Home
Success stories
Beverley Hines: My time at Hills

Beverley Hines: My time at Hills

About

The arrival of co-education at Hills Road in 1974 was a milestone for Cambridge’s sixth form education. Beverley Hines, one of the first girls to join the former Boys’ High School, shares her memories of those pioneering days—from adapting to a new environment to breaking new ground both in and out of the classroom.

The advent of co-ed at Hills Road

“I turned 16 during the summer holidays of 1974, and it was a time full of anticipation for us girls leaving the fifth form at the Girls' Grammar School. Our school was going to become a mixed comprehensive - Parkside Secondary - and we would be heading to pastures new for our A levels.

My destination was the Boys' High School: one of the new sixth form colleges for the city, to be renamed Hills Road Sixth Form College. It had a fearsome reputation for being academic and sporty: much more serious than our little school with barely any sports facilities at the time.

When the day came in September 1974, around sixty of us girls arrived into the lower sixth at Hills Road, armed with our O level results, and not wearing a uniform! We were joined by some of our existing teachers, including one of our favourites, Miss Ingram, and our headteacher Mrs Clark became the first deputy head of Hills Road. (ed: Margaret Ingram also went on to be Deputy Head of Hills Road from 1985-2002)

We made up around 10% of the student population, as the lower years and the upper sixth were still made up entirely of boys. And the advent of a co-ed school was so new to us all, and it did raise some issues at first, as you might expect…

But we soon adapted to each other, and we had some super teachers. Shout out to the Geography teachers who were even brave enough to take us camping on an A level field trip! Other memories: giving squash a go – an unusual sport for any school at the time – and keeping score for the cricket team one summer, as well as making them ham sandwiches…

We arrived to find no girls’ facilities, so were obliged to shared a small female staff toilet; and some of the Boys' High male staff struggled with using our first names as they were used to addressing students with their surnames. I also remember that my then boyfriend and I were summoned to the head’s office and read the riot act for being a bad influence on the younger boys: as we had been spotted holding hands!

When I left Hills Road in 1976, I went straight into training at The Royal London Hospital and the start of a 48 year career in nursing. I returned in a professional capacity around 15 years ago, and was transported straight back to that time. I have always been proud of the college and its reputation for excellence over these 50 years.”

50th anniversary celebrations

Share your story