Education: Passed/Failed: Lisa Jardine

An Education in the Life of Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary and Westfield College, London

An author and broadcaster, Lisa Jardine was the first female fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge. Her latest book, 'Ingenious Pursuits', was published in September.

Primary colours: At school I was totally obedient. I was a very, very anxious child. I had nightmares about not coming top. People were offered bicycles if they could beat me in exams! I was over-achieving, anxious, focused. An obnoxious child.

I still have nightmares about Pates Junior, a CofE state primary school in Cheltenham, where my family were living. I had a terrifying teacher in the top year. I'm sure she was a terrific teacher: we all got our 11- plus. But I was so frightened of her that when I lost the needle she gave me for the needlework class, I borrowed one from another girl, sat in the toilets and pricked my finger - marking the length of the needle in blood so that my mother could give me a new one of the right size.

When my parents decided I should take the scholarship to Cheltenham Ladies' College, the scary teacher told me that this was a gross misjudgement on their part. When I got an exhibition (bursary), she said I would be unwise to go there.

Secondary characteristics: I only took the maths paper of the Cheltenham Ladies' entrance exam. I was regarded as a sort of mathematical prodigy. My father [Jacob Bronowski, scholar and presenter of the TV series The Ascent of Man] was a mathematician and maths was easy for me. I also had to get in as part of the Jewish quota; it was a CofE school and there was a Catholic quota as well.

My younger sister Judith got expelled but I had a terrific time there: a) I got a stunning education; b) one never heard the words, "Girls can't..."; and c) I learnt independence. It was a ruthlessly academic school.Looking back, I realise that it was highly regimented; I succeeded with such ease that I lacked the ability to be intellectually creative.

School rules: It was a very schizophrenic life. School was full of regulations. You couldn't run, ever. Your dress was checked every morning by prefects. You couldn't go into the shops. I rather liked all this. At home, I lived in a Bohemian household.

We were told that if we achieved under 90 per cent in Latin, we would bring shame on the school! It was assumed we'd get As at O-level - and we did. At A-level I took pure and applied maths and physics; I got As or distinctions.

University challenge: I got a place at St Anne's, Oxford but my father wanted me to go to Cambridge. I worked for the rest of the year as a statistician at the Consumers' Association, mostly on car reports, and then took the Cambridge entrance and got into Newnham.

I did not do well in maths. The first time in my life that I heard the sentence, "Of course, girls don't do as well as boys", was in the maths induction session at Newnham. Probably I should have changed subject the next day but I did maths Part I and Prelims to Part II. I then did Part II English in a year and got a 2.1.

Speech Day: By the time I had my own children, I thought it was important to use the state system: Rachel went to Camden School for Girls in North London, where I think she got an equally good education. But Cheltenham is still my school.I'm giving away the school's prizes next year: Speech Day 2000 - watch out!