Claire Powell  "a brilliant, brilliant school"

A couple of times I’ve been met with surprise when I’ve told people I went to a state school in south-east London. ‘You’ve done very well,’ they’ve said, as though it‘s a miracle I wasn’t distracted by stabbings, happy slappings and teenage pregnancies.  

Preconceptions about London comprehensives aside, Tallis was (I’m sure still is) a brilliant, brilliant school. And - without meaning to sound like that character from The Fast Show – I especially think of Sixth Form as being a brilliant time.  

In some ways I was lucky: the three subjects I chose for A-Level were subjects I loved and subjects the school is known for excelling at (English Literature, Drama and Art). The teaching was fantastic but it was also relaxed, and we were suddenly treated like young adults rather than children. It was a safe environment but also an exciting one.

Since leaving Tallis in 2003 I’ve done a degree in English and Theatre Studies, worked for a publisher in San Francisco, had a job as an advertising copywriter and even returned to Tallis for a term to work as a drama assistant. I’m currently back in education having won the Malcolm Bradbury Bursary Prize to study on the creative writing MA at the University of East Anglia. 

I realise now that after Sixth Form education becomes a bit of a luxury. I’m glad I didn’t take it for granted when I was sixteen. I worked hard, had huge respect for all my teachers but also had a lot, a lot of fun. I’d recommend any one starting at Tallis Sixth Form to do exactly the same.