WHEN Lauren Ashby was appointed head girl at York's Bootham School, she was maintaining a family tradition.

For her father, Alan, was head boy at the same school more than 30 years ago.

Today, the father and daughter spoke of the differences between their two spells at the Quaker independent school as Head Reeve, as the position is known at the school.

Alan, 49, who is vice-president of Global Concept Development, part of Johnson And Johnson, said he was "not exactly a model student" as he approached his final year in 1974.

"Certainly, Lauren is much better behaved!" he said. "In fact, I must have been the only Head Reeve appointed having just finished a seriously long period of "gating" - confined to school grounds.

"My latest misdemeanour having involved being caught sneaking out at night to meet my then girlfriend."

He believed students were more political and idealistic in those days.

Lauren, 17, said she did not agree students were less idealistic now. "We're much more aware of environmental issues than dad ever was."