THE headmaster of fee paying Bromsgrove School has spoken frankly about the challenges of being a headmaster for a quarter of a century.

This month Tim Taylor celebrates 25 years as a headmaster. The changes he has seen, particularly in the structure of society, have had a radical impact on schooling.

"There is always a buzz in the air when the end of the academic year comes round," he said. "We can all do with a good rest after a lot of hard work and that is one thing about schooling that I don't think will ever change.

"As for the rest of the school life - it has changed immeasurably. It had to. Society does not stand still, so neither can schooling. Parents and pupils have higher expectations than ever before and that puts them under increasing pressure."

Mr Taylor believes that when he first became a headmaster at Millfield Junior School in 1978, schools existed in their own special world.

"Twenty five years ago parents tended to pay the school fees and leave the school to educate their child. There was a tendency for teachers to teach behind closed doors in their own classroom empires. Although parents had high expectations of the school, they rarely challenged its way of doing things.

"Now parents very much see themselves as customers and expect their school to adapt to their child's - and indeed their own - needs and wishes. So today schools have to be far more accountable to parents."

Society has changed immensely over the last 25 years with more pressure on schools to act as surrogate parents, he said.

"It's now a fact of life that many pupils come from split families. So we see it as our job to help them come to terms with some of the issues they might face as a result of changes in their home lives.

"Equally, the number of families where both parents go out to work has risen dramatically in recent years, with long hours and stressful jobs leaving parents with less time to develop their children. As a result, teachers are often expected to fill the gaps, working in partnership with parents to provide an environment where children can thrive."

Greater reliance on league tables based on public examinations has also affected school life. Despite frequent claims to the contrary, Mr Taylor believes this has seen pupils working harder than ever.

"Both pupils and teachers work much harder and longer than they did twenty-five years ago. The introduction of AS levels has added a further year of exam pressure. Young people today have less time to 'sit and stare'."

When Mr Taylor first became a headmaster changes in society and technology were rapid. For him, it is a testament to interesting times that this rate of change has increased over the years. Despite the many advantages this has brought, like any revolution it has had its casualties.

Thankfully the majority have flourished under the new opportunities. Since Mr Taylor became headmaster of Bromsgrove School in 1986, attendance has doubled to 1,300 pupils. Also, an ambitious £1million IT network has infiltrated both classrooms and teaching techniques.

Joys

But for Mr Taylor, one of the great joys of his role is that the school's roots run unusually deep. It has been a comfort when riding through changes in society and educational expectations.

"Stability is certainly a vital factor in a school's success. Bromsgrove School has been in existence for at least 450 years. Over the last 130, it has had about the same number of headmasters as Britain has had monarchs.

"I am lucky to be part of a heritage of long-serving heads. Yes I am lucky - but I'm still looking forward to a long holiday."