As is customary, staff changes during the school year 1973-74 can be largely attributed to retirement, promotions, family removals and emigration. Mrs. E. Preston left in October 1973 and at the end of that Autumn Term Miss S. Cleary was appointed Senior Mistress at the Windsor School (Services), Hamm, West Germany; Miss M. Scott retired as School Secretary after 44 years at Drayton Manor and Miss M. Robertson moved to a Primary School. In April, Mrs. Senior returned to Australia and Miss M. Snow accepted a senior post in the English Department at Ashford Grammar School.

At the end of the Summer Term, Dr. A. J. Muir retired after 17 years as Head of French and Mrs. P. Double after 13 years with the Girls' P.E. Department. Mr. R. Gaskell moved to Walford High School, Mr. M. Clarke and Mr. L. To to Inner London Colleges, Miss C. Bourke is returning to Australia, Mr. N. Richardson moved to Hounslow, Mrs. M. Smith (Miss Moan) to Berkshire, Mrs. J. Dicker to Lincoln, Mrs. J. Rees to Cornwall, Miss M. Kierney to Germany, and Mr. A. Squirrell to Australia. To all of them we offer our thanks for their work at Drayton Manor and our best wishes for their future. During the year we welcomed Mrs. E. Bristow as Head of Geography, Mr. J. Loosemore as Head of Technical Studies, Mrs. D. Lawrance to the Girls' P.E. Department, Miss E. Kuchta, Mrs. P. Boyle and Miss E. Pugh to the English Department, and Mr. T. Outen to the Mathematics Departments.

The following lecturers visited the School and spoke to the Sixth Form: His Honour Judge Leon (Henry Cecil), Councillor Mrs. M. Heywood, J.P., Mr. John Fenn, Mrs. F. Stowell, Mr. K. Glasson. Other visitors included a party of Danish visitors, the Camden String Quartet, and the American Concert Pianist, Miles Fusco. Pupils from various years took part in visits to Boulogne (2nd and 5th Form day excursions), Bodiam Castle and Hastings (1st Forms); a lecture on the Plastics Revolution (5th and Lower Sixth); The Natural History Museum (Upper Sixth); a lecture on "Energy" (4th Forms); Kingston Polytechnic (Sixth Form Geography students); Brighton (3rd Forms); Littlehampton (4B); Hastings (4A); the Isle of Wight (4C). Accounts of many of these visits will be found on other pages, together with reports of the longer courses (Geography, Geology and Biology), the Annual Concert and the School Play (Twelfth Night).

The oil shortage that followed the Middle East war caused certain difficulties during the winter, including a 24-hour closure of the School, but it is pleasant to record the very substantial economies, amounting to several thousand gallons of oil, which were achieved through the efforts of the caretaking staff and the co-operation of the School as a whole.

The Parents' Association continued to help generously with many school activities; in addition to organising the usual Cheese and Wine Party for the parents of new pupils, the Committee joined in inviting all parents to the School in March for an evening which was planned both as a social occasion and as a question/answer session on pupils' education during the next few years.

Other developments during the year included a new school calendar, now published each term; increased use of the C.S.E. examinations with two Physics groups being added to those already organised for Mathematics and French; and the new House system which was introduced in January, both as a basis for many current activities and as a means of subdividing the School for many purposes as it grows during the next few years.

In the summer term, we were reminded of the imminent expansion by the arrival of two mobile classrooms, the construction of a new Sixth Form area, and the beginning of work on the new Arts-Crafts-Home Economics centre. Though the closing weeks were, as usual, crowded with end-of-term activities, staff, parents and pupils found the extra time and energy to work together most efficiently in the or~anisation of a School Exhibition and Fair on a scale larger than anything attempted at Drayton Manor in recent years. The number attending must have been an all-time record for the School and the occasion's obvious success is a good augury, a great encouragement for the future.