Another review of Jonty Driver's latest book

‘Some Schools’some man!
Jonathan Watts reviews Jonty’s latest book

Jonty Driver recalls an occasion when, as Head of Island School in Hong Kong,he took his place at the back of thelunch queue – a reflection in itself of hisegalitarian instincts and the desire to get to know pupils better. ‘Two boys ahead of me, one of whom I had recently dealt with for misbehaviour of some trivial kind, hadn’t noticed me. “He’s a bastard”the first boy asserted. His friend agreed.
Then the first boy added reflectively, “But fair.” It is through such anecdotes – some self-effacing, some purely factual, some reflecting a justifiable pride in a job well done – that Jonty provides witty, perceptive and often humorous or poignant insights into the life of a teacher and Head from the 1960s until his retirement as Master of Wellington in 2000. As an accomplished poet and novelist, he is adept at depicting his own character and thoughts with utter candour and honesty, and this entertaining and enjoyable book is suffused with his strong personality and equally strong views. His writing is superbly crafted with great subtlety: within the narrative of his career in education – and
the simultaneous changes in educational thinking and practice - Jonty includes short reflections on all sorts of relevant topics such as bullying, drugs, homosexuality, the politics of education, curricular
change, leadership and the debate over the continued existence of independent schools.
What is perhaps most illuminating is the way in which he explains through examples from his own experience how schools work, and in particular the complex relationship between teachers, heads, governors, parents and pupils: it will give anyone a far greater grasp of how their own school functioned.
Jonty is typically generous towards those dedicated and inspiring teachers with whom he has worked, highlighting the careers of particular individuals and why they deserve praise; on the other hand, he is scathing of the inadequate, inept or incompetent – often by name. He can be equally critical of schools, and it is clear that, when he took over at Wellington, it was not a happyplace. Did lawyers, I wonder, have to go through the text to avoid legal action - not something which I suspect would worry an author who, early in his life, was detained in solitary confinement for his student activism against the apartheid system in his home-country of South Africa and suffered years of statelessness as a result.
A former Prime Minister said that never in his wildest dreams could he exercise the power wielded by his own headmaster – but any political theorist will tell you that there is a big difference between power and authority. Jonty has been unafraid to use his personal authority to solve problems and,
at 6 foot 4 with an athletic physique and a suitably expressive and terse vocabulary, he was well able to put the fear of God into miscreant pupils and colleagues.
But there is nothing self-congratulatory or smug about this book which is largely about the problems which face a Head and how they can be solved – and for Jonty, any solution must be for the good of the young people in his charge. There are all sorts of apparent contradictions in this self-portrait
– the advocate of comprehensive education who ends up running an elite school; the libertarian democrat who is happy to exercise authority which might be seen as arbitrary; the doubting, introspective poet who has firmly held views of right and wrong. Yet these complexities only serve to
show how human a head can be (did any of us ever think of our school heads as human beings?); everything Jonty has undertaken has been the result of his underlying concern for humanity and ensuring that young people are brought up with the values and vision to make them effective
members of society. His description of two former colleagues applies equally well to Jonty himself: ‘intelligent, compassionate, intellectually rigorous, energetic and goodhumoured’.
Perhaps we value in others the qualities we nurture in ourselves. And beside him on this journey has been his wise and supportive wife Ann – ‘behind every great man…..’; perhaps she will tell
her story one day. ‘Some Schools’; some man!

Some Schools by CJ (Jonty) Driver is
available in hardback and paperback from
Amazon, the Rye Bookshop or direct from the
publisher (John Catt Educational Ltd)

 First published in Ewhurst & Bodiam Parish News © Jonathan Watts / Ewhurst & Bodiam Parish News