Our School (1962) - extract

By kind permission of the National Union of Teachers, here is a scene from a documentary they commissioned about the Francis Combe County Secondary School in Hertfordshire (interestingly, a secondary modern as opposed to a higher-profile grammar school). It's a fascinating record of teaching styles at the time, as demonstrated here in which a Scottish teacher discusses accents and ways of speaking with his pupils. You can read more about the film at: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/1078626/index.html

The film is one of four directed by the veteran British documentary-maker John Krish that will tour British cinemas from mid-November under the collective title 'A Day in the Life: Four Portraits of Post-War Britain by John Krish'. More details can be found at: http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_around_the_uk/film_releases/a_day_in_the_life

'Our School' is being reissued as part of 'Boom Britain', the BFI's celebration and reappraisal of postwar documentary filmmaking in Britain: http://www.bfi.org.uk/boombritain.html

Category:

Education

Tags:

• BFI National Archive
• Boom Britain
• John Krish
• secondary modern
• Francis Combe School
• education
• accents
• dialects

[sheffmeistergeneral]

Hi do you know if i can get this series on DVD anywhere? my mum was in the video and wanted to purchase it if possible. Ant help would be great.

Thanks

Sheffmeister

[BFIfilms]

@sheffmeistergeneral 'Our School' is one of six John Krish documentaries included on 'A Day in the Life', which is coming out on Blu-ray and DVD on 28 March. This also includes 'I Want To Go To School', Krish's other NUT-sponsored documentary, which looks at a primary school. More details at filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/­info_18913.html

[latham29]

Another brilliant REAL film from the BFI. Thanks for this and keep them coming. It's so cool that you're getting your films out there to a wider audience. More of these and less of the London Film Festival 'puff' vids would be great!!!

[pewmanfustudios]

I was hoping the instructor was going to shake his fist in anger at the end.

[TheHolandTrip]

So damned good editing! I'm guessing there is only two cameras at most, and they manage to do perfect close-ups of each student who's about to speek and even making it look real.

[dameaustel]

@AidanMoffat96 wow, a great man, his heart was in helping these kids.

[entraildivider]

When England was still English! Who could have imagined that it would deterioate into the terrible place it is now?

[little4string]

i cont sey us i agree wi yon mon!

[agaichapter25]

the girl talking about being ashamed of her parents for talikng with an accent needed a good slap by those same parents who were doubtless feeding and clothing her..ungrateful brat.

[agaichapter25]

2.46 what a hypocrite...idiot also.

[marthaak8]

Hi,

I thought that some of you might be interested to know that we are putting on a screening of this programme that was shown at the BFI earlier in the year.

It will be held at The Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley, London on the 5th June 2011 and will include a Q&A with director John Krish.

It is easy to book tickets through the Phoenix Box Office on 020 8444 6789 or online.

More information is available on the facebook group 'A Day In The Life' screening and Q&A with director John Krish'

[AidanMoffat96]

@TheAnn2shoes Mr Moffat (my dad ) died Christmas 07. His 82nd birthday. He loved teaching at Francis Combe and always spoke very warmly about all of his pupils. Ex pupils often tracked him down to our house in St Albans who were great characters

[AidanMoffat96]

@incongra He was a jock but I couldn't tell you if if he was disguising his accent. He was proud of being a jock

but did feel that people should speak clearly