ABSTRACT
Nicknames ‘Sir’ and ‘Miss’ fulfil the formal requirements of schools where first names for teachers are never used by either children or adults. And the respectful sub-text of Sir eclipses the soubriquet Miss. Time was, and recently, when that sub-text translated into reality. Men who trained to be primary-school teachers did so with the sure expectation of a headship. Now, as we all know, the playing field has been levelled. For instance, of Hackney’s fifty-eight primary schools, forty-three have women heads.
