Up and Down in the Dales

A funny autobiography of a school inspector in the early 1990s in North Yorkshire. Gervase Phinn tell tall and amusing stories of the children and teachers he meets as part of his job. It is interesting to think back to those days and how the education system has changed and particularly the inspection system; this is written in pre-Ofsted inspection days. Lots to make you chuckle in this easy to read memoir.

For some reason, I found this book in the Dales series a little tougher-going than the previous three. It was still light-hearted, but seemed a lot more wrapped up in Phinn's personal life rather than tales of the schools he inspects, which is always the most joyful part of the books.

In this book, his wife gets up in arms about a school closure, Sidney Clamp plays a rather amusing joke concerning a Quaker meeting house, and Phinn welcomes his first child into the world.