It is with great sadness I read that my old school, St John Rigby - now All Saints Catholic College - in West Wickham is to close with effect from August 2007. When I think of what the school was when I was a pupil in the 1980s, and now look at its demise like some sort of Shakespearean tragedy, it makes me both angry and sad. My anger comes from the shenanigans of my erstwhile headmistress, Colleen McCabe, who lavished school funds on her own opulent lifestyle. I am certain Bromley Council would not have resorted to closure - whatever ostensibility they give - had McCabe not committed her decimation of the school budget during the 1990s. I hope her level of shame equals that of the disgust many of the pupils of my generation will feel.
I travel to southern Italy for two weeks in October. I am due to fly from Gatwick so I will journey to the airport by car. On the day I return from Italy I think I will drive up to Bromley on my way home and stop by at my old school to say a final goodbye. Whatever its future, it gave me some of the happiest days of my life. For that, I am truly thankful.
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