North Town School, Taunton

Up with the lark and down with the lurghi. Well, a grotty snotty cold anyway. Just what I needed on a visit to a new school today. It has been a while since I visited a brand new school in Taunton and here I was up and on my way to North Town School, a place I had never visited before. And I nearly didn't visit it today either - I couldn't find a way in! I found the school very easily, but it's main entrance according to it's address and my sat nav was a tiny gate in a fence with not a prayer of getting a car in. There must be a rear entrance I thought. There was. It was a tiny wee gate in a fence as well. Just as I was contemplating tunnelling in, I saw someone drive into a car park on the site - so there must be a way in somewhere. I found one other small road I hadn't tried and went up there. It got narrower and narrower, and just when I was having doubts I would ever get out again, there it was! The legendary rear entrance of North Town School - God be praised! I was greeted by the caretaker at first (not an "ooh-arr!" in sight - see Wiveliscombe!) who was great. He pointed to where I had parked.

"That your car?" He asked. I told him it was. "That's the Head's parking spot. She gets the right hump if you park there. She'll probably behead you..." So that told me! I hastily moved the car. Viv, the lady I was due to see at North Town was off sick, so I was introduced to Mary, a supply teacher looking after her class. She was lovely, but then so were all the staff. Kirsty, the other class teacher in Year 4, was also poorly, but was in. However she did have to nip off to the Doctors during the morning, poor thing. There was also a particularly delightful Irish lady from Donegal as one of the class room assistants - she was gorgeous! Unfortunately I chopped her head off in the Anne Boleyn section of my talk, but she was looking much better in the afternoon. My lunch was a bit of a curate's egg - good in places. A very nice stew to begin, but a large chocolate cookie for afters that tasted like it was made out of reconditioned asbestos.

The children were great, particularly my mate Harvey who laughed so much he nearly wet himself in the afternoon session! The jousting was deafening and won by a very fine ladies team. The teachers and the class room assistants all came up to me at the end and said their faces were hurting from laughing so much. It was lovely that they had enjoyed it so much! Thank you, North Town - a truly outstanding school!

Tomorrow is my birthday! So to celebrate I am going out for a drink with Matthew Applegate this evening. Lovely!