advertise in Jersey and Guernsey for applicants to set papers, giving details of university and other qualifications, subjects, and past experience of setting examination papers.
Although there were now prospective candidates from 1940 to 1942, the seeming lack of urgency to set up such an examination appears perfectly reasonable in view of the extra workload that had now become obvious in order for it to be set up.
It was agreed that the examination be open to all schools in Jersey and Guernsey, whether State or privately—owned and run, and that the worked papers be placed in safe custody until it was possible for them to be sent to the Oxford and Cambridge Examination Board for marking.
Mr Tatam and Miss Barton interviewed the applicants for the post of examiners in April, and reported back to the committee. Transport between the Islands was now entirely military, so that anyone wanting to travel had to apply to their Island Commandant well before the required date for a permit.
A meeting of the department was held in May 1942 with the head teachers likely to submit candidates for the proposed School Certificate Examination. These were:
- P Tatam, Victoria College
- Miss E Barton Jersey Ladies College
- Miss G Coad, States Intermediate School
- Brother Edward, De La Salle College
- Reverend Mother, Convent FCJ
- Miss P Haines, Helvetia House School
- W S Silk, St Martin’s Collegiate School
- Miss Hoskins, (for Miss Clough) Collegiate School for Girls
- Miss Du Feu, St Matthieu’s Convent School
It was agreed that the examiners set the papers, the Oxford and Cambridge Board to be asked to mark them, and only to be marked locally if the Occupation was prolonged.
The heads then discussed books available, etc for each subject, and agreed that Miss Barton should submit a suitable syllabus to the department for publication.
It was also reported at this time of the difficulties of children having to get to the Intermediate School (which drew them from all over the Island), owing to the cessation of the bus service, and of having to return to their local elementary School.
This would affect their chances of sitting this examination. There was no reference to the two colleges having this same problem. Why not? The two colleges did have boarding facilities; did their prospective candidates become temporary boarders if their home was in the country, returning there at weekends?
Regulations drafted
In June, draft regulations for the School Certificate Examination were approved for June 1943 (later changed to July), copies to be duplicated, some sent to Guernsey, and applications to be made by the heads, or parent/guardian of those not at school.
An entry fee was set at £15 inclusive. The examiners for the different subjects were approved at this meeting. They were: Rev Buswell, Dr de Lancey, Marc Ceppi, H Morrison, J Dickson. M Le Feuvre, J Andrews, A S H Dickinson, plus Mr Tatam and Miss Barton (organizing the examination).
Shortly afterwards it was noted: ‘Because Mr A S H Dickinson [Chief Librarian] has left the Island, Rev Brockway. of Guernsey, is to be asked to set English literature and religious education papers, and the Rev H H Buswell, Latin and Greek.
The phrase ‘has left the Island’ was diplomatic language for ‘deported to Germany', which happened at this time to several hundred persons for no other reason than that they had English — not Channel Island - parents, and was personally ordered by Hitler in retaliation for the detention by the English of German oil engineers in Persia.
Meeting with examiners
A departmental meeting was held with the examiners in February 1943. Rev Brockway, of Guernsey, was not able to be present.
‘It was agreed, in view of the local conditions, (including by then very limited food rations) that the papers should be of an easy nature, but the marking be somewhat severe.’ The intention was apparently that the Oxford and Cambridge Board could improve the marking if they felt it desirable, but would have no grounds to say that the examination was not up to the proper standard.
The examination commenced on Monday, 12 July, and continued for about a fortnight. The question papers had been typed on stencils and duplicated in the Education Secretary’s office, to safeguard security.
Three days before the examination it was decided that examiners be asked to mark papers and submit a short report to the department. The Oxford and Cambridge Board would then be notified and requested to recognize the examination and grant certificates accordingly.
Mr Corbel's letter
On 14 July, two days after the examination had begun, Mr Corbel sent a letter to Miss Barton. which, abbreviated, reads:
‘They [the department, which was effectively Mr Corbel himself, since there was only one clerk and one junior otherwise] are informed that there is an almost universal desire among the candidates and their teachers, as well as parents, that the results should be made known as soon as possible.
The department have no other desire but to help the candidates, and they therefore propose asking the examiners or other persons to mark the papers locally. The department will then inform the candidates of the results they have obtained.
1 They may issue local certificates, but the value of these seems very doubtful. 2 Carry out their original intention and submit the papers to the Board, asking them to grant certificates
The department would welcome the view of the head teachers on this matter.'
Miss Barton's reply
Miss Barton replied by return of post, her exasperation at the temerity of the suggestions of this mere clerk clearly reaching boiling—point.
Dear Mr Corbel,
- 'From the beginning of the setting on foot of arrangements for a local certificate
examination I have always felt that whereas people could be found who could set reasonable question papers, yet the plan that they should not be corrected or marked locally was sound. It is probably true that some of the people concerned have never before ever set an examination paper of the scope required, have never taught in a secondary school, have never studied School Certificate results and mark sheets, know nothing about the standard required for School Certificates, and may never before have marked a school examination of any kind.
- 'I am possibly the only person on the island who, with HM Inspectors and others, have
taken part in Board of Education investigations into the working of such examinations. I took part in investigations of the Central Welsh Board’s work, and into that of the Oxford and Cambridge Joint Board, and my feelings on the subject are the results of this. (If heads say results are likely to be OK, then get a job). (If by January we are still occupied then one might look at things differently. [but in January one didn’t]
- 'PS. I am not going to express my opinion on courses 1 and 2 as proposed.'
Ethel G. Barton."
The following month, at a meeting of the heads of those schools which had candidates at the recent School Certificate Examination a decision on marking or withholding the papers was put off to another day. It was also decided that a draft syllabus be drawn up as soon as possible for a further School Certificate Examination.
A fortnight later it was decided that the papers ‘be not marked for the present’. In January 1944, Miss Barton and Mr Tatum were interviewed regarding the advisability of having the School Certificate Papers marked. It was decided to defer the question until Easter. There is nothing in the committee minutes at Easter, and after the Invasion of Normandy in June, no more mention at all.
Postscript
On 25 September 1945, nearly six months after Liberation, a provisional list of the examination results was published in the Evening Post. It was not entirely accurate, science being omitted from the list of subjects, though shown with each pupil with the letter s, for instance, but at last we knew.
