School Days were not the days spent by Peter Cork as a schoolboy himself, but rather the days he spent as a school teacher during most of his adult life.

The various schools, where Peter Cork taught his pupils, are listed below in chronological order.

Dagenham County High School		1950-1967		a grammar school for boys and girls
North Sydney Girls High School		1967-1969		a selective state school for girls
Clapham County School		1969-1977		a grammar school for girls
Walsingham School		1977-1979		a comprehensive school for girls
Crawford Primary School		1980-1981		a school for boys and girls aged 3 to 11 years

Dagenham County High School

Peter in the hall at Dagenham County High in 1957 - photograph supplied by Colin Heaviside

The following quote, from the introduction to a book, was by Peter Cork: I had just become the Music Master at Dagenham County High School in the Autumn of 1950. It was my first post after training at Goldsmiths College, national service in the R.A.F. and a further year at the Royal College of Music to study composition. By this time I really wanted to write film music but a year as a freelance composer proved this impossible. So reluctantly, I returned to music teaching. I could not have known that it would be so enjoyable, or that at the start of my career I would encounter one of the most brilliant pupils I could ever hope to meet. The pupil in question was Dudley Moore, who suggested that he and Peter Cork should become 'pen pals' and indeed, in the years that followed, sent over forty letters to Peter Cork. The book mentioned is "Letters from Dudley" first published in 2006 by Martine Avenue Productions Inc. with the ISBN 0977787400.

Colin Heaviside, a pupil at Dagenham County High, sent the editor notes that shed light on both the school and Peter Cork's position as a new teacher. A quote from his notes follows, ... and I feel he must have interviewed well and satisfactorily demonstrated his capability to have been offered this appointment at the age of just 23. Certainly, he inspired many of us who joined his music classes and groups. Music lessons were looked forward to and there was always a full complement in his choirs and orchestras. I also knew Dudley Moore in his last years at the school, and on one occasion shared a piano with him as we played a duet version of Summertime from Porgy and Bess. Colin Heaviside's notes

Colin Heaviside is seated at the piano in this photograph from 1957.

Colin had sent an earlier email about the help Peter Cork had given him personally.   Colin Heaviside's email

We should not forget that Dagenham County High School was a mixed school with girls as well as boys.

Dagenham Young Ladies with Peter Cork.

Dianne Green was one such pupil and wrote, ... I was at Dagenham County High School from 1962-1967 and Mr Cork was our music master. The memory of him playing for us Chopin's Heroic Polonaise Op 53 has never left me. I feel so lucky to have been one of his pupils. His programme of music teaching covered a wide range of subjects and pupil ability with assemblies, choirs, musicals, festivals, concerts, instrument lessons and GCE Theory exams. Music in the school was a delight for me and made a great impression.

Keith Haley was another pupil who had Memories of Dagenham County High School. His memories started as follows: Like Norma Winstone, Brian Astell and Dudley Moore, I was taught by Peter and can confirm the great love for him by everybody I knew. To my shame, I cannot remember Norma other than as a name; Brian (Baz) Astell was one year above me and Dudley a year above that...

...and that is enough to prompt a section about famous pupils. Do download the whole of Keith Haley's emails, as they contain other items of great interest.  Keith Haley's emails

Famous pupils of Dagenham County High School who were all taught by Peter Cork.

Norma Ann Winstone MBE born 23 September 1941 Bow, East London 1971: top singer in Melody Maker Jazz Poll 2001: "Best Vocalist" in BBC Jazz Awards 2007: MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2009: Skoda Jazz Ahead Award Bremen 2010: London Awards Art and Performance 2013: Hon. Member Royal Academy of Music 2015: Jazz Voc, Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2015: BASCA Gold Badge Award 2017: Jazz FM Vocalist of the year

Brian Astell was conscripted into the Army and saw service as a clarinettist in the Coldstream Guards. He became a music teacher, played the clarinet in an orchestra, became a Music Director in Cambridge and organist in a village church. He sang in the Hereford Cathedral Choir. From 1974 to 1984 he was Head of Music at Woodford County High School. He was a Music Host for Saga Holidays and wrote a book titled; "Music All The Way".

Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE 19th April 1935 - 27th March 2002 (aged 66) 1946: Scholarship Guildhall School of Music 1955: Scholarship Magdalen College, Oxford 1966: British Academy Television Award 1981: Golden Globe for Best Actor in "Arthur" 1984: Golden Globe in "Micki & Maude" 1987: Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame 2001: CBE by Queen Elizabeth II

The photographs of Norma Winstone and Brian Astell were taken by Peter Cosker in the Folkestone United Reformed Church during Peter Cork's memorial concert on the 13th April 2013.

John Clarke was a pupil of Peter Cork towards the end of Peter's time at Dagenham and has a slightly more critical opinion. Read what he says at the beginning of his email: My first school report from Mr Cork said "Shows some interest /50/100." This was in 1967. At that time I had been playing classical guitar for 3 years, and was entering Music festivals with some success... John goes on to tell a little about the way concerts were organised by Peter Cork and later by his successor. John became a music teacher himself, not at Dagenham County High, but at Eastbrook School still in the Dagenham area. I do suggest you read all of John Clarke's email.  John Clarke's email Now, a special treat! Because the same link already exists on the old website, you will need to Right click and then Left click on "open link in a new tab" to see and hear John play and sing "Bob the Swagman" (editor). Bob the Swagman   by John Clarke Cert Ed

North Sydney Girls High School

Jennifer Williams, a pupil at North Sydney Girls High school, wrote ... I'm not sure whether Peter worked elsewhere in Australia, or how long he lived here, but he taught at North Sydney Girls High School in 1968, a selective state girls' school, probably similar to your English grammar schools. Jennifer also explained more about music teaching in the school ...

Entrance to North Sydney Girls High School 1960s photograph supplied by Jennifer Williams

Peter taught my class of Elective Music when I was in Year 8. No doubt he taught some other elective classes as well; they were small - about 8 or so in each. Music was also a mandatory subject to all other students up to, and including, year 10. So there were two streams Peter would have catered for - the generalist music stream for all, and then the smaller elective groups. Usually, one studied these electives through to the externally assessed School Certificate (Year 10), and then on to the Higher School Certificate (Year 12). Read Jennifer Williams' email in full.  Jennifer Williams email

Clapham County School

Peter Cork had written a comprehensive account of his time at Clapham County School and describing his successful application to become Director of Music he wrote ... ... a feeling in Broomwood Road that I had been there before, later to find out that the genteel but slightly faded Edwardian mansions and between-the-wars housing had been the background for one of my favourite British films, 'This Happy Breed.' The tall pepper-pot towers of the building were an equal surprise and the academic but humane quality of the school made an immediate impact. And so I first met Miss Viner who was to play such an important part in my life as she undoubtably did for so many hundreds of folk. I will swear that the one thing that tipped my candidacy for the post was a book about the area I had quite fortuitously been reading, Richard Church's, 'Over The Bridge.' Miss Viner had a similar enthusiasm, we chatted happily about its depiction of the area I would come to love and before I knew it, I became the Director of Music.

The Clapham County School building was still standing in 2013. Note the tall pepper-pot towers.

The Bells of Craxminster This musical story was the first that Peter Cork wrote for his pupils at Clapham County School. The cover of the Programme describes it as an operetta but Peter never used that term, which was probably added by an enthusiastic assistant. The original full score was titled: THE BELLS OF CRAXMINSTER A STRANGE, MUSICAL STORY OF AN EDWARDIAN VILLAGE BY PETER CORK The score ran to 86 pages and was dated with the words: WRITTEN APRIL-AUGUST 1971 With 3 Acts, 5 Scenes and 2 Intervals this musical story plays for 3 hours. The only performance was given by the young ladies of Clapham County School during the summer term of 1972; the actual date is uncertain.

The cover of the Programme