The development of secondary education in county Durham, 1944-1974, with special reference to Ferryhill and Chilton
This thesis grew out of a single question: why should a staunch Labour Party stronghold like County Durham open a grammar school in 1964 when the national Party was so firmly committed to comprehensivization? The answer was less easy to find than the question was to pose. The Labour Party was less committed to comprehensivization than is commonly believed. The commitment was to equality of opportunity. For many the ideal was, as Gaitskell said, ~a grammar school education for all.~ In County Durham, the grammar school was the way out of the pit and the pride invested in ~the grammar~ ran very deep, then so too did a pride in the local modern schools, many of which, as in the case of Ferryhill and Chilton, replaced the all-age schools that grew out of the 1902 Education Act. The way round the moral dilemma of providing selective grammar schools was a unique and relatively cheap compromise, which sought to link grammar and modem schools together under one umbrella: the multilateral unit. The key element of the scheme, which emerged out of the 1944 Education Act, was the ease of transfer of pupils within the multilateral unit, so that every child could have an education suitable to his age, aptitude and ability.
Richardson, Martin Howard
History
The development of secondary education in county Durham, 1944-1974, with special reference to Ferryhill and Chilton. This thesis grew out of a single question: why should a staunch Labour Party stronghold like County Durham open a grammar school in 1964 when the national Party was so firmly committed to comprehensivization? The answer was less easy to find than the question was to pose. The Labour Party was less committed to comprehensivization than is commonly believed. The commitment was to equality of opportunity. For many the ideal was, as Gaitskell said, ~a grammar school education for all.~ In County Durham, the grammar school was the way out of the pit and the pride invested in ~the grammar~ ran very deep, then so too did a pride in the local modern schools, many of which, as in the case of Ferryhill and Chilton, replaced the all-age schools that grew out of the 1902 Education Act. The way round the moral dilemma of providing selective grammar schools was a unique and relatively cheap compromise, which sought to link grammar and modem schools together under one umbrella: the multilateral unit. The key element of the scheme, which emerged out of the 1944 Education Act, was the ease of transfer of pupils within the multilateral unit, so that every child could have an education suitable to his age, aptitude and ability.
development secondary_education county_durham special_reference grow single question staunch labour_party stronghold like county_durham open grammar_school national party firmly commit answer less easy question_pose labour_party less committed commonly believe commitment equality opportunity many ideal say grammar_school education all county_durham grammar_school way pit pride invest the grammar run deep pride local modern school many_case replace all age school grow education_act way round moral dilemma provide selective grammar_school unique relatively cheap compromise seek link grammar modem school together umbrella unit key_element scheme emerge education_act ease transfer pupil within unit every child could education suitable age ability