Christopher Biggins Finished Education with no Qualifications, but a Clear Idea of What He Wanted from Life
"My ethos at school was to try to get away with doing as little as possible"
If I had to crystallise what I learnt at school into one sentence it would be this: that a good education makes the world a big place that absolutely anyone can conquer, yet you shouldn’t always expect to find the answers in a textbook.
For me, where that education took place was Salisbury, which in the 1960s was a pretty, historical and interesting place in which to live – just as it is today. It was certainly preferable to Oldham, where I was born… within a month we were on the move down to Wiltshire!
Getting away with it
Perversely, my schooldays began to take shape only after I had failed my 11-plus exam. I enrolled at the local private school, St Probus, and was immediately confronted by headteacher Mr French – one of those characters you go on to respect only in the years after you’ve left.
What struck me some time afterwards was an appreciation of what it must have been like for him, as a proud and firmly traditional man, trying to keep in line a bunch of kids whose minds were generally always straying elsewhere.
I was certainly little help to his teaching vocation, given that my ethos at school was to try to get away with doing as little as possible. I have fond memories of taking shortcuts on the cross country, of sloping off on school trips to Old Sarum – the monument that is like a big mound just outside Salisbury – and generally wanting to get to the end of each day as quickly as possible.
Even now, over 50 years on, I regret not putting more effort in; I regret emerging without a single qualification, but at least I can use my experience to point out to others what a blessing education is, and what a fabulous thing it is to learn and to be able to express yourself through knowledge and, in my case, literature, the arts and performance, which were strong at the school.
A cultural diet
The other thing St Probus had going for it was the fact it was located on the very edge of so much natural history, and I loved being out in the open.
I left many years ago but coming home to Wiltshire to see my mother has always been a relaxing and reassuring experience, because my school days and my upbringing were both so happy and contented.
We’d have trips to Stonehenge which is just eerily fantastic and wonderful – a place where, even now, I find I can really switch off and channel my inner spirit. It’s such a spiritual place; very special.
There’s also the magnificent cathedral, which is set in gorgeous grounds called The Close. It’s just wonderfully rich in culture and history and stands as a central beacon in the middle of Salisbury. Again, trips there were a big part of the school, so going became second nature.
Learning for life
St Probus also worked closely with the city’s rich stream of theatres and theatrical groups, and we took for granted being able to watch the most fabulous productions. I was lucky enough to play the lead in a number of school plays – Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado spring to mind – but having the opportunity to see how the professionals did it was so inspiring.
As a result of being exposed to those, when I left St Probus I joined a marvellous repertory company and did my apprenticeship in theatre.
I think it’s very sad nowadays that, instead of apprenticeships, people are pressurised into going to university, which I don’t think is necessary, and sees some getting into huge amounts of debt.
If you want to do something, you should do apprenticeships, which need to be brought back in every field.
I think what this all goes to show is that while I didn’t use my time at St. Probus to learn anything worthwhile about the Romans or calculus or a Bunsen burner, what it did give me was an appreciation for exploring and expressing myself away from the curriculum, and that’s certainly something Mr French would feel was worthwhile.
Even more so these days, schools are there to open up kids’ imaginations, and every child deserves that opportunity.
Christopher Biggins is an actor and television presenter.
