The foul-mouthed pupils alone would be enough to make more conservative teachers react with horror at the new school-based cartoon Bromwell High (page five). The depiction of staffroom life may cause even greater upset, as the teachers are portrayed as wimpy, criminal or sexually-frustrated.
Some may yearn for the relatively innocent days when teachers feared that Grange Hill might be a bad influence. The cartoon is certainly unsuitable for children, and it will be worrying if pupils repeat highlights in the playground (such as a scene in which assessors describe the maths department as “cocking shite”).
But parents, not schools, should ensure their offspring are not sitting up past 11pm watching Channel 4. Like cigarettes and alcohol, Bromwell High,is a vice that open-minded teachers should be allowed to enjoy, without guilt, in the comfort of their own homes.
