ABSTRACT
Traditionally, the English grammar school has been organised as a dictatorship, benevolent or otherwise. Once appointed, the headmaster has been supreme. He it was who decided on policy, determined the tone and atmosphere of the school and appointed the staff. Inside the school most of his powers will be delegated or used in co-operation with his colleagues: an authoritarian outlook is out of date at this moment in time, and is out of place in a democratic society. The foundation of authority as between teacher and pupil, between the mature adult and the immature child, is quite clear. If a teacher gives an order to a pupil, it must be obeyed. There are real and significant limits to the use of authority in the school. A school exists in order to help personalities to grow: it should offer only the minimum of restrictions which limit growth and must rather provide conditions in which growth is encouraged.
