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I must say a word about my teaching policy. As regards reading, I was always a firm believer in the phonic method and a strong opponent of the " Look and Say " method, for long so fashionable and so damaging. As regards numeracy, children should not in my view use calculators at school before they have been taught at primary level the basic ability to calculate for themselves. The use of calculators should wait until they have gone on to middle school. I did not allow their use in my school. Mental arithmetic, including knowledge of multiplication tables, and spelling practice were a daily feature of our programme.
The children came, not only from Husborne Crawley, but also from Hulcote, Salford, Cranfield, Aspley Guise and other places round about. Remembering how so many of them came from a distance and were brought to school by car reminds me of a minor triumph which gave much pleasure to all of us. Cars had to pull up on the roadway in front of the school, avoiding a deep dry ditch which extended along the full frontage of the school. The danger of slipping into this ditch was a hazard both for the driver and for anyone stepping out of the car, even in good light and particularly so in winter darkness. After lengthy battles with the bureaucracy we at last succeeded in getting permission to fill the ditch in. This was done with the aid of the always helpful school governors - a great achievement, and from that time on a safety asset to the school. |
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