Me aged eleven.

Back in the 1950's all children who were in their last year at Primary school had to sit an exam. It was called the 11 plus. Those that failed went to the Secondary Modern and were trained to get a job. Those that passed went to the Grammar School where they studied Latin and Greek, were expected to go on to university and then embark upon a respectable career.The 11 plus was not like the SATS tests we have nowerdays. A lot of the tests involved recognising patterns of numbers and shapes. I was quite good at that. I passed and won a scholarship to 'the High School'. My Mum and Dad were very proud.
The school was "a highly esteemed accademic establishment where boys were taught the traditional subjects using well-tested, time-honoured methods". In other words it was just like Snobberly House; the girl's school I describe in 'Gosh look Teddy, it's a werewolf'.

CLICK HERE TO READ MY SCHOOL REPORT

No. It wasn't learning how to decipher Shakespeare's plays, recite Milton's poems, or organise adverbial clauses that set me off down the road to becoming an author.
It was something called...

SKIFFLE