ABSTRACT
As teachers and local activists responded to disruptions in the school an informal, dual authority system slowly attained stability. Parents constantly disciplined pupils by giving them a severe scolding, often mixed with threats of physical punishment. But usually this sort of discipline was carried out with the assumed authority of the teachers in the background. The establishment of a dual system of authority within the occupied buildings of Croxteth Comprehensive is of interest for some reasons. During the first half-term break, teachers and parents met separately to decide whether or not the school could and should continue to run. The teaching staff met first and passed a number of resolutions based on the technical aspects of the discipline problem. A stable core of teachers had volunteered their services and the week-long break allowed some breathing time in which to restructure the timetable around their personal schedules.
