Obituary: Bert Johnston, voracious reader and miner’s son who became HM chief inspector of schools

HE MAY have been a boy steeped in the mining tradition of his small Scots village, but Bert Johnston never considered any career other than becoming a teacher.

He was the son and grandson of men who went down the pits of East Dunbartonshire, but he was passionate about books and devoured literature from an early age.

Initially it was the comics of his childhood – one for every day of the week, from Adventure through to Wizard and then The Hotspur on a Friday. Later it would be modern Scottish literature, among others. And throughout his life he catalogued each book he read, noting it in his log as fiction or non-fiction and giving it a rating from “poor” to “excellent”.

It was typical of the neat, meticulous and exceptionally well-organised man he became and was no doubt a trait that contributed to his success at the top of his chosen profession.

Though mining was in his father’s family heritage, it was in the footsteps of an uncle and aunt, who were both teachers, that he followed, determined to take a step up in the world.

He was educated at Twechar Primary School and then Lenzie Academy, where his talent for English began to shine through. He went up to Glasgow University during the Second World War and was awarded an ordinary MA when his studies were interrupted and he was drafted into the Royal Artillery.

He became a warrant officer and ended his service in Palestine, where he was part of a unit which reintroduced servicemen to education.

After being demobbed, he returned to Glasgow University and graduated with a first in English language and literature, which he followed with a fast-track course at Jordanhill Teacher Training College in Glasgow.

He achieved exceptional merit in his diploma, a qualification which allowed him to teach in both primary and secondary education.

Between 1949 and 1951, he taught English and history at Falkirk High School before spending the next two years as head of English and history at Aberlour High School on Speyside.

A move to England followed in 1953 when he took a post as deputy head of English and drama at Hemsworth Grammar School in West Riding, Yorkshire. There he met his wife-to-be, Edna.

By 1956 he was head of the English department at Temple Moor Grammar School in Leeds and in 1960 – the year after he and Edna married – he returned to Scotland and became a lecturer in English at Jordanhill, where he stayed for three years.

His move into the schools inspectorate came in 1963 when he joined the eastern division covering Fife and Lothian and Borders.

He described these as exciting years in education which saw a variety of new initiatives launched, including the publication of the Primary Memorandum in 1965; the raising of the school leaving age; the introduction of guidance into Scottish secondary schools and the era of comprehensive education.

At the end of the 1960s he was seconded for two years to the Scottish Office, where he served as a principal in the further education section. Then, in 1970, he was promoted to district inspector for Glasgow City – a post which was regarded as the most challenging district appointment.

He produced a report on education in the City of Glasgow in 1972 and two years later was promoted again, to HM Chief Inspector of Schools for the northern division, a post which covered a huge swathe of the country from Tayside to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

As well as responsibility for this vast area he was also the main author of a series of national reports, including Teaching and Learning at the Senior Stages of Scottish Secondary Education – the first thorough coverage of that stage of education. He also wrote on health education in Scottish schools and was an expert on the development of education in remote areas.

He headed the Scottish participation in an international study of education in such areas, sponsored by the Organisation for Economic and Cultural Development, and was part of a team of experts who visited countries including Australia.

He should have retired in 1983 but was invited to stay on to review the operation of the research and intelligence unit of the then Scottish Office education department.

After his official retirement two years later, he continued to work as a consultant for a variety of organisations.

Johnston was also education convener on the board of directors of the High School of Dundee from 1986 until 2000 and helped to establish Dundee University’s summer school.

In retirement, one of the achievements he was most proud of was his work with a charity that took him back to his roots; he was chairman of the selection committee of the Miners’ Welfare National Education Fund, which makes grants to help mineworkers, former mineworkers and their dependents take further education courses.

He also enjoyed golf and was a member of Blairgowrie and Panmure Golf Clubs. Other interests were gardening, but “above all” as he said himself, came reading.

Each of the books in his collection, whether a textbook or a novel, was marked with his own comments. A man of modesty who was concise and always straight to the point, he did the same with any papers submitted to him, returning them with neat, precisely-written comments in the margin.

“He never lost his passion for education or for reading,” said Michael Duncan, a friend and former head of Dundee High School. “One learned a great deal from Bert.”

He is survived by his wife Edna, their daughters Heather, also a teacher, and Sheila, plus grandchildren Clare, Alex – who followed his grandfather into the teaching profession – Fraser and Katrina.

Alison Shaw