A Dog with a Bad Name

Bolsover College looms in the English Midlands like a grand, weather‑worn façade that promises a classic public‑school education for the price of a modest household budget. Beneath its noble architecture the institution suffers from a persistent “dry‑rot” of low morale, half‑hearted rules, and teachers who barely intervene in the boys’ chaotic routine. The cheap tuition draws hopeful parents, yet the reality is a shabby blend of lax supervision and a curriculum that drifts between half‑learned classics and idle cricket.

Enter Benjamin, a fresh‑squeaked student among eighty, who quickly discovers that the new head‑master, Frampton, is determined to reshuffle the stale order. His mandates—mandatory morning tubbing and a compulsory football programme—spark immediate resistance from a cohort accustomed to the laziness of the old regime. The boys’ grumbling and schemes reveal a school on the brink of change, while the humor of their everyday rebellions keeps the atmosphere lively and oddly endearing.