* May 25, 1929

The annual conference of the National Association of Head Teachers afforded to the heads of the so-called elementary schools an opportunity for more plain speaking...The president, Mr H J Jackson, headmaster of the People’s College, Nottingham, said we should see an end of the deplorable “creaming” system, whereby the first “creaming” of the milk of human intelligence is nobly housed with all the amenities that can be imagined, while other successive “creamings” are put to other purposes and the “skim milk” is thrown out on the economic market at the age of 14 without any further care of mind, body or spirit. Such a system is wholly deplorable, and especially when in fact there is no evidence that the successive “creamings” have any order of merit.

50 years ago

* May 28, 1929

The 680,000 signatures petitioning for equal pay were not in vain. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has eased open the door an inch in response to so loud a knock. One of the interests so dear to the heart of the National Union of Teachers is advanced from a state of being accepted in principle but postponed sine die. A start is to be made in the Civil Service within a year; and teachers are not likely to allow their equalisation to lag far behind. The complete reform would increase the salary bill for teachers by pound;17,200,000, of which about pound;6,500,000 would fall on the rates.

That is about 10 per cent of the salary charge that is at present borne by local taxation. Will the rates stand it - especially when other local government employees will presumably be receiving similar treatment?