Book description
Gervase Phinn reveals his early experiences as a school inspector in
The Other Side of the Dale.
As the newly appointed County Inspector of Schools in North
Yorkshire, Gervase Phinn reveals in this warm and wonderfully humorous
account, the experiences of his first year in the job - and what an
education it was!
He quickly learns that he must slow his pace and appreciate the
beautiful countryside - 'Are tha'comin' in then, mester, or are tha'
stoppin' out theer all day admirin' t'view?' He encounters some
larger-than-life characters, from farmers and lords of the manor to
teaching nuns and eccentric caretakers. And, best of all, he discovers
the delightful and enchanting qualities of the Dales children,
including the small boy, who, when told he's not very talkative,
answers: 'If I've got owt to say I says it, and if I've got owt to ask
I asks it.'
With his keen ear for the absurd and sharp eye for the ludicrous,
Gervase Phinn's stories in The Other Side of the Dale will not
fail to make you weep with laughter.
'Gervase Phinn's memoirs have made him a hero in school staff-rooms'
Daily Telegraph
Gervase Phinn is an author and educator from Rotherham who, after
teaching for fourteen years in a variety of schools, moved to North
Yorkshire to be a school inspector. He has written autobiographies,
novels, plays, collections of poetry and stories, as well as a number
of books about education. He holds five fellowships, honorary
doctorates from Hull, Leicester and Sheffield Hallam universities, and
is a patron of a number of children's charities and organizations. He
is married with four adult children. His books include The Other
Side of the Dale, Over Hill and Dale, Head Over Heels in the
Dales,The Heart of the Dales, Up and Down in the Dales
and Trouble at the Little Village School.
Gervase Phinn is Senior General Inspector for English and Drama with
North Yorkshire County Council, but will become part-time from January
1999 in order to concentrate on his writing and speaking engagements. He
lives near Doncaster.
