Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

I notice a number of people on this forum use the word “masters” to describe teachers in general, not just house staff. I attended school in the 90s and this term was never, ever used (except in compound words like headmaster, housemaster and bandmaster).

When did the phase-out of “master” occur to become “teacher”? Was “master” a CH thing, a private school thing, or universal?

Otter wrote: ↑Tue Jul 09, 2019 7:34 pm I notice a number of people on this forum use the word “masters” to describe teachers in general, not just house staff. I attended school in the 90s and this term was never, ever used (except in compound words like headmaster, housemaster and bandmaster).

When did the phase-out of “master” occur to become “teacher”? Was “master” a CH thing, a private school thing, or universal?

Good question Stephen.

'Teachers' were known as 'Masters' during my time at CH. In other words until at least 1972.

I would hazard a guess that the term 'teacher' came into CH Horsham parlance at the time of the merger around 1985 (when there were 'mistresses' as well as 'masters') but it was after my time so I cannot say so for certain.

Still in parlance post merger until at least summer '87

Also we used 'Sir' but we were never sure how to address the female members of staff

Some quite rightly hated 'Miss?'

Also it was Junior/Senior Housemaster
House Tutor

Junior Housemaster and Tutor seem to be conflated during a certain era

Certainly Master during my day.

AMP wrote: ↑Tue Jul 09, 2019 11:36 pm Still in parlance post merger until at least summer '87

Also we used 'Sir' but we were never sure how to address the female members of staff

Some quite rightly hated 'Miss?'

We always used "Sir" and "Miss", and to my knowledge that's how it still is to this day. I do remember a couple of female teachers objecting to being called "Miss" and requesting to be called by their full name "Mrs/Miss [surname]".

During the 1940s and 50s only the term ‘Masters’ was used, not ‘Teachers.’

To include another period in this thread - during the 40s and very early 50s there were a few female teachers, relics of the many war time female replacements of males, who were then in short supply. They taught only the lower forms and were all called, ‘Sir.’ This must have started during WW2.

Oliver wrote: ↑Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:53 pm during the 40s and very early 50s there were a few female teachers, relics of the many war time female replacements of males, who were then in short supply. They taught only the lower forms and were all called, ‘Sir.’ This must have started during WW2.

I have seen references to this before (but cannot remember where). In the references a female teacher instructed that she be called "Sir" to avoid confusion.

Masters and Sir/Miss in the 80's

And some were very precious regarding correct naming of their subject

" i didn't spend 3 years at polytechnic to be called a manual teacher - it is craft design and technology", that was Mr Robinson, Webb's replacement in the Manual school

wurzel wrote: ↑Mon Jul 15, 2019 11:46 am And some were very precious regarding correct naming of their subject

" i didn't spend 3 years at polytechnic to be called a manual teacher - it is craft design and technology", that was Mr Robinson, Webb's replacement in the Manual school

"Manual" refers to doing things and using tools / devices with the hands (originally) though surely it could now be extended to include computer aided manufacture.
Craft DESIGN means that - designing the things to be made and in that I would include the mechanical drawing that we took O level in during the misty past plus CAD in the morern era.

Messrs Webb and Robinson seem to have been long after my time. I certainly remember a teacher showing how a tenon saw should be used and how to shape a bar of hot iron. Seems like Mr Robinson could / would not do what he was supposed to be teaching or his use of the language .........

The snobbism directed towards Manual School Instructors (they were not called Masters or Teachers in the 50s and earlier) came from Masters too. None of these Instructors were members of the Masters’ Common Room until Mr E Ingledew, in the mid-fifties, became the first Manual School educator to be so admitted. This was almost certainly because he was the first to have a degree (probably a B Tech, but certainly from Loughborough College of Technology, as it was then). He was also a junior housemaster in Lamb B for a while, till he married.