The Salopian Summer 2023

18
SCHOOL NEWS
IT at Shrewsbury
A Memoir: 1979 to 2005
Mark Twells (Staff 1979-1985, 1993-2005) charts the early days of IT development at Shrewsbury.
RGR tends an analogue computer, Speech Day 1994
1979 to 1985
On my first Speech Day in 1979, I
wandered into a static exhibition in
the end of the baths building – what is
currently the Admissions Office. Therein
stood an old Eliot computer along with
the peripheral bits and pieces needed
to run it – teletypes, paper tape readers
and so on. A small platoon of boys ran
this behemoth. I was entranced. A little
more exploring revealed a classroom
full of Research Machines 380z Z80
machines – small microcomputers,
capable of running small programs.
Gilbert Roscoe (RGR) taught these skills
to the School through an innovative
loophole in the timetable provided by
the then Director of Studies. Shrewsbury
had an eye on the future, and I began
to get hooked.
I borrowed a RM and a bag full of
cassettes (of software) over Christmas
1979 and set it up on the dining table at
home, much to my mother’s annoyance.
I taught myself the rudiments of Z80
machine code and marvelled at the
“front panel” – the device provided to
debug a 380z. Z80 assembler was the
language of the CPU, the brain in the
computer. It turned out to be difficult
enough to even print characters on
the screen, let alone write something
useful. Proper graphics were even more
difficult to do. Easy to dismiss these
things as complicated toys.
By the start of January 1980, I had
become enamoured with the micro PC
as a tool for teaching mathematics. I
engrossed myself in coding and actually
managed to produce one or two small
gems (by my standards) to use in the
classroom. Little else hit the mainstream,
though RGR did produce an excellent
controller for the School’s telescopes –
written, of course, in Z80. (It was the
only way to get enough room to write
the code combined with enough speed
to make it useable). I teetered on, in a
relationship with the RM machines but
not prepared to make the first move,
for some time. And thus ended my first
entanglement with Shrewsbury.
1985 to 1993
I stagnated for a while, then realised
I needed to move. By this time
married with one daughter, Mrs T and
I reckoned that a move back to her
native Leicestershire was sensible. In
the interests of career progression, a job
came up at Loughborough Grammar
School, teaching maths. I applied and
got the job.
Seven years later came a phone call.
Michael Hall (FMH) at Shrewsbury
wanted someone to run Basic Year (the
Outdoor Pursuits programme for junior
boys). I wasn’t initially interested but
went over for a chat with Ted Maidment
anyway. He offered some involvement
in IT, a new IT centre, a split with
Maths, and the Basic Year. And I got
paid too. I bit, and moved back, married
with three girls, in September 1993.
1993 to 2000
It became evident that in the interval
1979 to 1993, very little had changed.
Most of the Common Room had been
in post in 1985 when I left. Richard
Auger (RA) was Director of Studies and
took a commendably positive viewpoint
on IT. The baths building was still the
home of IT, although some newer RM
machines had been purchased. Gilbert
(RGR) wanted to develop, and I was
keen to help. The classrooms were on
a local area network 1 , mainly to share
printers and suchlike. Pupils had very
limited space for storage on the server.
We decided that things had to expand.