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Allen Clarke (educationalist)
Encyclopedia
Cyril Alfred Allen Clarke (August 20, 1910 - July 12, 2007) was the founding head of Holland Park School
, which was the flagship of the comprehensive education ideal. Holland Park School, of which Allen Clarke was the first headmaster, was in the 1960s the most famous of its kind in the UK. Founded in 1958, it was dubbed the 'socialist Eton
' and was the showcase comprehensive school of state education, which aimed to rectify the divisive damage caused by a system that had virtually typecast children as educable or not by the age of 11.
, Loddon
, near Norwich
, and the University of London
, where he read history.
in Oxfordshire
, he joined the London Teaching Service in 1933.
At the outbreak of war he was called up into the Royal Artillery
, rising to the rank of major. When the war came to an end he was retained for another year on the staff of the education branch of the Allied Military Government
of Germany
. One of his tasks was the reorganization of schools in the Munich
region.
He was demobilised in 1946 and returned to teaching in London. Then he became assistant master at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
, New Cross
. In 1951, he was headmaster at Isledon Secondary School, Islington
, until 1955. He then spent two years as head of Battersea Secondary School before being offered the headship of Holland Park School
in 1957.
This progressive west London
comprehensive school
offered an education to thousands as an alternative to poorly rated secondary modern school
s designed for those unable to make the 11-plus examination system for a state grammar school
education.
Holland Park School
was glamorous, rubbing shoulders, with the prosperous Kensington and Chelsea
borough
whose children tended to be privately educated, and yet also included students from the crime and race-riot-ridden Notting Hill
area.
In himself, Clarke seemed an unlikely leader for such a radical experiment. He was mild-mannered and conservatively dressed in an academic gown. On one hand Holland Park School
had a reputation among wary conservatives in the Swinging Sixties as a progressive hotbed of perceived dubious morals, and on the other the institution Clarke moulded was run on traditional lines. Its pupils wore a uniform, whose jacket sported the school crest, and the school was run on a house system.
Yet Clarke’s previous experience had included the headships of two London secondary moderns. That, combined with teaching in a direct grant grammar school
, had shown him what equal opportunity could do when combined with the encouragement of excellence.
.
Clarke’s attention to detail included the design of the school badge, which depicted a fox carrying a dahlia in its jaws, the former acknowledging the family name of the lords Holland on whose land the school was built, the latter referring to Lady Holland’s introduction of the bloom into England in the early years of the 19th century. More fundamental to his approach was the establishment of a library for the school.
When the school opened its doors in September 1958, the Notting Hill race riots
, which had broken out in August, seemed only to underline the formidable nature of the task of healing social divisions that it had set itself. It was Clarke’s philosophy to maintain a large student population – more than 2,000. This size, he felt, would conduce to a greater variety in the backgrounds of pupils, and would enable a greater range of subjects to be taught.
Teaching was at first rigidly streamed. This was subsequently, in the 1970s under Clarke’s successor Derek Rushworth, reversed on the theory that underachieving students would benefit from intellectual association with those of greater ability. After a more radical period under Rushworth, Holland Park reverted to more traditional teaching methods in the 1990s.
Whatever Holland Park did tended to be done in the glare of publicity. The conservative wing of the press dearly wanted to find fault with the experiment.
But Clarke’s Holland Park could point to its impressive A-level results and university entrance. Those pupils who had been sidelined under the 11-plus system were given an educational opportunity, and sense of self-worth, undreamt of in the secondary modern system to which they would otherwise have been fated.
Holland Park School
Holland Park School was opened in London, UK, in 1958. It became the flagship for comprehensive education, and in its heyday had over 2000 in the student body. It became known as the "socialist Eton", and a number of high-profile socialists sent their children to Holland Park School, adding to its...
, which was the flagship of the comprehensive education ideal. Holland Park School, of which Allen Clarke was the first headmaster, was in the 1960s the most famous of its kind in the UK. Founded in 1958, it was dubbed the 'socialist Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
' and was the showcase comprehensive school of state education, which aimed to rectify the divisive damage caused by a system that had virtually typecast children as educable or not by the age of 11.
Education
Clarke was educated at Langley SchoolLangley School, Loddon
Langley School is an independent coeducational boarding school situated in the market town of Loddon in South Norfolk, England. The school was founded in 1910 and is a member of the HMC....
, Loddon
Loddon, Norfolk
Loddon is a small market town about southeast of Norwich on the River Chet, a tributary of the River Yare within The Broads in Norfolk, England. The name "Loddon" is thought to mean muddy river in Celtic in reference to the Chet.-Origins:...
, near Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, and the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, where he read history.
Personal life
He married, in 1934, Edna Francis (d. 1981). They had three sons. One of his sons, Robin, died in 1979.Career
After teacher training at Culham College of EducationEuropean School, Culham
The European School in Culham, Oxfordshire, is one of 14 European Schools around Europe and the only one in United Kingdom and currently has around 800 Nursery/Primary and secondary students....
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, he joined the London Teaching Service in 1933.
At the outbreak of war he was called up into the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
, rising to the rank of major. When the war came to an end he was retained for another year on the staff of the education branch of the Allied Military Government
Allied Military Government for Occupied Territories
The Allied Military Government for Occupied Territories was the form of military rule administered by Allied forces during and after World War II within European territories they occupied.-Notable AMGOT:...
of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. One of his tasks was the reorganization of schools in the Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
region.
He was demobilised in 1946 and returned to teaching in London. Then he became assistant master at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School is a British independent school for boys aged 4–19. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and of the Haileybury Group....
, New Cross
New Cross
New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
. In 1951, he was headmaster at Isledon Secondary School, Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, until 1955. He then spent two years as head of Battersea Secondary School before being offered the headship of Holland Park School
Holland Park School
Holland Park School was opened in London, UK, in 1958. It became the flagship for comprehensive education, and in its heyday had over 2000 in the student body. It became known as the "socialist Eton", and a number of high-profile socialists sent their children to Holland Park School, adding to its...
in 1957.
This progressive west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
offered an education to thousands as an alternative to poorly rated secondary modern school
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
s designed for those unable to make the 11-plus examination system for a state grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
education.
Holland Park School
Holland Park School
Holland Park School was opened in London, UK, in 1958. It became the flagship for comprehensive education, and in its heyday had over 2000 in the student body. It became known as the "socialist Eton", and a number of high-profile socialists sent their children to Holland Park School, adding to its...
was glamorous, rubbing shoulders, with the prosperous Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
whose children tended to be privately educated, and yet also included students from the crime and race-riot-ridden Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
area.
In himself, Clarke seemed an unlikely leader for such a radical experiment. He was mild-mannered and conservatively dressed in an academic gown. On one hand Holland Park School
Holland Park School
Holland Park School was opened in London, UK, in 1958. It became the flagship for comprehensive education, and in its heyday had over 2000 in the student body. It became known as the "socialist Eton", and a number of high-profile socialists sent their children to Holland Park School, adding to its...
had a reputation among wary conservatives in the Swinging Sixties as a progressive hotbed of perceived dubious morals, and on the other the institution Clarke moulded was run on traditional lines. Its pupils wore a uniform, whose jacket sported the school crest, and the school was run on a house system.
Yet Clarke’s previous experience had included the headships of two London secondary moderns. That, combined with teaching in a direct grant grammar school
Direct grant grammar school
A direct grant grammar school was a selective secondary school in England and Wales between 1945 and 1976 funded partly by the state and partly through private fees....
, had shown him what equal opportunity could do when combined with the encouragement of excellence.
Legacy
When founding the school, Clarke set himself to plan in meticulous detail. This was done in an ambience of local hostility led by the Campden Hill Preservation Society, which had for some years lobbied against opening a modern school in such an area - its members included the future poet laureate John BetjemanJohn Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
.
Clarke’s attention to detail included the design of the school badge, which depicted a fox carrying a dahlia in its jaws, the former acknowledging the family name of the lords Holland on whose land the school was built, the latter referring to Lady Holland’s introduction of the bloom into England in the early years of the 19th century. More fundamental to his approach was the establishment of a library for the school.
When the school opened its doors in September 1958, the Notting Hill race riots
Notting Hill race riots
The Notting Hill race riots were a series of racially-motivated riots that took place in London, England over several nights in late August and early September 1958.-Context:The end of World War II had seen a marked increase in Caribbean migrants to Britain...
, which had broken out in August, seemed only to underline the formidable nature of the task of healing social divisions that it had set itself. It was Clarke’s philosophy to maintain a large student population – more than 2,000. This size, he felt, would conduce to a greater variety in the backgrounds of pupils, and would enable a greater range of subjects to be taught.
Teaching was at first rigidly streamed. This was subsequently, in the 1970s under Clarke’s successor Derek Rushworth, reversed on the theory that underachieving students would benefit from intellectual association with those of greater ability. After a more radical period under Rushworth, Holland Park reverted to more traditional teaching methods in the 1990s.
Whatever Holland Park did tended to be done in the glare of publicity. The conservative wing of the press dearly wanted to find fault with the experiment.
But Clarke’s Holland Park could point to its impressive A-level results and university entrance. Those pupils who had been sidelined under the 11-plus system were given an educational opportunity, and sense of self-worth, undreamt of in the secondary modern system to which they would otherwise have been fated.