Chapter+7

Double Vision: 40 Years On**
 * Living Headship - Chapter 7

Bernard Barker, Comprehensive educated pupil who went on to become a Head Teacher of a large Comprehensive school. During his days as a pupil of the Comprehensive system young Bernard began to question what he saw as the contradictions in the system, these contradictions he then described as his ‘Double Vision’. ‘Why are children organised into ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ bands which so neatly mirrored the divided society around us. As a Teacher and Head Teacher he struggled to work with in a system which was driven by government initiatives and dictates which were at odds with his vision of what education should be. An education system which was pupil centered and was about opening children’s minds, ‘not to school young people in the discipline of office and factory’ After ten years as Head his energy spent, he took up a secondment with his LEA as a general inspector. Returning to his school he tried to implement change even though he did not really believe in what he was implementing. Following a fairly poor OFSTED inspection he was obliged to produce an action plan but his heart was not really in it. He had become part of the problem rather than the solution, pressurizing and humiliating teachers in the pursuit of targets and an ideology he did not agree with. After seventeen years the LEA let him go and he took up a post with Leicester University as a tutor on their PGCE History course. This led him to work with teachers and students in a school that was failing. The school advertised for a head on a fixed two year contract. With mixed feelings he took up the post, but felt that his vision was again valid despite the outside influences and OFSTED report. At the end of the OFSTED inspection they reported that he was seen as a ‘hard taskmaster’. He had no guilt about the description as he had saved a failing school but as ever he felt he had been forced to compromise his principles to achieve acceptance from the establishment. Forty years on he still feels that his ‘double vision’ is still in focus and just as valid.
 * Head Teacher’s Vision Compromised
 * Too many changes and initiatives
 * Too many targets and OFSTED inspections
 * What is the alternative?