School
By the time he was four years old, William was eager to start school. He was not particularly happy at playschool or, later on, at nursery even though there were plenty of activities for him to do. He was ready for school. I was quite pleased that William would be attending the same school I used to go to, Saint Richard’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Dover. He settled in quickly but a few incidents in the playground had a terrible effect and he decided he did not want to go anymore. This was a very frustrating period for him, his teachers and me! It took a number of days and a lot of persuasion to encourage him to go back. He did go back though and he started to enjoy school life. At first he just had a few select friends but as school life went on he became popular and had many friends. He was very bright and academically he did well. He was also good at sport and made the football B team a year earlier than most children. The following year he progressed to the A team only to play in one game before falling ill.
William’s reports were extremely good and mentioned his fondness for football. He was a normal schoolboy though, and could be distracting sometimes! His concentration could wander but I think that is common occurrence for most children! At other times he could be extremely focused and produce excellent work. His teachers would comment on his quietness (at times!), politeness (most of the time) and good nature!
William participated in school plays, often playing a donkey in the early years for some reason. Still it was easy finding a costume; grey joggers, grey T-Shirt and some floppy ears! As he got older he had more interesting parts! School outings were great fun for the children and I remember helping out on one such occasion. Fond memories. William enjoyed swimming lessons although they were stopped for infants after William’s first year due to an Ofsted Report highlighting that too much time was spent on this activity (an hour a week!). William did not really participate in many after school activities apart from football training and recorder lessons as his timetable of out-of-school activities was exhausting! Tennis, up to four times a week, cricket, swimming and of course, football.
After William was taken ill he continued his education at the School Hospital at King’s College Hospital. The tutor liaised with William’s teacher so he could participate in similar work as his classmates. During William’s radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment he attended the school at the Royal Marsden Hospital, the highlight of his day. Whenever he arrived at the Royal Marsden he would want to make his way straight to the school. The nurses soon realised if he was missing from the ward where he would be. In between treatments, when William was at home, a Hospital school teacher would visit him three times a week which he really enjoyed, especially as he could continue his recorder lessons!
William continued to receive cards from his school friends which cheered him up immensely and some of his friends were able to visit him at home or in hospital. At times, because of the treatment, William’s white blood cells were low which meant he could easily pick up an infection and this prevented him from returning to school on a regular basis however he did return to use his exercise tricycle in the school hall. The adult size trike was supplied by his physiotherapist to help him to strengthen his legs and William enjoyed the attention he received on those visits to his school.
In his memory, William’s school is dedicating a friendship bench and a football shield.
