Talk:Tonbridge School

Latest comment: 13 days ago by Neonorange in topic Current curricula?

Novi edit

I felt it nessacary to remove the 'novi no guy' as this is seldom used in the school, whereas 'arrogant first years' is a much more common expression —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.149.26.248 (talk) 14:58, 30 March 2011 (UTC)Reply


I have removed several sentences detailing the Zeppelin that floated over the school in 1916. It dropped no bombs and did not land. This is a non-event of no relevance to the school. I was reported for vandalism for doing this without cluttering the Discussions page, so here, backing up my second removal, is an explanation - AG, Stockport, UK.


Academics edit

Can someone complete the quote from GSG? It stops mid sentence, and one cannot view it without subscription. Jomunro (talk) 08:34, 14 October 2008 (UTC)Reply

Tonbridge terminology edit

I've removed this section as uncited unverified crap unnecessary in an encyclopedia article. --Tagishsimon (talk) 02:26, 19 November 2009 (UTC)Reply

It appears to have crept back in since November 2009. However, it was summarily deleted again by Tom Morris in September 2013. The problem is that the section School terms is now a mish-mash partly describing the school calendar and partly accommodating the rump of the slang section. I call upon Tom Morris to fix what he hath wrought. Kthxbye. --El Ingles (talk) 22:40, 24 October 2013 (UTC)Reply

I only removed the section for one reason: it contained a possibly libellous suggestion involving the sexual molestation of school pupils. School articles get filled with this cruft. Given this, I've put the article on pending changes protection. New material that gets added should be reviewed and if it does not contain a source, rejected through PC. —Tom Morris (talk) 06:01, 25 October 2013 (UTC)Reply

Tonbridge, Forster, and Lindsay Anderson's film 'If' edit

Hallo, I seek guidance as to how to add material to this hugely self-congratulatory entry, relating to (a) E M Forster's portrayal of Tonbridge as Sawston, (b) Tonbridge as the model for Lindsay Anderson's film 'If'. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.177.4.109 (talk) 14:41, 12 November 2012 (UTC)Reply

Well, 80.177.4.109 (Demon Internet customer), the first thing you should do is consider whether you will be able to cite reliable sources in support of whatever thesis you wish to advance. If your proposition is in any way speculative, or involves original research, forget it. Encyclopaedias are not the place for such material. In the case of Lindsay Anderson, it does seem a little far-fetched. Anderson was educated at Cheltenham College, and the movie if.... was shot at Cheltenham and Uppingham School.
Let's say you have decided your sources are unimpeachable. Your first move would be to register as a wikipedia editor. This is a very simple process, starting on the very top line of the home page. You would then need to create a new section, headed, say, Portrayals of Tonbridge in fiction. It should probably go to the very end of the article. Go to the section "Notable Old Tonbridgians" and click on the edit link. Add your section title, preceded and followed by ==, then your text, which should not be overly discursive. When you cite your impeccable sources, do so within <ref></ref> tags. Good luck. Be brief. El Ingles (talk) 15:21, 12 November 2012 (UTC)Reply

I agree that this is a self-congratulatory article, but have found it hard to edit it in a dispassionate way. Tonbridge is a very good school. I was there over 50 years ago, and it was good then. Its teaching, sport, and facilities are absolutely first class by any standards. And so are its fees. Ballenstedter (talk) 22:39, 12 November 2013 (UTC)Reply

Anderson was at Cheltenham, but the screenplay was by David Sherwin, who did attend Tonbridge. So it is probably a mixture. Supposedly, the caning scene in the film was modelled on Tonbridge in the 1950s according to the WP article on the film. There doesn't seem to be a cited source for that though. (It also seems similar in ethos to an Eton pop-tanning.) I think the most you could say is that Tonbridge was very likely the model for *_some aspects*_ of the film but it is only a fictional fantasy after all. There is no reason why it should be seen as a literal representation of any particular school. -- Alarics (talk) 22:56, 12 November 2013 (UTC)Reply
Ha-ha, I'm an expert on the practice of caning in the 50s, at Hillside anyway. We called it beating, not caning -- minor point. I'll have to take another look at Anderson's film to see how authentic I judge it to be. El Ingles (talk) 18:29, 13 November 2013 (UTC)Reply
Right, I reviewed it. In all essentials it's entirely authentic. El Ingles (talk) 23:06, 13 November 2013 (UTC)Reply

Motto edit

The difference between Deus Dat Incrementum and Dat Deus Incrementum seems highly implausible. Deus Dat... is usual for the Tonbridge motto, but Dat Deus... is carved in stone above the entrance to the science block (I remember it after 50 years). I suppose one could say that Dat Deus... might mean that God gives increase, but does not hire it out or sell it; but to suggest that God could be the recipient of increase (from what source?) is daft, even for an atheist. It comes from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 3 verse 6.

This section should merely quote the motto, and mention its common bond with Westminster and Marlborough. The Judd School is also in Tonbridge, and is a sister school, governed by the Skinners' Company, so the common motto is not really remarkable.

Ballenstedter (talk) 22:12, 12 November 2013 (UTC)Reply

Current curricula? edit

The current curricula is not mentioned in article text. A section should be added. — Neonorange (talk to Phil) (he, they) 06:43, 22 April 2024 (UTC) —Reply