A few years ago when I was doing my Psychology degree with the OU (I was a 16 year old school leaver) I went through all my old school reports. It made for fascinating reading as it mirrored my life and the influence was clear. My early reports were glowing - I was keen and had a high standard of reading and a keen interest in everything (my parents were poor but recognised the value of education). As my schooling progressed it became clear that I only did well at subjects where I had an interest. Then at 12 my performance nose-dived which corresponded with my parents getting divorced which was practically unheard of back then. I truanted a lot and got into a bad crown. I was lucky that I scraped through 5 O levels - the minimum requirement to get me a job as a Deck Cadet in the Merchant Navy at 16. Boy, was I lucky; my world expanded and I flourished after a shaky start.
