Superteachers
So, the series team were all superpupils when they were at school, right? Wrong.
We talk to four of them and find out who 'wouldn't take crap from anyone', who was called 'fat and lazy' by his teacher, who knew why he needed lots of 'big friends' and who was a 'cheeky little shit with potential'.
The four are Ted Wragg, an educationalist, based at Exeter University; William Atkinson, head teacher of Phoenix High School, West London; Phil Beadle, an award-winning teacher; and Sallie Clement, a broadcaster and series producer of The Unteachables.
Read our webchat with Phil Beadle
What was the worst thing a teacher ever said to you at school?
- 'That it was working class to play football in the playground (he was an idiot and a snob). That the wooden spoon I made in woodwork (hated it) bore absolutely no resemblance to any spoon in the history of human implements (true).' – Ted Wragg
- 'One of my teachers called me “fat and lazy”.' – William Atkinson
'At university my literary theory teacher assumed that because I had a cockney accent I was thick. But he was a dickhead!' – Phil Beadle (pictured right) - 'That I was arrogant. It turned out it was because I insisted on holding my tennis racquet the way I wanted to hold it and not the way she told me to. I've hated tennis ever since.' – Sallie Clement
What subjects do you like now that you didn't like at school?
- 'Geography. Brain-corrodingly tedious at school; fascinating in adult life.' – Ted Wragg
- 'Science. I like the application it has to daily life. I now see that it is very relevant and exciting.' – William Atkinson
- 'Nothing. I was a monomaniac about English then and I am a monomaniac about English now.' – Phil Beadle
- 'History and geography. For interesting subjects, the way they were taught was so incredibly dull.' – Sallie Clement
'This teacher spent so much time with me, she became the closest thing to vocal training I received. I was so deeply involved in music, I had already outgrown all the pressure of high school cliques and gossip' – Alicia Keys, R&B singer
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Were you a bully or bullied?
- 'Neither. I knew the importance of having lots of big friends.' – Ted Wragg
- 'I was never bullied at school, although growing up as a black kid in the 1960s in Battersea I got my share of racist name-calling.' – William Atkinson
- 'The latter. Do you mind if I don't expand?' – Phil Beadle
- 'Neither. I always stuck up for the underdog and wouldn't take crap from anyone. Someone once said to me, “I love being your friend but would hate to be your enemy.” That pretty much holds true today!' – Sallie Clement
Are you still in touch with old school friends?
- 'Not many. Meeting people from school always reminds me of that episode from Hancock's Half Hour where he has a reunion with his supposedly hilarious army pals, who all turn out to be as boring as he is.' – Ted Wragg
- 'Yes. Last year around 20 of us from my old secondary school had a reunion (thanks to Friends Reunited).' – William Atkinson
- 'No. I grew up in a part of London which was all about football, girls and cars. I had no interest in cars.' – Phil Beadle
- 'Sadly not. I moved schools three times, finally (after discovering BOYS) to a country bumpkin school in a remote village. I had one lonely punk called Jez and jam-making classes to entertain me. I couldn't get out of there quick enough.' – Sallie Clement
What did you want to be after you left school?
'When I was 14 I went to the careers teacher saying I wanted to be an airline pilot. He said that was “ridiculous” and a boy like me would be better off being a postman or considering a job in the armed forces (and he wasn't talking about officer entry either!).' – William Atkinson (pictured right) - 'I wanted to be a teacher.' – Phil Beadle
- 'I wanted to work with children and specialise in child psychology. I ended up at the BBC working on Blue Peter with mad pets and choir boys.' – Sallie Clement
'With teaching you have to love what you do 100 per cent. You don't do it for the money, you don't do it for the status, you do it because you love it. The thing is, you may initially start off loving it but eventually sometimes you lose that passion. I've seen that with a lot of teachers' – Shazia Mirza, comedian
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What or who made you laugh at school?
- 'The other kids. We had a hilarious time together. The German teacher (unintentionally). He ran the school library. When I returned to the school as a university lecturer about ten years later he asked me if I still had any library books I hadn't returned.' – Ted Wragg
- 'I was very lucky with school friends and teachers. Most made me laugh a lot.' – William Atkinson
- 'The fact that at a certain age perfectly nice middle class boys from West Wickham started to speak like Terry Venables.' – Phil Beadle
- 'My friends Kerry and Stella. They were kind, funny and smart and I'm forever grateful they let me be their friend.' – Sallie Clement
What would you like to say now to any of your teachers?
- 'To most of them, “Thanks a million, I learned a lot.” To the history teacher, “Sod off, you pompous prat.” – Ted Wragg
- '”Thank you very much.” Really. The majority of teachers at my school showed a lot of interest in me and gave me loads of support. Although they were all white guys they were good role models. In fact, my time at school in Battersea persuaded me to go into teaching myself. I felt I wanted to give others a chance and help them to realise their potential.' – William Atkinson
- 'Cheers. Particularly to Pete Latham and Dave Pestell.' – Phil Beadle
- 'Nothing. None of my teachers (apart from Mr Parker) made any lasting impression on me.' – Sallie Clement
Were you a difficult kid or a superpupil?
- 'Boring, I know, but I did well and loved most of it.' – Ted Wragg
- 'Certainly not a superpupil but I seriously enjoyed my time at school. When I wasn't there I missed it!' – William Atkinson
- 'I was a cheeky little shit, with horrid handwriting, freckles and potential.' – Phil Beadle
- 'I was middle of the road and aware of it!' – Sallie Clement
