Didn't know Mr Denton taught French, I'm sure we had him for maths. Maybe he taught both.
Miss Lingen sounds like a very understanding teacher - she never taught me, but remember her as a very happy soul. She must have loved teaching.
These are my memories of the school uniform:
The school uniform list was quite lengthy and probably fairly typical of many other schools of the time. On the list were blue open-neck blouses, navy, box pleated skirts, cotton summer dresses in regulation material and styles, navy sweater or cardigan (knitted in a very specified navy colour), blue expanding money belt with zip pocket, dark blue gabardine mac, navy blazer plus school badge to sew on ("Non Nobis Solum"), thin striped scarf, dance tunic, blue science overall, blue aertex sports blouse, another aertex blouse in your school house colour, navy, cross-over gym skirt, black regulation swimming costume, swimming cap, laced shoes, black plimsoles, a straw boater in summer and a beret in winter. The boater seems to have been dropped off the list, don't know why, but probably because it was scratchy, uncomfortable and basically impracticable. A satchel and a plimsole bag with embroidered initials were also essential. Hockey boots could be bought in school for, I think 7/6d. Remember the intense rubber smell of the new boots ? Although a relatively young school, a tradition quickly developed called 'de-bobbling'. This was an unwritten school ritual requiring the removal (by the older girls) of the bobble from the top of every newbie beret, more often than not resulting in a gaping hole.
Fifth formers had a special privilege: regular thin school scarf could be replaced by a college-type, felt scarf with wide navy blue and light blue vertical stripes. It sent a clear message that you were now senior. Unfortunately, it didn't guarantee we were any more mature.
Shift-style summer dresses could be made in needlework lessons using specially selected material by the Headmistress. She fancied herself as a bit of a fashionista in this department and once commented on catching me reading Vogue magazine that, she too, was an avid reader. However most girls weren't taken in by this occasional nod to fashion. The only saving grace was the knowledge that, in time as VI Formers, we'd be wearing our own choice of clothes. And that's when we made up for lost time! Short skirts, platforms, maxi coats, vintage fur coats, layers of pan stick, false lashes, pachouli perfume, you name it we wore it