Following the disruption, hardship and challenges of the Second World War, the post-war years brought a sense of optimism and excitement, with families at last enjoying peacetime. This new book follows the lives of the nation’s schoolchildren through the two decades following the war years, recalling what it was like for those experiencing the creation of a new school system; a system underpinned by the introduction of the 11 plus exam and the provision of free secondary education for all.
Combining personal reminiscences with a lively description of what was going on in the wider world of British education, Simon Webb provides a vivid and entertaining picture of school life during in the 1940s and ’50s which is sure to bring back nostalgic memories for all who remember the best days of their lives.
We hear a lot about schools these days. Ever since Tony Blair set such an emphasis on “Education, education, education”, pupils and teachers have rarely been out of the headlines. But Simon Webb’s 'The Best Days of Our Lives' takes us back to times before a National Curriculum, league tables and new ways of doing long division. Webb’s account of school life in post-war Britain makes us realise how many aspects of the contemporary educational landscape are fairly recent developments. His overview of schools in the 1940s, 50s and 60s makes us reconsider many aspects of schooling that have become “givens” in the twenty-first century, and that’s no bad thing. If you really want to think something through – and educational provision is worth thinking through - you have to look at it with fresh eyes.
The book contains some surprising statistics – well, they were surprising to me. In 1960, Webb tells us, 80% of young people left school without qualifications. That seems unthinkable today, in an age when the rigorous pursuit of A-C grades at GCSE has become a priority. Yet, by all accounts, those unqualified young people got by, found jobs, had families, more than survived. Another surprising fact is that the 11+ exam, something that has become part of our socio-cultural history, almost part of our collective memory in this country, was only in place for 20 years. The GCSE exam has been around longer than that!
It’s not statistics and facts that make this book what it is, though. We do read about educational change: the Butler Act of 1944; the coming of the comprehensive school; the raising of the school leaving age. But most of the book is devoted to the experiences and feelings of individuals as they made their way through their education. A range of voices offer their memories and views about starting school, learning Latin, rules, punishments and PE. Webb’s selection of accounts and commentary adeptly exposes the narrow thinking that prevented most working class children from really showing what they could do. He reveals how the assumptions governing setting systems in primary schools and the tests by which children so-say showed their intelligence all militated against equality of opportunity. However, he also demonstrates, through the voices he draw on, that so-called improvements in schooling were not always well thought of by the people they were supposed to benefit. Not everyone wanted to stay at school for longer. Not every family wanted to spend money on uniforms and bus fares for their children to attend a better school.
If you read The Best Days of Our Lives, you’ll no doubt experience a range of responses. It’s hard not to feel indignant about the social injustice that until so recently shut many young people off from anything but an elementary education. But you’ll also find yourself laughing at the account of the teacher who habitually smoked in lessons. Imagine that during an Ofsted inspection!
Book: 'The Best Days of Our Lives'
Author: Simon Webb
Review by: Sue Creed
Sue Creed is an avid reader who is keen to promote books of all kinds. She has worked in education - at school and university level - for more than 25 years. When she's not reading, she's gardening.