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Grandparents & Memories

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  Herbert Christopher Pemberton Barker: Ladysmith, 1900 I missed out on grandparents through childhood and adolescence. Two were dead before I was born; a third was alienated by a quarrel that divided the family; only my mother's father was present in family life. Granddad Moore would come for Christmas and on odd visits to see us during the year. He said nothing about the seven operations under chloroform to save his leg, nearly lost in the trenches; and never mentioned his dead wife. He was avuncular and kind; and would tip my brother and I half-a-crown apiece as he left. My mother said grandma Moore would have loved me. The thought of love I might have had deepened my unspoken awareness of absence and loss. Now I'm a grandfather myself and have many friends with grandchildren, I understand better the warmth, care and family stories my grandparents might have given me. Important links with ancestors were lost with their deaths, leaving survivors as isolated individuals, self-...
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Chapter 8: Conclusion

  Chapter 8: Conclusion     Introduction KES  tells the story of how three aspirant teachers from ordinary backgrounds succeeded at school with the care and support of their parents, and became the first in their families to win places at university. Encouraged by our own progress and acutely aware of others less fortunate than ourselves, we crafted professional careers in the comprehensive age, with the common purpose of transforming schools and education so that every child would have a fair chance of realising her or his potential. We wanted schools to be better places for everyone and especially for disadvantaged young people who struggled to find promising ways forward from the lower streams of secondary modern schools. Idealistic and passionate, but also pragmatic in responding to practical difficulties, we shared the desire of many of our contemporaries to create firm foundations for a more equal, more democratic society, with deep roots in local communities. ...
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Chapter 7: New Careers

Chapter 7: New Careers     Introduction After longish headships, all three of us sensed the symptoms of what academic Eric Hoyle calls the potential run-down of school mission. We began to feel we had been round the track too often and were less and less happy with the surrounding policy environment. Bernard (1997) and Cherry (2009) accessed early retirement pensions that enabled them to pursue different, unplanned careers. Rob’s phone rang with an invitation to join the private consultancy sector (2002). Our fading enthusiasm was rekindled by unexpected opportunities and projects. We were full of energy and as determined as ever to improve education, especially for disadvantaged students. New missions beckoned.   Bernard started a doctorate but was soon teaching post-graduate history students as well as leading a school out of special measures. Rob had already gained a doctorate and joined a consultancy outfit that was winning contracts to improve failing schools and lat...
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