FEATURE: Me and my school

Wayne Hemingway

Internationally famous designer Wayne Hemingway MBE, co-founded the Red or Dead fashion firm. He was a free-place pupil at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Blackburn.

Q Was there a particularly inspiring class or teacher?

A I can remember quite a few. Mr Grogan, a Latin teacher, and a geography and sports teacher called Hardcastle. The ones who succeeded were the ones who understood that lads like to have a laugh and challenge authority.

Q What were your favourite lessons?
A Geography was my favourite, I enjoyed learning about the world and carried it on to university. I liked sport too.

Q Were you a ‘good’ pupil and a positive influence on your peers?
A I was probably viewed as disruptive because I was questioning and could never understand why I could not, for example, wear narrow trousers. Punk was strong and I knew it was important. I also had to see the head a few times for bringing in dinners from the chip shop in Shear Brow and selling them to pupils. I paid other pupils to get them.

Q Given a re-run of your schooling with the benefit of hindsight, what would you do differently?
A Blackburn council paid for me to go to QEGS as I did well in the 11-plus and it worked for me so I wouldn’t change things. It gave me the choices and a chance to begin developing entrepreneurial skills.

Julie Hesmondhalgh

Accrington-born Julie is an actress, best known for her 16-year role as Hayley in Coronation Street. Her portrayal won her the ‘Best Serial Drama Performance' title in the 2014 National Television Awards.

Q How important were your school days to you?

A I went to Hyndburn Park Primary School and then Moorhead High, now Accrington Academy. They were essential to me. I had a very happy school life. The teachers let me be myself.
 

Q Was there a particularly inspiring class or teacher?
A Yes, Mrs Olga Mulderigg. She is the person who got me into drama. We had to do a speech and a poem and that’s what started me off. I also had wonderful teachers at Moorhead, Mrs Hindley and Mrs Walmesley.
 

Q What were your favourite lessons?
A English was definitely my best. It was my only ‘A’ in my A levels.
 

Q Were you a ‘good’ pupil and a positive influence on your peers?
A I think I was a little bit lazy. I’m not now but then I got away with the minimum I needed to do. Having said that I was head girl at Moorhead although I didn’t set the world on fire.
 

Q Given a re-run of your schooling with the benefit of hindsight, what would you do differently?
A I would definitely work harder. I’m more interested now in geography, history, languages and science. I did not pay enough attention then.

Stuart Hirst

Stuart Hirst is the Conservative leader of Ribble Valley Borough Council and represents the Wilpshire ward. He had several changes of school due to his father’s work relocating.

Q Was there a particularly inspiring class or teacher?

A I recall the enthusiasm and dedication of a French teacher, Mr Jackson, who imbued in me a liking for the subject which I doubt would have flourished otherwise. Merci Monsieur!
 

Q What were your favourite lessons?
A Without doubt there were two. I was always fascinated by history and continue to be so and in particular with the historical antecedents of our modern democracy. The other was English and I remain sadly intolerant of the careless and sloppy use of our rich and varied language. Yes, it does matter!
 

Q Were you a ‘good’ pupil and a positive influence on your peers?
A Discipline was somewhat direct and summary which usually had an important influence on attitude to work and behaviour! I daresay I was no better or worse that most of my peers but I did become deputy head boy of my grammar school in Hull.
 

Q Given a re-run of your schooling with the benefit of hindsight, what would you do differently?
A I regret the early division between ‘arts’ and ‘sciences’ which is much less arbitrary nowadays. Otherwise my schooling had many features which could usefully be re-introduce today. Educationalists take note!

Khalid Saifullah

Khalid Saifullah went to Blackburn’s former Billinge High School. He is a director of Star Tissue UK Ltd, chair of Blackburn Hive Business Leaders Network and holder of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion. He was also co-founder of Asian Image newspaper.

Q How important were your school days to you?

A They were incredibly important. It sets you up academically for life and also teaches you how to interact and behave socially. It helps you become a rounded person.

Q Was there a particularly inspiring class or teacher?
A Mrs Lockhead, deputy head at Billinge, was quite inspirational. She showed belief in me.

Q What were your favourite lessons?
A The ones where we had a lot of engagement and interaction and did things in groups rather than those lessons where you sat quietly and took notes.

Q Were you a ‘good’ pupil and a positive influence on your peers?
A I was not a good pupil at all. I was regularly pulled up for detention. I was very disruptive. I had to be one of the lads and got into playground fights. Only in the last few weeks did I get my head down. Later, I messed around at college and got kicked out too. It wasn’t until I was working and went to night classes that I realised what I wanted to do and I did it.
 

Q Given a re-run of your schooling with the benefit of hindsight, what would you do differently?
A I don’t think I would have changed. I got by most of the time by doing just enough.

David Dunn

Blackburn Rovers star David Dunn, 34, joined the club as a trainee in 1997. He signed for Birmingham City in 2003 and returned to his home town club in January, 2007.

Q How important were your schooldays to you and your future life?

A Very. I went to St Wulstan’s RC Primary School, Great Harwood, and St Augustine’s High School, Billington, where I got involved seriously in football. I have really fond memories of my school days. 

Q Was there a particularly inspiring class or teacher?
A Two games teachers, Mr James and Mr Horrocks, really inspired me. I was pretty mid-stream in other subjects.
 

Q What were your favourite lessons?
A Games and football were the lessons where I was able to take things to a different level. I liked history of the modern world too and took it for GCSE.
 

Q Were you a ‘good’ pupil and a positive influence on your peers?
A I think I was ok. I didn’t get into any real trouble.
 

Q Given a re-run of your schooling with the benefit of hindsight, what would you do differently?
A You always get told by your parents and grandparents that the school days are the best days of your life. I have had a really exciting time in a sport that I like but school days are the best memories, although at the time you don’t realise it.

David Fishwick

Burnley-born entrepreneur David Fishwick runs the UK’s biggest supplier of minibuses from his Colne base. He has recently become famous for the TV series on Burnley Savings and Loans Ltd, the firm he built up as part of his ‘Bank of Dave’ crusade.

Q How important were your schooldays to you?
A School is the basis of everything you do in life. When Edge End in Nelson, closed, they asked me to be the last person out of the old building which was a real honour. I regret leaving with very few qualifications although I ended up having good friends and memories which stay with you for the rest of your life.

Q Was there a particularly inspiring class or teacher?
A Mike Carradice who was there when I was and who invited me back.

Q What were your favourite lessons?
A I liked physics, which is weird, and also chemistry and drama although when I left I went to work as a building site labourer. I was not good at maths but recently I had to study it to get the two licences I hold to fly planes and the helicopter I own. I have also learnt to become fairly fluent in Spanish because we do a lot of business in Spain.

Q Were you a ‘good’ pupil and a positive influence on your peers?
A Probably not. I skived a lot and spent a lot of time looking out of the window.

Q Given a re-run of your schooling with the benefit of hindsight, what would you do differently?
A Knowing what I know now I would have become more engaged. I encouraged my own son who went on to college and university.