The Old Boys' Network

by John Rae

John Rae was one of the most charismatic and controversial figures in British education. His reputation as a great reformer was forged during his 16 years as headmaster of Westminster School, in the 1970s and early 1980s. And his candid account of that turbulent period - recorded at the time in handwritten diaries - seems as fresh and relevant today as it was back then. The diaries, which he finished editing just before he died aged 75 in 2006, chart his struggle to keep out illegal drugs and the impact of family breakdown on pupils. Devious, rank-pulling parents are humorously dispatched. Dirty tricks by other schools are exposed - although Rae was not above wheeler-dealering himself to preserve Westminster's ranking in the educational elite. Outspoken and humane, Rae believed in the right of parents to educate their children privately, but he was also a sharp critic of the public school establishment. "Say what you believe and head up high" was his life-long personal code - the spirit of which is captured in this often shocking and unputdownable book.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 2, 2009

About the author

Dr. John Rae was a British educator, author and novelist. He was headmaster of Taunton School (1966-1970) and then Head Master of Westminster School (1970-1986).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ra...

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amongst other things, an intriguing insight into the dealmaking done at the most prestigious private schools in England with Oxford/Cambridge university

[Aris Catsambas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty meh. Doesn't go into enough detail regarding the workings of a public school to be truly interesting, and the image it paints of such schools is not a very flattering one.

[HattieB · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very dry book.

[Kexx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to begin with, but became repetitious. A good dipper, a Christmas present I wouldn't have read otherwise.

[Sam Schulman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The agreeably boring diaries of the most prominent public school headmaster in Britain in the 70s and 80s - concentrating on the foibles of the adolescent boys and girls of Westminster School, but with the even less mature behavior of Rae's schoolmasters, parents and board members. Best story: a skillful and distinguished classics master comes to him near the end of term, suggesting that there is a serious problem of morale among the teaching staff. The two of them go to a pub to discuss it - and when the master takes out two folders with an agenda of the matters to discuss, the headmaster sighs inwardly and gets two pints for the two of them. In the mean time, the schoolmaster has set up a little slide projector on the pub table - in order to show his boss pictures of the railroad train engines that the schoolmaster would have been able to see had he (like others) been given permission to take the last day of term off.
Reading this book exerts a calming influence in these agitated days.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable view of education in a public school at this time. Unfortunately the children sound rather too high powered for me! The balance Rae had to keep between his ideas and what was acceptable was interesting. So also was the way he acknowledged and at times played up to his role as a wild card.

[Cat]

When I saw this book, i thought it might be one of those fun boarding school type stories. I wasn't too far from wrong. It's fascinating, as an outsider to British schools, to read about the class structure found within their schools. So much segregation! But at the same time, kids, for the most time will be kids and teachers and parents the same! It's not an exciting book, but may bring a smile or laugh or two while reading it. I am ever so glad John Rae's Diaries were published!
I received a Kindle ARC in exchange for a fair review from Netgalley.