Customer Reviews

Delusions of Grandeur: A Headmaster's Life, 1966-86

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John Rae comes across as a committed educationalist of the old school, but with a distinct Labour party bent. He spent 20 years as headmaster of Westminster school, arguably the most prestigous school in London, and this is his memoir of the time. He writes in a slightly wooden, almost stuffy style (some might say headmasterly!), but conveys the nature of job well. His relations with his pupils, other teachers, parents, governors and many other aspects of the head of school role are documented with insightful stories. So is his family life - Rae married young and pursued a highly specific and curious goal that he must have 6 children (something he achieved), who packed into the Regency Headmasters house in Central London.

Rae's battles, notably over the assisted places scheme introduced by the Conservatives are also documented. He opposed the scheme as he believed it masked the need for full scale reform of state schools rather than cosmetic measures. Britain sadly has a two tier education system - a private elite creaming of those with the money to pay for it, and a struggling mass comprehensive system, with many state schools picking up the pieces from social breakdown Britain.

Rae's life and actions did nothing to rectify this, but this book is a good one to pick up for those interested in life in England's public schools, in the vein of the great Victorian reforming headmaster Thomas Arnold