Faith, Class and Politics: The Role of the Churches in Teacher Training 1914‐1945

Citation

Davies, B. (2010), "Faith, Class and Politics: The Role of the Churches in Teacher Training 1914‐1945", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 24 No. 5, pp. 459-460. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513541011056018

Several years ago I consulted Professor Peter Ribbins regarding a chapter I was editing in a collected work published by Routledge. Peter came back with the comment that the chapter was “a right riveting read” a phrase that has stuck in my memory ever since. I can now apply that phase to this book as it is indeed a “right riveting read”. This is a work of scholarship and perceptive insights that draws a rich picture of leadership, politics and economics across a broad sweep of policy making. The naive outsider could be forgiven for thinking that both education and faith based groups are driven by value based decision making and that low politics, lack of vision and sheer incompetence are not the abiding operating values. The book reviews changing developments and finds lots of the low politics and lack of vision and sadly very little of value based decision making.

This is a book of true quality with the author having a mastery of his subject and an engaging writing style that draws the reader in to a fascinating story of policy making, intrigue and educational developments that resonates a great deal with current policy making. It articulates the failure of government, through several administrations, to develop a coherent view of teacher training and its view of teacher training as just that and not teacher education. The view that linking Colleges with Universities in a coherent system of higher education was rejected by Universities from their elitist mind set. The Burnham report in the 1925 saw that training colleges “should not dabble in providing degrees for children of the less well to do classes” reflects much of the view about vocationalism and class basis of higher education at the time.

The denominational infighting and the inability of some denominations to provide reflective education rather than doctrinal instruction provides insightful commentary of the role of religious bodies in the educational field. In a stunning piece of research Lofthouse unearthed this gem:

Mr Anderson, secretary of the Catholic Education Council, conceded that buildings and equipment could be improved, staffing, however, was quite another matter. “Religious orders took their instruction from Rome and not from the Council” declared Anderton, “perhaps the inspectors would like to write to Rome”? “Where in Rome?” Asked Mr Mayor. Mr Anderton has no idea – nor, apparently, did anyone else. The file concludes, like many others in the Catholic colleges section: “Action suspended pending further information”.

Lofthouse manages both to capture the academic objectivity necessary in such an account but also to give a flavour of “Yes Minister” as he weaves a delicate account of the interplay between denominations, the Civil Service and the politicians involved. An outstanding piece of research and a delightful read.