The students’ union at Bishop Grosseteste holds film nights and other entertainments and a theatre group comes in to perform in the bar. Lincoln has only just realised that students exist because the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside has established a campus here A few theme pubs have sprung up. In a follow-up Ofsted investigation into primary teacher training (reading and number) last year it did pretty well, too.Research: No research base.Financial health: In the black.Night-life: Quiet. Apart from the hill down into the city, the whole county is pretty flat.Buzz-phrase: Take me to the grot (what you say to the taxi driver to get to Bishop Grosseteste).Who’s the boss? Eileen Baker, formerly Her Majesty’s Inspector and an expert on primary education.Teaching: In a sweep of primary teacher training institutions by Ofsted (February 1995 to July 1996), the college did well, receiving top grade in three out of the four aspects looked at. Try driving, though take note that there are no motorways in Lincolnshire Biking is a good alternative. For other degrees you need a C and a D, or two Ds at A-level.Glittering alumni: John Lowrey, headteacher, Metheringham County primary school; Colin Brimblecombe, actor, Lincoln Shakespeare Company; David Pugh, theatre producer.Transport links: Trains to London via Newark take two hours, those to Nottingham take one hour. (There are 112 men, or 14 per cent.) Church origins are evident.

There is an enduring connection to the studies and ethos of the Christian Union.Added value: Teaching is of the practical rather than ivory tower variety and there are strong links with primary schools in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.Easy to get into? For teacher-training you need a grade C or above at GCSE in English, maths, science and two other subjects Plus you need two Cs at A level. But the 21-acre grounds and scampering squirrels are a joy, as is the Gothic cathedral 10 minutes’ walk away. Halls of residence on site.Vital statistics: Mainly a teacher-training college but also offers degree courses in drama in the community, heritage studies and English literature Degrees validated by University of Hull It is small – only 790 students, the vast majority female. Built on a hill above the city centre, it has a Victorian redbrick main building with tiled floors and 19th-century nooks and crannies plus a beautiful Victorian chapel still in daily use. Additional buildings put up in since 1949 harmonise uneasily. He was Bishop of Lincoln in the 13th century and oversaw the building of Lincoln Cathedral.
Address: Single campus in historic city of Lincoln.Ambience: Though known locally as Bishop Grot, it’s far from grotty.

Age: 136. History: Founded by the C of E as a diocesan training school. Used to be known as Lincoln Training College until it changed its name in 1962 to the unpronounceable Bishop Grosseteste. Simply write a few weeks before your departure with the dates you will be in Auckland to either Polly Ring (the above- mentioned Ken Ring’s mum!) at 775 Riddell Road, Glendowie, Auckland 5; Tel: 00-649-575-6655; or Meryl Revell, 60 Prince Regent Drive, Half Moon Bay, Auckland; Tel: 00-649-535-5314..

You will probably be invited into their home for info exchange and a friendly chat over a cuppa The cost? Not a cent. It is a voluntary organisation and you won’t be “sold” anything It’s a genuine contact venture. So there’s good news for those teachers who are considering a holiday Down Under. The Auckland Tourist Hospitality Scheme will put you in touch with your Kiwi counterparts. This means that when they go on holiday, they feel deprived if they can’t bump into a fellow teacher. To prove it, the scientists produced a false sunset in the early afternoon and, lo and behold, the fish fed and fed – but only briefly The night light levels proved too low.