When they were five years old, Brenda and her sister started attending St.Peter's Infants School in Farnborough Street and was initially in Miss Hall's class. The girls were initially taken to school on child seats on their parents bicycles but, within a year, had learned to ride themselves so were escorted by their mother. The toilets were outside away from the school building and the twins found it embarrasing as they had to ask for paper when the went. They found it creepy out there. They moved up to the junior school at St.Peters until taking their 11 plus examination which they both failed. There were a couple of brother called Flat who were bad bullies and caused much upset at the school. They lived along the road from Brenda and her sister so they used to keep away from there. The class sizes in both the infants and junior schools numbered about 40 pupils so they did not get the attention that was needed to ensure they progressed properly.

They next went to Queens Road school, cycling there and back each day. The headmaster was Mr Charlton who was a nice man. Brenda, her sister and friend Susan Selway took part in a school production of The Messiah. On the evening of the one and only performance there was a very thick fog so Susan's father walked in front of the car for the entire journey from home. Because of those conditions, quite a number of the performers were not able to get to the school that evening to participate. The only school trip that Brenda ever experienced was to Chessington Zoo, and this was probably made from Queens Road School.

Their next move was to Fernhill County Secondary School in Hawley Lane when it opened in September 1955. She was appointed to be a prefect from the outset. It was a newly built Secondary Modern school but it was late in being completed. The twins travelled by bus from Ship Lane. Brenda played some sports, preferring netball to hockey. She was not especially suited to athletics but could manage the discus and javelin quite well. The pupils were given an eye test in the school as a result of which Brenda was sent to an optician and prescribed glasses. She hated wearing these and would try to mamage without and, because she sat at the back of the classroom, she could not see the blackboard properly so she would copy work from her friend Susan Selway.

Brenda's school report for autumn 1956 showed that she was well behaved and up to standard. She had been doing reasonably well and was in the 'A' stream unlike her sister who found it harder and was in the stream below. Becuase Brenda was a Catholic she was unable to attend Religous Education classes and was left to her own devices with her sister. Brenda was studying for English GCE but left school before taking it despite pleas from her headmaster to remain at school. He was keen to show that pupils that had failed their 11 plus could be capable of passing their CGE's. Brenda's favourite class whilst at Fernhill was Domestic Science which occupied the whole day each Friday. Just before she left school, she had won a book as a prize for baking a cherry cake in a cookery competition sponsored by McDougalls Ltd. She continued to refer to that book thereafter.

Having left school in 1958, soon after her 15th birthday, Brenda started an apprenticeship as a hairdresser. She had continued to study for her English GCSE by attending night school on Thursdays at the grammar school in Prospect Avenue but, unfortunately, she did not pass the exam. Brenda also joined other night classes at the Technical College on subjects that interested her and to occupy herself during the week when her boyfriend was working away. She attended some classes on basket weaving and made a wastepaper basket which she kept for the rest of her life. She also took cookery classes which was a subject she particularly liked.