HER Grace (the Duchess of Atholl) spoke of the greater complexity of the problem compared with that of boys’ education, for while girls might be prepared for as many occupations as boys, home life was still the sphere of the majority. Dr Dorothy Brock, headmistress of the Mary Datchelor School, said that success in the education of girls must be judged as the product not of centuries, as with boys, but of decades. The policy of the pioneers was misrepresented. Their first concern had not been to prove that women were equal to men, but to claim that the intelligence of women should be developed, not in the interests of women, but in the interests of the race.

50 years ago November 28, 1952

WHAT children remember of great occasions is their small incidentals. We have already had a preview of some of the souvenirs which are to be on sale and they are not very inspiring. But it is doubtful whether large sums for costly mugs is money well spent. But the Coronation offers opportunities for many lessons not only in patriotism but in religion, history and art. There are all sorts of ways in which it may be locally celebrated. But the occasion is one of national rather than local rededication. The spirit in which the celebrations are held is going to mean more to children than the money spent on them.

25 years ago November 25, 1977

TES reporters visited secondaries in 13 authorities. Their strongest impression was that many teachers have developed an austerity mentality about buying books. Any idea of using books on a large scale for teaching most children is regarded as an unattainable luxury. In poorly endowed schools, teachers have got so used to low standards that they no longer notice them.