Bishop Ramsey Past-Pupils Contact Site

FAQ

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This page shows Frequently Asked Questions - and their answers. It was last updated on 26 September 2002.

I am a past pupil - how do I get myself on the list?

Follow the instructions on the joining page. Our system verifies you by emailing you a password which you will have to enter before your details are shown on the list.

If I want to join I have to give you my email address, shouldn't I be worried about this?

No. You will not get put on a mailing list because of giving your address to us. We do not give or sell email addresses to anyone. You may hear from us occasionally if there is important news about the list. We will also occasionally (four times a year) remind you that you're on the list, which will prompt you to edit any details that have changed.

Someone told me it's a bad idea to put your email address on the web...?

They are probably saying that for two reasons - firstly it can be considered private information; you might not want others to be able to contact you. You can opt to hide your email address in which case it will not be shown on the site. People will still be able to contact you though, using the message system.

The second reason is that you may get occasional unwanted commercial emails (also known as spam) as a result of your email address being shown on your details page. In our opinion this is not a big problem - it might be worth knowing that no one has ever requested to come off the list because of receiving spam, and of course you can "hide your email address" if you want to by choosing that option; as mentioned in the paragraph above.

Will getting put on the list cost me anything?

No. Nothing at all, this is a free service sponsored by ClockTowerWeb Ltd.

What if my email address (or whatever) changes?

Simply edit your entry. You can do this by finding yourself on the list, and then clicking on your name to see your details. Once at this page you will see an "edit" link at the bottom - click on this and enter your password.

Help! I've forgotten my password!

No problem. Just click on the "edit" link as described above and then choose the "I've forgotten my password" link. Your password will then be emailed to you. If you no longer have access to the email address that is logged on the system then contact us and we'll help you out.

What does the ICQ column mean?

ICQ is an interactive system for contacting people "live" - you can type directly to them and they can respond. The column on the list shows people's ICQ contact numbers, if they have them. The name ICQ derives from "I Seek You" - more details from their web site.

Can I add someone else to the list?

If you like. It's best that they do it though, since they have to agree to it anyway by responding to an email sent to them. If you really want to add someone else simply enter their details into the joining form, but be sure to tell them what you are doing first.

What is the school's address?

Bishop Ramsey is a split site school, years 1-3 (now known as years 7-9) are in the lower school and the higher years (again, now known as years 10-13) are at another site, known as the upper school. The address of the upper school (a newer building) is

Bishop Ramsey C of E School
Hume Way
RUISLIP
Middlesex
HA4 8EE
England [show me on a map]

Phone: 01895 639227 (International: +44 1895 639227)
Fax: 01895 622429 (International: +44 1895 622429)

The lower school (the older original building) is at

Bishop Ramsey C of E School
Eastcote Road
RUISLIP
Middlesex
HA4 8DJ
England [show me on a map]

Phone: 01895 634506 (International: +44 1895 634506)

I thought the upper school's address was Warrender Way?

It was, but it's not now. The upper school has had a lot of extensions in recent years and the main entrance is now in a different place - hence the new address. Hume Way is the dead-end road that leads from Eastcote Road to Highgrove Swimming Pool. 

Extensions? What extensions?

Let Steve Brown explain (thanks Steve!) "The old main building was knocked down, leaving the hall and the sixth form block. A new Gym has been built, along with a new Technology Block, and of course a new Main Building. Because of this there is now 5 separate buildings on the site, with an empty space / landscaping area in the middle where the main block used to be."

So what does the school look like now?

This photo was taken on 25 April 2000, from the Warrender Way entrance.

How many pupils do they have these days?

The school has a total of 1101 pupils (as at September 1997).

Are there any reunions going on?

Yes! In March 2003. See the front page. There was quite a large reunion in October 2002. And a reunion of the Class of 1990 in November 2000 - you can read about it here.

What was the school called before they named it Bishop Ramsey?

The school used to be known as Ruislip Manor Secondary School (which first opened in 1926). It was renamed Bishop Ramsey in late 1977 when it merged with the closing St Martins in West Drayton (thanks to Steve Troman and David Mayne for that info).

When was the Upper School building first built?

Not 100% sure, but Andrew Hale thinks around 1967. Unless you know different?

Here's the upper school in 1970.
The baby in the pram, by the way, is this site's webmaster!
He would have trouble fitting in it now.

Any news on which teachers are still there?

Summer 1998: "Long-stay" teachers still at the school: Mrs Howarth (French), Miss Slaughter (science/biology), Miss Huxtable, Miss Hudson (maths), Mr Verma (maths), Mr Owen (P.E.), Mr Crane (technology). Miss Chadwick (ex-head teacher) has left. Oh yeah, and the girls can now wear trousers! Thanks to Sarah Knox for this information.

Mr Martin (Physics/Science) is also teaching at the school (as at July 2000). He is now teaching part-time and has been at the school since 1985.

September 2002 update: Miss Farrell (English), Mrs Holmes, Mrs Hurt (maths), Mrs Howarth (French), Mr Nixon (history), Miss Stybelska (English) are still there; many have worked there 20 years or more. Mrs Huxtable & Mr Udall retired this summer.

Is this site endorsed by the school?

No. But they are aware of it.

Does the school have an email address?

Yes.

Well, what is it then?

Oh, sorry. It's bishram@aol.com (possibly now wrong? 25-Sep-02).

Is there an official Bishop Ramsey School web-site?

No. The only other web information we can find is the OFSTED report for the school carried out in April 1996, which you can get from here. Note that you will need an Adobe Acrobat reader because the report is in PDF format.

Why are you doing this site?

Because we've got too much time on our hands? No, actually because it occurred to us that many past-pupils will have email addresses with web access and it would be good to enable people to contact each other. The idea started as a single page with 2 past pupils on 21 December 1997 (at a different web address) and has grown ever since. In February 2001 there were over 200 people on the list and the site was converted to a database system, allowing people to add themselves quicker and easier, and allowing past-pupils to edit their own entries.

This site is registered with the major search engines, so that anyone searching for "Bishop Ramsey" will be able to find it easily. The director of ClockTowerWeb Ltd, which hosts the site, was a pupil at the school - he is Paul Baker.

How does the database system work?

(You'll need an anorak on to understand this). It uses PHP and MySQL. PHP is an open source server-side embedded scripting language - basically it allows you to show dynamic data on the web. MySQL is a database system using generally industry standard SQL (Structured Query Language) commands to add, delete, change and search for records in a relational database. The pages reach your browser using HTML and the validation of new entrants to the list is done by email. It's all overseen by an administration area which allows us at ClockTowerWeb to keep an eye on what's going on. The system was designed so that it can easily be ported to a country-wide past-pupils web site.

Sounds good, could you help us with our database/ web development/ scripting requirements?

Probably! Why not contact us and we'll let you know or take a look at the ClockTowerWeb site.

Why oh why are you using this revolting colour scheme?

You don't remember the uniform then! Mainly brown and a dark orange. Hence the site's colour scheme!

Thanks to Andrew Hale who pointed out that the uniform hasn't always been this colour. In his day (before the upper school was built) it was dark blue with royal blue ribbon piping.

Thanks also to Jayne Worsfold (now a cake decorator) who took the trouble to dig out her old school scarf from 1979 and scan it in; it's shown here. Nice one Jayne!

I quite like the way you have done this site - might you be able to do something similar for my company/my organisation?

Almost certainly! Check out the options and contact details for ClockTowerWeb Ltd.

Any other web sites you'd recommend?

Yes. Ruislip Online, a good site giving general information about the town where the school is located. It has a page showing many local schools.

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Bishop Ramsey Past-Pupils Contact Site

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