The last day of term was always a half day.

No lessons - it was the time for cleaning the form room.

On the penultimate day you would have taken books home and packed your bag with polish and a dusterto help in the big clean-up.... you also would have been asked to bring in a reading book - you needed to have something to do if you finished your cleaning jobs early!

You would:

• polish your own desk

and then as part of the form you would:

• help tidy teachers'cupboards
• help dust the top of cupboads
• help polish cupboard doors;
• help dust window ledges
• ensure flower vases were emptied so we did not return to dying flowers and the smell of stagnant water
• clean the board thoroughly
• polish the teacher's desk
• sweep the floor
• empty the litter bin

The form-room would smell of lavender and beeswax - in fact the whole school did!

The neatness monitress would check all of the desks and if everything was okay you would then be allowed to chat quietly or read - depending on your form mistress' wishes.