Scots at School: An Anthology

About the Book

What is the defining Scottish experience? The Kirk, Scots Law, Hampden Park? There are several contenders, but school is the universal and enduring one. Stories and myths have clustered around its chief features:*Pupils as lads o' pairts.*Teachers as dominies.*The democratic intellect.*The village skweel.*Hard work, getting on and the power of the tawse.*Academic excellence and 'sticking in'.Telling the tale of Scotland's educational experience over the past 250 years, this book draws on the first-hand testimony of pupils, teachers and parents - with extracts taken from biography, local history, journal and oral interview, along with fascinating contemporary photographs.The anthologised material is accompanied by David Northcroft's narrative outlining the history of the distinctive Scottish school system. By drawing out key themes of identity, nationalism and 'democracy', he sets the claims that have traditionally been made for the system's excellence and independent spirit against the accounts of people's actual experiences.This history, enhanced by the personal stories of those involved, offers the reader a vivid account of the experience of Scottish schooling.Key Features:*Strong 'nostalgia' market for books of this kind.*Draws on broad range of personal testimony.*Includes extracts from Tom Devine, John Galt, Hugh Miller, Magnus Magnusson, Neil Munro, Alan Spence and T. C. Smout.*Each section is prefaced with an editorial introduction - taken together, they trace the Scottish educational experience over the past 250 years.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. The Tradition of Scottish Education; 1750 - 1840; 2. School and Society: a People's System?; 3. The Lads Who Got On; 4. And the Dominies Who Helped Them; 5. An Educated People : Images of Scotland; 1840 - 1918; 6. Crisis in the City; 7. Board Schools and Burgh Academies; 8. The Country Matters; 9. A Terrible Efficiency is Born; 1918 - 2000; 10. A General Grounding: Primary School Education 1918-65; 11. Seniors and Juniors : Secondary School Education 1918-65; 12. All Change 1965-85; 13. Then and Now 1985-2000; Conclusion; 14.The Tradition of the Scottish Education Tradition; Glossary; Index of People and Places.

About the Author :
A retired teacher of English, David Northcroft's last position was as Vice Principal of Northern College of Education (1990-1998). He is currently a Research Associate at the Elphinstone Institute at Aberdeen University. He has written articles for numerous professional journals and is editor of North-east Identities and Scottish Schooling (Aberdeen University Press, forthcoming).

Review :
Dr Northcroft has assembled a great deal of fascinating and unfamiliar material, and this should make an original and interesting book. The combination of literary and historical material is especially noteworthy, and the author is well equipped to handle it. -- Professor Robert Anderson, University of Edinburgh David Northcroft's anthology gives the human dimension from the mid-18th century to the present day, with extracts from the memoirs of teachers, pupils and administrators and well chosen snippets of official documents ... This is an enterprising idea bringing a fresh slant to the telling of Scotland's educational history ! Northcroft has mined a fresh seam. The fruits of his labours are accessible to a general reader interested in an important part of post-Union history. -- Willis Pickard The ace of Scots at School is that it lets the subjects do the talking to give the book its spark of life, while the author provides the historical and professional perspective to give it its depth. It's a clever approach that works beautifully !Scots at School is a magnificent piece of research, assembly and writing, well worth its place as an academic text and as a source to spark memories among the rest of us. -- Norman Harper That this text has found its way quickly to the popular Scottish history shelves of booksellers is a testament to its ability to entertain as well as inform. Dr Northcroft has assembled a great deal of fascinating and unfamiliar material, and this should make an original and interesting book. The combination of literary and historical material is especially noteworthy, and the author is well equipped to handle it. David Northcroft's anthology gives the human dimension from the mid-18th century to the present day, with extracts from the memoirs of teachers, pupils and administrators and well chosen snippets of official documents ... This is an enterprising idea bringing a fresh slant to the telling of Scotland's educational history ! Northcroft has mined a fresh seam. The fruits of his labours are accessible to a general reader interested in an important part of post-Union history. The ace of Scots at School is that it lets the subjects do the talking to give the book its spark of life, while the author provides the historical and professional perspective to give it its depth. It's a clever approach that works beautifully !Scots at School is a magnificent piece of research, assembly and writing, well worth its place as an academic text and as a source to spark memories among the rest of us. That this text has found its way quickly to the popular Scottish history shelves of booksellers is a testament to its ability to entertain as well as inform.