Kes

Last night I watched Kes, the Ken Loach film from 1969. It is still a great film, even after 40 years and I have been thinking about it today. It is number seven in the British Film Institute's top ten British films of all time.




The way it portrays schools in the 1960s is really interesting. It looks far-fetched now, but I remember teachers and incidents not too dissimilar from my own schooling around the same time. It shows how far we have come even if you could argue that it's not far enough. The cruelty in the name of discipline is amazing. As is the lack of empathy and connection with the students. I think children learnt despite how we were taught, rather than because of it. I also wonder what was in it for the teachers?

In 1970 Colin Welland won a BAFTA for his role in the film. He is portrayed as the sympathetic teacher and at the time what he did might have seemed extra-ordinary, but 40 years later it is no more than we would expect from any teacher.

Get it out on DVD and show it at a staff-meeting.

Another film I watched during the holidays was The Class. It is an interesting contrast, showing life in a French secondary school today. The Class gives a subtle and deep insight into life in schools and classrooms and it shows how far we have come but also how far we have to go. It won the Palme d'Or for best film at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. Recommended for intelligent teachers.