ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the professed ideologies of a group of teachers, the 'stretchers', within an urban primary school. It also deals with the origins and practical consequence of those ideologies, and the extent to which they differed from the ideology of the head teacher. At Rockfield School an official ideology of 'stabilization' was professed by the head teacher, Mr. McLean. Initially, the staff appeared to assent to this view since they did not articulate any criticism of it, either implicitly or openly. There was no evidence of conflict or of negotiation. If Mrs. Findlay was not one to share Mr. McLean's ideology, nor was Mr. Alexander. He arrived as the new deputy head teacher shortly before Mr. McLean's retirement. It has already been stated that Mr. Alexander found little to approve of at Rockfield. He was critical of its relaxing and inefficient atmosphere and he wanted to change it. At Rockfield he found little punctuality from teachers and pupils.
