My brothers and I were all concerned about our mother. A few years ago she was a normal happy mother, full of the joys of spring, so to speak. But after the doctors told her that she could no longer have children, meaning she wouldn’t have the daughter she’d always longed for, she fell into […]

Neither myself nor my brother could believe this was happening as our mother opened the double doors of our wardrobe to reveal a resplendent display of skirts, blouses and dresses. “You honestly don’t expect us to wear those do you?” Peter asked. “Well after you two have had a bath, you won’t have any choice […]

Peter’s childhood was relatively normal; he played army with his friends, climbed trees, had a train set and loads of action figures and liked nothing more than his trusty old jeans with a hole in the knee, a zip up hoodie and his thoroughly worn in trainers. His mother, Helen is an architect and his […]

I never understood my sister… or girls in general. It seemed as long as something was pink, they liked it. Growing up, my toys were trains and tanks, aircraft and spaceships. Action man, Batman, Spiderman, guns and skateboards and remote control cars. My sister however had dolls, a dolls house, and yet more dolls. She […]

“Peter!” shouted his mother from the foot of the stairs. “What?” Peter shouted from his bedroom. “I need to go into town to get some things for Abigail’s party on Saturday.” “OK.” he shouted back. A moment later his mum shouted, “Well come on then, I haven’t got all day.” “Can’t I stay here?” he […]

After spending most of the previous week dressed as a school girl, Jon is finally allowed his own uniform back. He and his sister Mary head for school. As they neared the school gates, Jon expected the jeers and taunts he’d received the previous week. Fortunately nobody batted an eyelid when he and his sister […]

It was the Friday afternoon art class and as we all filtered in and took our seats, the teacher announced, “Now children I’m sure you’re all aware it’s Mother’s Day on Sunday… so today we’re all going to make Mother’s Day cards.” A few of the kids put their hands up and said they’d already […]

The first week at Ashford was mainly ‘getting to know you’ and drawing up their time table for each day’s classes. Once in school Michael didn’t feel too self conscious about the uniform. However walking to and from school, he was subject to the occasional tease from the kid’s who attended the ‘normal’ schools. He […]

The first term of the new uniform regulations began after the Easter break. Rules regarding overcoats had also been tightened up, with both boys and girls wearing the school double breasted ‘dress’ coats which just and so covered both the boy’s shorts and the girl’s skirts. It’s safe to assume every boy felt nervous and […]

At first, the idea of going to a boarding school filled me with as much dread as it did excitement… now, eight weeks in, I’m preparing to go home for the half-term break. Unlike those who attend daily, us borders have to wear our school uniform in the evenings and on the weekends too. Whilst […]