 He was taught by R. H. Dundas, Eric Gray, Gilbert Ryle, Jim Urmson and Maurice Foster.He won the prestigious Slade Exhibition in 1947, and then achieved the remarkable feat of gaining an alpha in every single paper in Greats.In his final year, he had done some classics teaching back at Shrewsbury School when several classics teachers fell ill, and his enjoyment of it decided him on teaching as a career, with plans to become a headmaster one day.