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While we are sorting out the anomalies about the opening of Westridge lets talk about what really went on. What actually happened was that not all that pupils were sent home on the first day. Just the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years. The first year pupils stayed put. The school opened on the Tuesday after 6 weeks of holiday not 4 and in 1957, Teachers do not like to work the day after they have been idle, so all years were sent home except the first year. Second year was told to come back on the Wednesday, (I spent the rest of Tuesday fishing off the steeths at Cambois with kanga worms left of Sunday.) third year on the Thursday and fourth year on the Friday. So by the following Monday all was well! My ex-miner friends tell me that anyone in the 60's would not be on full pay until they were at least 21. I cant argue with that as I was never down the pit, they were. All I know is that pit nationalised pit yakkas were on twice as much as private enterprise apprentices. 1961 I was on £2-17/6 for a 44 hour week. Apprentices at the pit doing the same job were on twice that for 4 hours less! No wonder they pulled the girls and we got nowt! So you see HPW, I was there on the first day all be it just a couple of hours but I sure was there on the second day.

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/8ad93b61-5d1a-46e9-ad51-f17b07e91684 HPW, May be this will convince you! See yer on tha heap.