The Oldie

Today’s school reports could try harder

We know Aristotle taught Alexander the Great. But did he write him a school report? Did it say, ‘He is always daydreaming of building empires and must focus more if he is to pass algebra this summer’?

Unfortunately, no record exists. School reports do survive from the early-19th century, though. At King’s College,

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Oldie

The Oldie3 min read
Television
One of the keenest viewers of the six-part Emmy-winning The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, when it aired in February 2015, was the star himself, Bob ‘killed them all’ Durst. The docuseries, written and directed by Andrew Jarecki, investig
The Oldie3 min read
It's A Family Affair
Is there something you really miss? Not knowing where the light switch is in the middle of the night. And I miss the dog terribly. He’s very grumpy. He’s a cockapoo. If he were a person, he would be the Major in Fawlty Towers. Do you travel light? Ha
The Oldie3 min read
I'm Dying To Cure The Cost-of-living Crisis
I’m too much of a Catholic convent girl to be persuaded by the arguments favouring euthanasia – now called ‘assisted dying’. But if I were to be tempted by the campaign advanced so successfully by Esther Rantzen, the point that might lure me is money

Related