Burston School Strike, The

Synopsis

In 1914 the children of Burston in Norfolk went on strike in protest against the sacking of their teachers Annie and Tom Higdon. The strike lasted 20 years. Mrs Higdon, head of the school, and Tom, her assistant, were socialists living in a remote rural society that was still almost feudal in its outlook. The school managers, who reflected the local establishment, were upset by the Higdons’ views and open support of the Agricultural Workers Union. The film describes the events which led to their dismissal through the recollections of eye witnesses and goes on to recall the support that local parents gave in setting up an alternative Strike School. Nearly all the village children for 20 years went to the Strike School which became the focus of union activity throughout the country.

Series

Yesterday’s Witness, Series

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Film; Film. 16mm. sd. col. 45 min.

Technical information

Black-and-white / Sound

Year of production

1974

Availability

REFERENCE ONLY

Uses

Development of education before 1918, development of the Labour Party and Trade Unionism in a rural area.*

Subjects

Education; Politics & government

Keywords

industrial disputes; primary education; school management; trades unions

Credits

Director

Stephen Peet

Writer

James Cameron

Distribution Formats

Type

Film

Format

16mm

Production Company

Name

BBC Television

Distributor

Name

Concord Media

Email

sales@concordmedia.org.uk

Web

http://www.concordmedia.org.uk/ External site opens in new window

Phone

01473 726 012

Address

Rosehill Centre
22 Hines Road
Ipswich
IP3 9BG

Notes

A long-established, not-for-profit organisation with a large collection DVDs, specialising in the sectors of general and mental health, child care, race relations, war and peace, addictions, the third world, ecology, civil rights, personal relationships, educational issues, and social work training. Concord also handles titles made for the Graves Medical Audio-visual Library. Sale on DVD. Formerly known as Concord Video and Film Council. In 2014 Concord began to offer selected films as Video on Demand, via Vimeo.