Mr B. S. HOWARD RETIRES AFTER 28 YEARS at TRINITY 
As
most of you are aware, this summer sees the retirement of Mr. B. S.
Howard, Trinity's headmaster from its very beginnings. During this busy
and possibly sad final term, he found time to talk to our reporters about
those earliest days and his prospect of the future.
Q. Mr. Howard, could you tell us just a little of your life before you
came to Trinity?
A. It was rather a long time ago. Teaching was not my first choice of
profession. I qualified originally at Manchester University as an
electrical engineer, went on to industry, and found myself engaged in
research.
When I'd done just short of four and a half years of it, I began to
realise that this was not life at all and that when I went home in the
evening I'd seen precious little of human beings and I had no sense of
satisfaction. In modern jargon, I had no sense of job fulfilment, and so I
was very pleased to see an old headmaster of mine who came round to ask me
if I would teach in his evening institute. He offered me one evening in
the first place and next year he came to offer me another evening, and I
accepted that too. The money was very welcome! One afternoon when I was
sitting in my office, in the firm that I worked for, I began to realise
that what I was doing during the day was of less interest than what I was
doing in the evening, and so I went to Leeds University to do a year in
educational studies. After that I went for full-time teaching and somehow
or other, in the course of the years, I seem to have gravitated to a
headship.
Q. What are your earliest memories of the school?
A. When I came to Northampton, in September 1946, there was no school
building. What had been the Junior Technical School was housed in the
College of Technology building. We lived in rooms in the college I owe a
very great deal to Mr. Bailey, who was in those days the principal of the
college and members of his staff and people like Mr. Tompkins, Mr. Wright,
Mr. Harris, Mr. Clements, all these were former members of staff at that
time and between us, somehow we got along. Miss Wilkinson joined us about
six months after I arrived, and from that day there came the tradition of
what I call 'submarine discipline', which has gone right through the
school until the present time. We are accessible, we are friendly,
co-operative, and no-one stands on his dignity, certainly not me; and that
tradition goes right back to the very early days when we were so short of
space that we lived on top of each other.
Q. On looking back, what were the happiest moments?
A. When we made progress. When I came to Northampton, the school was to
become a Technical High School. I had to proceed on my own ideas, and we
did technical subjects, yes, and then we gradually introduced the G.C.E.,
and it was a great day when we did; and very gradually we built up a
Technical High School, then Trinity High School, and so to Trinity Grammar
School, which is to become Trinity Upper School. I've experienced great
satisfaction when we've obviously moved forward.
Q. Were there any particularly sad moments?
A. Yes. When things got held up. What actually happened was that the
school in the college building got bigger and bigger. The number of pupils
and staff increased. The pressure was so great that when the tower was
built, we moved across half and half. When I first lived in the tower
block, where the hall is now was a mass of building appliances, drills,
wheelbarrows; it was a muddy mess! But gradually the rest of the building
was finally completed. Later on we pressed for an addition, the old Sixth
Form block, with, more recently, the new block.
Q. What would you say were the school's most outstanding achievements?
A.
I don't think there's been any one spectacular success that I could point
to. I think that what we have achieved, we have achieved in stages, due to
a good deal of effort on the part of my colleagues, past and present, and
to a lesser extent myself. We have built, by human endeavour and
determination, a Grammar School where no Grammar School existed before. I
think that all staff, past and present, and pupils of course, can look
back with satisfaction on what we have achieved.
Q. What changes do you envisage for the school?
A. The education authority is pledged to implement the three-tier system
of education, that is, Lower, Middle and Upper schools. Thus what are now
grammar schools must, of course, become Upper schools
Q. Do you think comprehensive education is a good idea?
A. I am completing my fortieth year as a member of the teaching
profession. I've seen a good deal of reorganisation and many changes; I
would rather prefer to say that I do not like large schools. To me, a
large school is anything over 700 pupils.
Q. Are there any colleagues that you would particularly like to remember?
A. Yes, when I came to Northampton, Mr. Tomkins, who was deputy head of
the school, was carrying a very heavy burden indeed. The effort that has
created Trinity Grammar School really took place in the old days when we
had so little and were required to do so much. People like Mr. Tompkins,
Mr. Wright, Mr. Harris, Mr. Clements, Mr. Bennett, my old colleagues I
wish to remember. Of course other people have joined since standing and
have given almost as much to the school.
Q. What are the greatest changes you have seen in education over the
years?
A. I do not like the movement to larger units The fallacy that bigger is
better should be demolished - it is not necessarily true.
Q. Are you looking forward to your retirement?
A. Retirement is something that happens to you I have been engrossed in
the work of the school, it has literally been my life. I have been
involved in it for 28 years at the end of this term and suddenly to turn
round, which I did in September, and realise that because of age I'd
reached retirement was something of a shock. If you ask me what I'm going
to do in retirement, I'm going to take a term off and have a look around
to see how I feel, decide if retirement suits me.
Q. Are there any hobbies or particular interest that may occupy you during
your retirement?
A. I'm interested to a minor extent in electronics and I wish to find out
if I have any facilities for writing at all. Although quite frankly, I
don't think so. I shall try writing for my own consumption, I don't
propose to inflict it on the literary market. Also I would like to look
around. To have had so many years in, not an ivory tower, but a red-brick
tower and having my attention turned inward, I would now like to turn it
outward and see how I feel.
