 At his second attempt he passed the grammar school entrance exam and joined Handsworth Grammar School in Birmingham.In 1955 in the 6th form he won a State Scholarship and an Open Scholarship from Jesus College, Cambridge (BA, 1961).After leaving Handsworth School in 1955 he decided to spend 6 months working as a laborer in the cooperage of Ansells Brewery, Aston while waiting to begin two years of military service in the Royal Army Educational Corps in September 1956.