Between the Prison and the Sewage Works by Maryline Suchley (snow like ashes txt) 📖

cutting and pasting information from the internet.

Mara opened the door to the library and saw the Librarian busy looking busy. However, as the students piled into the room her face became distraught.

‘I’ve booked the Library. Is that Okay?’ Mara questioned, reacting to Anne’s look of distress.

‘Yes, I suppose so, but I don’t want any bad behaviour in here. What are you actually doing with your class?’ Anne asked.

‘Earth and Space, a project about our planet and the Universe.’

‘Well all the books on that are in the science section.’

Where else would it be? She thought.

‘Thanks.’

Mara sat down at a table and started to write down ideas she had about the goings on of the last few weeks.

Man found dead could be - old science head of department

- Someone called Frank

Overheard argument with A. and another woman. – They needed to wait before something could go ahead.

Had a crap lesson observation because A thinks I heard something.

Boyo knows who the dead man is and was away for a few days afterwards. Come back with broken arm?

She gazed up while trying to think about what else to add. Something had just caught her eye. The Librarian was now sitting at her computer with her back directly to Mara. She was wearing a green jumper with a montage of animals knitted on it. Written below the picture were the words Animal Farm. But what had caught her attention were the two pigs.

No way? Mara thought.

She got up and moved over to take a closer look. Sure enough there was one pig mounted on another.

And what the bloody hell is the farmer doing!

‘Anne. I was just admiring your jumper. Where did you get it from?’

‘Oh it’s great isn’t it; my son gave it to me for my birthday.’

‘There, um, quite cleverly made!’ Mara said realising Anne had absolutely no idea the depiction was a piss take.

‘Yes they are rather,’ she said proudly.

‘I must see if I can find one for Lady Chatterley’s Lover!’ Mara quipped as she returned to her seat.

The double lesson passed quickly without any incidents, until a couple of girls wanted to get books out. Anne had informed them that they were not allowed to borrow books that were being used for class projects. An argument then ensued between Anne and the students, who kept saying that it was ridiculous that you couldn’t get books out of a Library. Mara suspected that the two girls had no intention of getting the books; they just wanted to infuriate her; knowing which buttons to press, and what reaction they would get. The argument ended with both girls slamming the books on the desk and telling her they didn’t want her stinking books anyway.

Once they had left, an enraged Anne turned to Mara.

‘You know their tarty mothers were at the old Woolwich Poly School and I can see exactly where they get their manners from. They’re like German Shepherd dogs; they don’t know when to let go!’

Mara headed back to the prep room for some caffeine. Roger was sitting in a chair with Gordon and Jeremy standing around him seemingly comforting him.

‘Little bitch,’ Gordon exclaimed.

‘So what happened, Roger?’ Jeremy asked.

‘Vivian was giving that boy Leon a shoulder massage and I told her to stop. She said that Leon was stressed and needed relaxing. I told her to sit down, but she ignored me. I walked over to her, and told her to sit down again. She laughed and slapped my face.’

‘Unbelievable!' Gordon blurted out indigently.

‘I’ll write this down and get Jim to look into it! Jeremy told Roger.

Poor Roger, he really does have a lot of problems with behaviour; although, he brings most of it on himself because he lets them get away with so much. Mara thought as she reminisced, about a boy thumping Roger on his back and saying, olwight Rog. Roger had just let this go unchallenged like so many other things they did to him; as a consequence the kids had zero respect for him. Even senior management had given up on him.

While Roger was being consoled by Gordon, Piles sat eerily in the corner looking particularly distracted. Usually he watched people intensely; something Mara found very uncomfortable, as she would often catch him staring at her.

‘While you’re all here. Has anyone found a disc lying around?’ Piles asked.

Everyone shook their head.

‘Have you lost anything important?’ Jeremy inquired.

‘Just some work sheets I made.’

With the news that no one had seen his disc, he left the prep room preoccupied.

The day passed slowly. Mara had another double period with the year eleven foundation set. These little gems were too educationally weak to do the exam at the end of the year so they did what was called special science; which the other year elevens referred to as cabbage science. Two new students from Iraq who couldn’t speak any English had joined the class. The special needs department in their wisdom had assigned them to this group.

Obviously having learning difficulties and not speaking English were one in the same. Poor sods! Mara thought as she got them to write their names on a piece a paper. At least they’ll behave, well, until they’ve learnt the Thamesmead Polytechnic code of conduct: 1) Thou shall spend all lesson tagging thou AKA name on pieces of paper, 2) Thou must swear and abuse each other verbally and physically. 3) Intelligent talk is sinful 4) Learning is forbidden.

During the last period of the day a nasty boy called Levi lost his temper with Mara and called her a whore; she immediately sent him to Jim’s room with a note.

At the end of the day Daniel arrived in Mara’s classroom bursting with energy.

‘Hey, you know we have staff meeting in ten minutes?’

‘Yes,’ Mara replied, curious by his enthusiasm for the meeting.

‘I’ll walk with you,’ he said.

‘I feel privileged!’

As they walked towards the staffroom, Daniel excitedly asked Mara to guess what.

‘Daniel, I couldn’t possibly guess! Tell me.’

‘You know my mate James, well he’s got a job here next term.’

Mara could see why Daniel was ecstatic. But the thought of another Daniel called James did not fill her with glee.

‘Really. What’s he teaching?’ asked Mara.

‘Art.’

‘What’s happened to the current art teacher?’

‘Had a breakdown.’

‘Oh poor bugger! What was his name?’

‘Haven’t a clue, it was the kids that told me he had a breakdown, I think he had them every few weeks, but recently had one for good!’

When they reached the staffroom Mara could no longer put up with Daniel’s excitable chatter about how great it was going to be when James started after Christmas. She walked away from him and over to her pigeon hole; made a vain attempt to check the contents and scanned the room for somewhere to sit. Meanwhile Daniel had taken his news to Lucy who had just come out of the smokers room, coughing. Tony had already found a seat at the back of the room and was starting to nod off. Deon was studying the notice board with glassy eyes repeatedly reading the notices over and over again.

Perhaps his wires are fusing; too many words, thought Mara cruelly.

Mat walked in to the room, smiled at her and sat down.

I can’t keep avoiding him. Mara told herself as she made a conscious effort to sit next to him and make conversation. This seemed to please Mat who was now wearing his puppy dog look again.

As Alan and Jim made their way through the archway; the rest of the smokers all piled out of the smoking room at the same time, gasping and wheezing in the clean air.

‘There must be an alarm in there,’ Mara said to Mat.

‘Oh they take it in turns to look through the porthole,’ replied Mat sincerely.

‘Good afternoon staff,’ Alan said loudly, so as to swiftly catch everyone’s attention.

‘There’s no way I can say what I’m going to say without saying it. OFSTEAD are coming to inspect us at the beginning of term two.’

With this, a rumble murmured through the room as each person realised what Alan had said. The school was going to be inspected by Ministry of Education representatives. This was unpleasant news for any school. If a school failed their OFSTEAD inspection they could be closed down. The inspectors were notoriously ruthless and it was always a stressful process for everyone within the school.

‘We will of course endeavour to make sure all staff are fully equipped to get through the inspection. Jim has put together a series of professional development evenings which all staff will attend.’

After dropping the bomb shell, Alan left the meeting leaving Jim to read out the notices. This was almost certainly a waste of time as everyone was preoccupied with the impending inspection.

Mat leaned over and whispered to Mara.

‘Well they’re moving in for the kill it seems.’

‘What do you mean?

‘The Government are going to do something about crap schools like this.’

‘Such as?’

‘Close them down.’

Word quickly spread that teachers were going down to the Pigs Gut for drinks. Mara had no choice but to walk down with Mat as he was with her when the head of maths mentioned to Mara about the get together. Luckily for Mara, whilst walking out of the school building Deon caught up with them and said he would walk down. This appeared to put out Mat and he was distant on the journey down.

Piles and Boyo were already in the pub and seated in their usual spot. Boyo looked even more ridiculous than usual with his arm up in the air in the cast.

‘I don’t really want to sit by those two objects,’ Mara whispered to Deon and Mat.

‘Fair enough,’ grunted Deon.

They ordered their drinks from Bill and sat as far away as they could from Boyo and Piles.

‘So have you ever been in an OFSTEAD inspection before Deon?’

‘Na, but I’ve heard they’re pretty stressful.’

‘Especially if you’re a Roger or a Boyo. Shit, they’re never going to get through a lesson appraisal. Did you hear what happened to Roger today?’ Mara asked.

‘Oh, the slap around the face thing?’ replied Deon.

‘Yeah.’

‘But shit like that is always happening to Roger. He’s been here nearly thirty five years! And every kid he’s taught has played up; it’s probably in some Ministry file somewhere that Roger Judd is one of the most useless teachers in the country,’ said Deon.

‘Marvellous, everyone’s here,’ a loud voice projected.

No one needed to turn around to see who had just entered the pub. It was of course Steffi with her little human mouse friend. Both Mat and Deon sighed under their breaths.

‘Shit, I hope that she devil doesn’t come and sit here,’ Deon groaned.

‘Bet she will,’ Mat grumbled.

Sure enough Steffi headed to their table. The next half an hour was very uncomfortable with Deon going out of his way to ignore Steffi by talking to Mara, while Mat was taking the full force of Steffi’s conversation.

‘Did you go away on holiday last summer,’ Mara asked Deon trying to lighten the mood.

‘Yep LA.’

‘Oh Hollywood, Universal studios, I love it, the blue men,’ said Steffi.

‘I dunno about that stuff but I liked Hooters,’ Deon replied earnestly.

There was a brief reprieve from Steffi when she announced that she had to go and sign Boyo’s cast. Boyo lapped up the attention as Steffi wrote her name in a size 70 font, put red lipstick on her lips and kissed the cast several times. He then asked Steffi for a kiss on the cheek which she did willingly.

When Steffi returned to the table no one had the energy to put up with tense atmosphere. Mara was the first to leave, saying she had to call into the supermarket; a genuine reason as she had run out of wine.

Mara reached her flat just after six. She switched the heating to high, popped open a bottle of the wine, found the chocolate and turned on the television. It was the news, more depressing stuff about people being murdered, home invasions and the increasing rate of crime. The National news was then followed by the local news.

‘Police have issued