Mrs Akers- Deputy Headmistress and English

 

Mrs Akers looked after the girls in our school. Her job was to deal out any punishments along with praise and compassion when needed. Mrs. Akers had come to Tulketh in 1969 when the school was a fully established comprehensive school with most kids stopping on till they were 16 which was not applicable at the time you could leave at 15.  Mrs. Akers taught English and sometimes Physical Education.  I  believe she was a keen Rugby League fan as well. 

I remember in assemblies she would be the first to come through from the foyer and climb the stairs on to the stage in her gown followed by Mr. Gibbons and Mr. Jones. In our first year we had assemblies in the dining room and sometimes Mrs. Akers would take them. Her office was next to the reception office.  Only really had one encounter with Mrs Akers and that was over playing of radio in a lesson in Art in the Fourth year. She mistakenly thought I had brought the radio in to school when it was Julie Wilcox who sat next to me. The Art teacher Mr, Middlehurst got a bit of a rollicking of Mrs Akers outside the class while we sat very quietly trying to listen in.  Julie Wilcox's radio was confiscated and taken to the receptionist office until 3.20 pm when the school day finished. 

In year 5, we had a leavers party this was the seventies version of the modern day school prom which was usually held in Lytham after the O- levels and organized by Mrs Akers. This give us the chance to let our hair down and get dressed to impress.  I remember going to Fosters menswear in  Preston town centre with my mum to buy a beige jacket, shirt, tie and trousers. I had just started work so didn't have the funds to buy clobber like that. 

We were picked up outside the school on the night and made the short journey to Lytham. I sat next to Chris Sutton.  At the restaurant all the tables had our name cards on. I ended up sat with Susan Blackburn on one side and Stephen Hornbuckle on the other.  After our meal, soft drinks and awards we all hit the dancefloor.

The surprise of the night was Mrs Akers and Mr Sawer showing us how to Twist to Chubby Checker. By the end of night fellow teachers Miss Langer, and Mr Yates were giving us teenagers a lesson in how to enjoy ourselves as well.

I believe Mrs. Akers was a councillor on the Fylde area later on after she had left Tulketh in the mid - 1980's.  

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