Brian Simon
Encyclopedia
Professor the Hon. Brian Simon (26 March 1915 – 17 January 2002), was an English
educationist and historian.
and Shena, Lady Simon
, he was the brother of the second Baron Simon of Wythenshawe, Roger Simon
, the solicitor and writer on Gramsci
.
After Gresham's School
, Holt, Norfolk
, where he was a contemporary of Benjamin Britten
and Donald Maclean
, and two terms at Schule Schloss Salem
, under the headship of Kurt Hahn
, Simon went up to Trinity College, Cambridge
in 1934, becoming a leader of the University Education Society. In 1935 he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
(as his brother Roger would do a year later) and the student Marxist Study Group.
After Cambridge he went to the University of London's Institute of Education
to train as a teacher.
in Moscow
in the summer of 1939.
During the Second World War, Simon served in the Dorsetshire Regiment and the Royal Corps of Signals
and was attached to the Phantom regiment (General Headquarters Liaison) which took him to many places and led to a lifelong friendship with the actor David Niven
.
After the war, Simon taught in a Manchester elementary school, then at Varna Street Secondary Modern, and for three years at Salford Grammar School, where he produced a play which gave Albert Finney
his first stage role.
From 1950 to 1980 Simon taught at the University of Leicester
, as a lecturer, then reader (1964), professor (1966), and emeritus professor (1980).
He emerged as a major figure in the world of education, writing on the history and politics of education and advocating comprehensive schools.
, the daughter of Home Peel, a civil servant in the India Office
.
They had two sons, Alan (born 1943) and Martin (born 1944).
, University of London.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
educationist and historian.
Background and early life
The younger son of Ernest Darwin Simon, 1st Baron Simon of WythenshaweErnest Darwin Simon, 1st Baron Simon of Wythenshawe
Ernest Emil Darwin Simon, 1st Baron Simon of Wythenshawe was an industrialist and politician in the United Kingdom....
and Shena, Lady Simon
Shena Simon
Shena Dorothy Simon was a politician and educational reformer in Manchester, England.-Early years:Shena Dorothy Potter was born on 21 October 1883, daughter of John Wilson Potter and Jane Boyd Potter....
, he was the brother of the second Baron Simon of Wythenshawe, Roger Simon
Roger Simon, 2nd Baron Simon of Wythenshawe
Roger Simon, 2nd Baron Simon of Wythenshawe was a British solicitor and left wing journalist and political activist. He was one of the founders of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament....
, the solicitor and writer on Gramsci
Antonio Gramsci
Antonio Gramsci was an Italian writer, politician, political philosopher, and linguist. He was a founding member and onetime leader of the Communist Party of Italy and was imprisoned by Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime...
.
After Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt, Norfolk
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, where he was a contemporary of Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
and Donald Maclean
Donald Duart Maclean
Donald Duart Maclean was a British diplomat and member of the Cambridge Five who were members of MI5, MI6 or the diplomatic service who acted as spies for the Soviet Union in the Second World War and beyond. He was recruited as a "straight penetration agent" while an undergraduate at Cambridge by...
, and two terms at Schule Schloss Salem
Schule Schloss Salem
Schule Schloss Salem is a boarding school with campuses in Hohenfels, Salem and Überlingen in Baden-Württemberg, Southern Germany. It is considered one of the most elite schools in Europe.It offers the German Abitur, as well as the International Baccalaureate...
, under the headship of Kurt Hahn
Kurt Hahn
Kurt Martin Hahn was a German educator whose philosophies are considered internationally influential.-Biography:...
, Simon went up to Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
in 1934, becoming a leader of the University Education Society. In 1935 he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
(as his brother Roger would do a year later) and the student Marxist Study Group.
After Cambridge he went to the University of London's Institute of Education
Institute of Education
The Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
to train as a teacher.
Career
In 1938, he was appointed to the newly formed Labour Party education advisory committee and was elected secretary of the National Union of Students branch at the Institute of Education, becoming president in 1939. He travelled to international student conferences, one such being with Guy BurgessGuy Burgess
Guy Francis De Moncy Burgess was a British-born intelligence officer and double agent, who worked for the Soviet Union. He was part of the Cambridge Five spy ring that betrayed Western secrets to the Soviets before and during the Cold War...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in the summer of 1939.
During the Second World War, Simon served in the Dorsetshire Regiment and the Royal Corps of Signals
Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...
and was attached to the Phantom regiment (General Headquarters Liaison) which took him to many places and led to a lifelong friendship with the actor David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
.
After the war, Simon taught in a Manchester elementary school, then at Varna Street Secondary Modern, and for three years at Salford Grammar School, where he produced a play which gave Albert Finney
Albert Finney
Albert Finney is an English actor. He achieved prominence in films in the early 1960s, and has maintained a successful career in theatre, film and television....
his first stage role.
From 1950 to 1980 Simon taught at the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
, as a lecturer, then reader (1964), professor (1966), and emeritus professor (1980).
He emerged as a major figure in the world of education, writing on the history and politics of education and advocating comprehensive schools.
Publications
- A Student's View of the Universities (1943)
- Intelligence Testing and the Comprehensive School (1953)
- The Common Secondary School (1955)
- Studies in the History of Education, 1780–1870 (1960)
- Halfway There: Report on the British Comprehensive School Reform (with Caroline BennCaroline BennCaroline Middleton DeCamp Benn , formerly Viscountess Stansgate, was an educationalist and writer, and wife of the British Labour politician Tony Benn ....
, 1970) - Bending the Rules (1988)
- Education and the Social Order, 1940-1990 (1991)
- A Life in Education (1998)
Family
On 12 February 1941 Brian Simon married Joan Peel, assistant editor of the Times Educational SupplementTimes Educational Supplement
The Times Educational Supplement is a weekly UK publication aimed primarily at school teachers in the UK. It was first published in 1910 as a pull-out supplement in The Times newspaper. Such was its popularity that in 1914, the supplement became a separate publication selling for 1 penny.The TES...
, the daughter of Home Peel, a civil servant in the India Office
India Office
The India Office was a British government department created in 1858 to oversee the colonial administration of India, i.e. the modern-day nations of Bangladesh, Burma, India, and Pakistan, as well as territories in South-east and Central Asia, the Middle East, and parts of the east coast of Africa...
.
They had two sons, Alan (born 1943) and Martin (born 1944).
Primary sources
Brian Simon's personal papers are held in the Archives at the Institute of EducationInstitute of Education
The Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
, University of London.
Published Sources
- Simon, Brian (1915–2002), educationist and historian by Roy Lowe in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- Rethinking Radical Education: essays in honour of Brian Simon (ed. A. Rattansi and D. Reeder, 1992)
- A Life in Education by Brian Simon (1998)
- Brian Simon, 1915–2002 by G. McCulloch in Research Intelligence, volume 79 (March 2002), pages 30–31
- Obituary in History of Education Society Bulletin, volume 69 (2002), pages 1–2
- Brian Simon, by R. Lowe in History Workshop Journal, volume 56 (autumn 2003), pages 298–300
- Obituary in Times Educational SupplementTimes Educational SupplementThe Times Educational Supplement is a weekly UK publication aimed primarily at school teachers in the UK. It was first published in 1910 as a pull-out supplement in The Times newspaper. Such was its popularity that in 1914, the supplement became a separate publication selling for 1 penny.The TES...
25 January 2002 - Obituary in The Morning StarThe Morning StarThe Morning Star is a left wing British daily tabloid newspaper with a focus on social and trade union issues. Articles and comment columns are contributed by writers from socialist, social democratic, green and religious perspectives....
29 January 2002