Shorter Notice
Education in Britain. Edited by R. A. Scott-James. (Muller. 6s.)
This book was originally written for such friendly countries al the United States and Latin America, and so has the advantage of presuming no familiarity with the subject. The English educa- tional system is not easy to understand, partly because the State came later on the scene than in newer countries, and there was already a complicated labyrinth of existing schools. Here are fifteen articles by specialists revealing such interesting and shocking facts as the wide variations in opportunity of attending a secondary school. In different parts of the country the chance may be at low as one in twenty or as high as two in five. One cannot help wondering, too, whether it is not sometimes disheartening for the staff in modern schools to teach only those not considered intelligent enough for secondary education. The High Mistress of St. Paul's School for Girls very sensibly says, "The school library And the desire to read in it are among the few protections that cartgo with a girl when she leaves school." Miss Strudwick emphasises also the advantages of staying on for a year at least after School Certificate, some subjects of which generally worry girls, and also the stiff examination which must be passed before going to a Women's College at Oxford or Cambridge. (For those who do manage to get there, the high standard is rather an advantage, providing them with exceptionally intelligent companions.) The Head Master of Shrewsbury praises public schools for their diversity and complete freedom from bureaucratic control. Contrary to general belief, they dre largely financed by the parents and not heavily endowed. Teachers' training is one of the most important factors in the post-war educational set-up, and Professor Stanley confirms one's suspicion that too many people become teachers because it is a safe job and the only way in which they can get to the University, and that too many candidates arrive at a training college " played out, cramped, tense and unresilient." This hook, also shows, as does A. L. Rowse's Cornish Childhood, the need for extending the scholarship system and the facilities for the wait- ing class to attend residential Peoples' Colleges.
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