New School is Reply to Critics - Minister

Need for rapid adaptation in a changing world

OPENING Northampton's new £227,000 Technical High School yesterday, the Minister of Education (Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd) said it was a practical answer to the critics of Britain's education system.

He posed the question: "Have we been adapting ourselves fast enough to the changing, amid much more, scientific, character of the world and particularly industry."

If anyone wants to criticise our education system, that probably would be the main criticism made," said Mr. Lloyd. "That is why it is particularly pleasing this afternoon to be in a magnificent new school which is a most practical form at answer to a criticism of that kind. I think it is true to say that this school is really a modern form of grammar school."

In the 19th century there were strong arts and classical components in grammar school training but, he claimed, scientific studies were also very good for intellectual discipline. Various schools could still have a particular emphasis or bias.

Northampton was moving along with great success, in solving the problem of developing technical modern schools to take full responsibility for a share in, the present education system said Mr Lloyd.

He was particularly interested to see in Northampton how schools had been developed and how they had biases in different directions.

SENSE OF BALANCE

Northampton was in a sense a very representative British town with an historic past, prosperous present and, he hoped, a very important industrial future.

"You have been, adapting your education system with great energy and yet with a very typical sense of balance," he said. There had been no wild rush for any particular form of nostrum or educational fad: they had taken the essential decisions and made progress - a very steady and balanced development.

Before declaring the school officially open, the Minister said: I hope that this school will make a great contribution to the prosperity and culture of the town in the future."

Earlier in his speech, Mr. Lloyd said Northampton's fine new school reminded him forcibly of the impression he formed on his travels in. Asia - that there was a tremendous interest in education all over the world.
Britain's problem was to keep ahead of other countries in education and to do that we had to work very hard. Yet he said there were some heartening things in British education. He had been impressed by the obvious interest of children in what they were doing. Not so when lie was at school. Then there was a difficult spirit... perhaps it way naughtiness.'

TRIBUTE TO TEACHERS

"Anybody who goes into schools today cannot fail to be struck by the fact that children are absorbed in what they are doing, and we have to thank the teachers for the tremendous improvements in the art of teaching and in capturing the interest of the boys and girls," he said.

this country. Since the war we have built 2,644 primary schools 1,136 new secondary schools and had provided over 2,000,000 school places. That was a 'really wonderful effort and he hoped it was only in mid-course.
But he said, the most wonderful thing of all was to see the translation into reality of the great principle of the Butler Act of 1944 of making secondary education, available to all, up to the limit of their abilities and capacities. That was a new principle in educational history.
It would produce year by year a new class of leading British citizens of a higher Standard in education and ability and in quantities never experienced before. It was going to have a profound effect on the country.

"It gives us a warm feeling in our hearts to realise that this is open to everyone, irrespective of their means," he said.

SILVER LINING?

Introducing the Minister. Alderman F. Tollit, chairman of the Education Committee, said: "We with the approval of your department, are planning extensive additions to the Central College of Further Education. Work will commence very shortly on a new workshop block."

He added: " Although there are some of us who feel that there is a thickening cloud over the field of education. We are optimistic enough to look for a silver lining."

Alderman Tollit had said that despite difficulties, the Technical High School - once part of the College of Technology - had made outstanding progress during the past ten years. The sixth farm was growing and would continue to grow. There was also a steady flow of able scholars to the universities.

Proposing a vote of thanks to the minister, the Mayor of Northampton (Councillor F. P. Saunders) said it had become evident that that they were passing through a revolutionary stage in education. The new school closely fitted into the pattern of the modern world.

The vote of thanks was seconded by Alderman A. L. Chown, deputy-chairman of the Education Committee, and prayers of dedication were, led by the Mayor's Chaplain (the Rev B. R. Marsh).