Leaving School

Angela Smith: Opposite

Angela was born in 1962 in London. Her parents came to England from Guyana and settled in Walthamstow where Angela lived with her eight brothers and sisters. At age five Angela went to a local special school. Then from the age of ten she attended two residential special schools run by the Spastics Society (now SCOPE), in Lincolnshire and Kent.

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Angela Smith

Here Angela describes how she defied the low expectations that were placed on her.

  • Angela Smith
  • Angela Smith
  • Angela Smith
https://howwasschool.allfie.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/opposite.mp3

Transcript

I went on to Essex, and I enjoyed it but the irony was, I was so scared because I had been in Special Ed. I thought 'I'm not gonna have any friends, I'm not gonna cope', opposite. Opposite. So why did I have to go to special school? Opposite. Friends, I coped, I had community service, volunteers, everything was good. After all those years in a special school. Yeah. And my mum was so shocked when she said, they said I'd never achieve. I've achieved everything.

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