1969: The TEACHERS With NO PUPILS | Nationwide | Weird and Wonderful | BBC Archive

Jack Pizzey reports from Islington Green Comprehensive School, where a teachers' strike has led to a rather bizarre state of affairs.
The majority of the school's teaching staff are members of the striking N.U.T. union - they, and all 900 pupils, are at home. Staff members who are not with the N.U.T., however, have been instructed to still come into school.
What is it like working in a school with no pupils?
Originally broadcast 11 December, 1969.
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[@JackFlower]

Depressing that even after 50 years, the government still can't pay teachers a living wage.

[@aclark903]

Most teachers don't have a degree in math or economics.

[@JackFlower]

@@aclark903 99% of teachers have a degree in the subject they're teaching. Not sure what your point is.

[@aclark903]

@@JackFlower No mate, most teachers do not have a degree in the relevant subject. Clearly you're not a teacher.

[@JackFlower]

@@aclark903 I'm an ex teacher. Taught music for a few years. Like I said 99% of teachers have a relevant degree, which they need in order to train. Those that don't, need to have enough subject knowledge to be able to pass their PGCE and ECT years. If they're able to pass them, even without a relevant degree, they're good enough to be a teacher.

[@aclark903]

@@JackFlower Mate, I did a PGCE myself. Most PRIMARY SCHOOL teachers only have a BEd. Even at comprehensive level, if you only taught music, never anything else because someone was off sick, you must have had a pretty efficient head...

[@ericclaptonsrobotpilot7276]

God, I love this channel. I wish American news had half the depth and variety in topics as the BBC does.

[@HoopleBogart]

For real man it's insane. Our news is a joke.

[@thecaveofthedead]

BBC: "Isn't it ridiculous having teachers doing the school work they normally don't get paid for during their paid hours?"

[@ubetucan2747]

Not much has changed in that regard.

[@puddle_puddle]

3:46 "Pie and Heaven" is a 70's sitcom waiting to be written.

[@fc4660]

Just awesome.

[@BuJammy]

They're the original oddcouple.

[@petergivenbless900]

Notice Heaven stealing a few sly glances at Pie's legs! Must be nice to wear a nightshirt to work when he's fully dressed in a suit.

[@nesnibila4888]

BBC: it must be awful being here doing nothing all by yourselves teachers: not really. we like it actually. BBC: but really, it must be frightfully boring teachers: oh no, we enjoy it BBC: but it must be horrible! teachers: we cannot stress how much we want more time like this, actually. now get out - we finally have time to do some actual productive work and you're messing it up.

[@fidelcatsro6948]

I hope the PE teacher is still healthy and fit jumping on a trampolin today at at least 83 yrs old!

[@garryleeks4848]

Rumours are he’s still jumping on the the trampoline, a few holes in the net though 👍

[@reecedillon5140]

He become next ceo of Twitter

[@JC20XX]

I can't be the only one who expected them to have really messed up eyes.

[@belindaclare7060]

He was of the teachers in catford girl’s school I had forgotten how posh he was, lovely teacher though

[@fc4660]

One should keep calm and carry on

[@stepheng8779]

Mrs 3.142 showing her pins off. Mr Combover desperately trying not to look at them whilst fumbling over his words as he thought about what they'd be doing in the staff room later.

[@garryleeks4848]

Uuuuu matron , what u saying 😂😂

[@ricardobardales8137]

Sometimes the reality could overcome the fiction, doesn't it?

[@mattsan70]

The female acting head Mrs Pie, was putting on that posh accent. You could hear the odd word slip through in her normal accent as she endlessly waffled on

[@halloeverybodypeeps]

Errrr... she's the Head.. he's the Dep

[@garryleeks4848]

Probably a cockney really

[@davedogge2280]

2:47 It's like a Monty Python sketch

[@rosachandler3148]

Mrs pie sounds too posh for royalty

[@davedogge2280]

@@rosachandler3148 I did say it's a Monty Python sketch, acting head Mrs Pie and acting deputy head Mr. Heaven - heavenly pie.

[@JesperD87]

Yes! My thoughts exactly, the entire film could have been a marvelous Monty Python sketch. The presenter even sounds a bit like John Cleese I think!

[@silversurfermusicco5263]

Looks familar. This will be next wednesday 1st feb school strike

[@misslaracroft]

Do they still call the register at the start of the lesson. 🤯

[@garryleeks4848]

Yes 👍

[@Rust_in_Time]

And the children could then look forward to teaching empty classrooms themselves 50 years later during the lockdowns....

[@ricardobardales8137]

I cannot figure out how on earth they are teaching? Can someone explain to me where the students are?

[@jasonayres]

On one level, it is very "Keep calm and carry on", or perhaps, "Make do, and mend". On another level, the level of education, was guided by the N.U.T. Let's see what transpires from that in the future (-post 1969)

[@michael7286]

The PE teacher is feeling strange alright, he thinks he is Zebedee from the Magic Roundabout, BOING BOING BOING 🤣😂🤣. Back then all the school teachers were a little strange. The title needs to be altered to - Pupils have no Teachers. Teachers have voted to strike throughout 2023 disrupting pupils education. It's not right or fair on the pupils that do WANT TO LEARN. Go protest outside Parliament in the many school holidays, that way the pupils that want to attend school and learn will not have their education disrupted.

[@THX-2208]

Mrs. Pie needs to get a shorter dress

[@jonnywishbone4805]

“Not much has changed, I can catch up with my work” Just goes to show school is nothing to do with children and education

[@janetsummers9037]

Yes quite a lot has changed from the days that I was taught by this wonderful history teacher not at Islington Green but another comprehensive .He taught me from the 3rd year to the upper sixth. Not once in all those years can I remember him doing anything but teaching us in lesson time. No marking,no researching nothing but talking to us and discussing issues with us in other words teaching.Our written work was always marked in his own time and returned promptly. I left school in 1977 and 45 years later I can still remember him as can many of my friends. An inspirational teacher who put his pupils first.

[@Vinesy68]

That school became quite rough till they knocked it down. I remember working in it in the early 1990’s and the kids were proper cheeky and a lots of fights. I loved tho some good uns along with the bad. I remember one kid sent me off to find Mr C Lion’s class how how they all laughed!! 😊

[@garryleeks4848]

3: 48 , wow mrs pie is a posh one , mr heaven can work on he’s combover .

[@BadgerBotherer1]

Lovely voice, and lovely thighs

[@greentambourine2323]

The leggy Mrs Pie has that talent for chuntering on and on and on without “ektualy” saying anything, except that “the pips sometimes go wrong”. She should have gone into politics.

[@6nosis]

“Step into the realms of chaos “

[@AzureOtsu]

how can they see if they dont have any pupils

[@thrilhous]

The Lollipop Man sounds like a dubious character.

[@katethomas5712]

As there were no children for him to help cross the road, I'm not sure what he was doing for that day

[@agaricsun]

In France they would all be out.

[@reecedillon5140]

Strikes well that’s one thing that hasn’t changed

[@nesnibila4888]

is it just me or is the cameraman determined they're interviewing the male deputy head as opposed to the woman determined to be interviewed - the actual headteacher

[@BuJammy]

It's just you.

[@danyoutube7491]

It looked like he was trying to come up with an answer to the first question, but the head teacher organised her thoughts faster and answered. From that point on the camera zoomed out until it was clear who was speaking, and then it zoomed in on that person while they spoke.

[@nesnibila4888]

@@BuJammy fair enough