- Pupils run amok at Maudlin Street School in an attempt to hang on to their headmaster. He has applied for a new job, but the students like him and don't want to lose him.
- Pupils run amok at Maudlin Street School in an attempt to hang on to their headmaster. He has applied for a new job, but the students like him and don't want to lose him. They concoct a plan - blacken his record in front of the Ministry Inspector and then he won't ever be able to get another job!—Simon N. McIntosh-Smith <Simon.N.Smith@cs.cf.ac.uk>
- The students at the Maudlin Street Secondary Modern School are a rambunctious bunch, but their hijinx are nothing that the faculty can't handle, each in his or her way which differs vastly from teacher to teacher. For example, Miss Grace Short, the Math teacher, believes in the strong discipline of caning, while acting headmaster, Mr. Michael Wakefield, who has been in the position for one year but has been at the school all his teaching life, thus far twenty years, does not believe in caning under any circumstance, he believing there far more effective and humane ways to discipline. Mr. Wakefield announces to the faculty that he hopes this to be his last year at the school as he is applying to be headmaster for the upcoming school year at a new school closer to where he grew up. The reason for the announcement is that he is wanting their help as the Ministry of Education is sending two people on a tour of schools, they to spend one week at Maudlin, a good report from them which would help in his application. The two are administrator Miss Felicity Wheeler, whose stern demeanor probably matches her intent, and Mr. Alistair Grigg, a child psychologist whose basic philosophy is to let children be children. Their arrival coincides with what seems to be a systematic plan by the students to make the teachers look especially bad, the students seemingly winning at every turn. The situation is only complicated by Mr. Edwin Milton and Mr. Michael Bean, the English and Music teachers, respectively, at each other's throat in their disagreements about the year end production of Romeo and Juliet, an immediate physical attraction between Mr. Grigg and Miss Sarah Allcock, the Physical Education teacher, despite their opposing views of child discipline, and Science teacher Mr. Gregory Adams' nervousness in Mr. Wakefield's request to show some romantic intention to Miss Wheeler in Mr. Wakefield noticing her romantic interest in Mr. Adams, Mr. Wakefield believing it a way to temper what would otherwise be her damning report to the Ministry. But as the teachers try to find out the masterminds of the students' plan to quash it, the question still remains what is causing the students to do so at this time.—Huggo
- Two school inspectors come to the school to assess the performance of the staff with their control over the children. It is a constant battle between the kids and the teachers, with some teachers like Miss Short favoring the 'hard- hitting' method while others such as Mr. Milton favoring a less disciplinary approach. All this happens because the pupils want the headmaster to stay. There is the 'blossoming romance' story thread and the kids have fun sabotaging a piano, a rocket, and a play.—Graeme Huggan <hia95gh@sheffield.ac.uk>
- During the current term at Maudlin Street Secondary Modern School, William Wakefield (Ted Ray) - who has been at the school for 20 years - is acting headmaster. He spots an advertisement for a headmaster of a brand-new school near where he was born and decides to apply for the post. Because of a coinciding visit by a Ministry of Education Inspector Miss Wheeler (Rosalind Knight) and the noted child psychiatrist Alistair Grigg (Leslie Phillips), he decides to enlist the help of his staff to ensure that the school routine runs smoothly during their visit.
While in conference with his teaching staff including Gregory Adams (Kenneth Connor), science master; Edwin Milton (Kenneth Williams), English master; Michael Bean (Charles Hawtrey), music teacher; Sarah Allcock (Joan Sims), gym mistress and Grace Short (Hattie Jacques), maths teacher; a senior pupil Robin Stevens, (Richard O'Sullivan) overhears that Wakefield is planning to leave at the end of term. The pupils are fond of the venerable teacher and Stevens immediately rushes this information to his schoolmates. They plan to sabotage every endeavor that might earn Wakefield praise, which would set him on the road to his new post.
They substitute Allcock's shorts so that they tear during gym class, they cut off the piano legs of Mr Bean, and it crashes during demonstration. In Mr Milton's class, who is teaching Shakespeare, the students ask silly questions to embarrass Mr Milton in front of wheeler and Grigg. The students sabotage Mr Adams rocket so that it takes off during class & they put glue on all seats in Mr Wakefield's office so that nobody can get off from their seats.
On arrival, Grigg and Miss Wheeler are escorted by Wakefield on a tour of inspection and the pupils go out of their way to misbehave in each class they visit. However, Griggs' tour has not been in vain: he has taken a shine to Sarah Allcock, the gym mistress and it is obvious the feeling is mutual. Miss Wheeler is disgusted at the behavior of the children towards the teachers but is softened when she visits the science master's class, where she feels an instinctive maternal affection for the charm of the nervous science master, Adams.
Wakefield realizes his position as headmaster of the new school is in jeopardy and, on seeing Miss Wheeler's interest in Adams, enlists his help. He asks Adams to make advances to Miss Wheeler to win her over. Adams is aghast at the thought, but eventually agrees to do his best. After many unsuccessful attempts to tell Miss Wheeler of his love, Adams finds an untruth has become truth and finally finds enough courage to declare his love.
Meanwhile the students are still at it, mixing alcohol in the teacher's tea, in their break period. The pupils, meanwhile, have been doing everything in their power to make things go wrong, and on the last day of term are caught trying to sabotage the prize-giving. They are told to report to Wakefield's study and after much cross-examination he learns the reason for the week's events - the pupils simply did not want to see him leave. Wakefield - deeply moved - tells the children he won't leave and will see them all next term.
Miss Wheeler, softened by her newfound love, announces that she intends to tell the Ministry that staff-pupil relationships at the school are excellent.
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