The Other Side of the Dale Book

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".

This is a warm, funny and mostly true account of the first year that Gervase Phinn spent as a schools' inspector in North Yorkshire. His brilliantly portrayed cast includes his fellow inspectors who range from endearing to eccentric, sporting lords of the manor, Ministry bigwigs, formidable teaching nuns and a very attractive head-teacher who happens to be single, adding up to an enchanting montage of experiences. But it is the children themselves who steal the show, whether fresh-faced from the farms or worldly-wise from the towns. Gervase Phinn is a born raconteur who has transferred his talents to the written word with outstanding success.

A warm reflection on his first year as County Inspector of Schools in North Yorkshire, The Other Side of the Dale by Gervase Phinn relates his experiences in education, from attractive headmistresses to boys obsessed with sheep.