Lindsay/Ivor Cutler, 5. Back to School

Mr. Cutler (as his pupils called him) taught in the Scottish school system for just two years but was never comfortable with its rigid approaches and use of corporal punishment – he claimed that when he left Scotland’s education system he cut his tawse into pieces and gave one to each of his pupils. Ivor moved to England – he would never again live in Scotland – and took up a teaching post at Summerhill, a school known for its radical and unorthodox approach to education. After a few years he moved to London, married, became a father and spent the rest of his teaching career with the Inner London Education Authority. This chapter features interviews with ex-pupils, including his son Dan, and parents, who recall Mr. Cutler’s idiosyncratic approaches to the teaching of drama, music and dance.