Plot

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. Grigg is researching students for the topic of his new book on contemporary juvenile behavior patterns.

William has a 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), math teacher.

A senior pupil Robin Stevens, (Richard O'Sullivan) overhears that Wakefield is planning to leave at the end of term. Stevens had been sent to Wakefield's office by Grace for missing his math class. Wakefield decided not to cane Stevens and instead asked him to write a note about why he missed class. Grace is not very fond of Grigg as he advocates that child mischief is a form of self-expression, and that crime is a personality complex. Grace wants to start caning the students to discipline them prior to the visit, but Wakefield prohibits any such action against the students.

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.

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.

Mr Grigg is hit by a football at the back of his head, the minute he steps into the school grounds. 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's play Romeo and Juliet, the students ask silly questions to embarrass Mr Milton in front of Wheeler and Grigg. Stuff like "what is special about a wedding bed" and why wasn't Juliet taken to juvenile court, as she was still only 14 years old according to the play. Grigg is fascinated by the adolescent curiosity and calls it excellent research materials.

The students sabotage Mr Adams rocket so that it takes off during class (and breaking through the ceiling of the room to fly away) & they put glue on all seats in Mr Wakefield's office so that nobody can get off from their seats. Wakefield is mightily embarrassed and asks Wheeler and Griggs to take the practical jokes from students in good humor.

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.

Grace enlists Allcock to figure out the student ringleader of this conspiracy. Meanwhile, the students post raunchy posters on the school's notice board. Griggs comes to Grace's class to conduct a logical experiment. He asks students to give him 2-digit number and writes them on the board in reverse digit order. If someone gave him 65, he would write 56 on the board. The idea was to provoke students to ask why he was doing this. The students wise up and give him the number 33.

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 says that Wakefield himself is a bachelor and hence could have no idea of what a woman's love looks like. Adams is aghast at the thought, but eventually agrees to do his best when Wakefield promises to take Adams to the new school which has 3 brand new science labs.

Adams makes many unsuccessful attempts to tell Miss Wheeler of his love. He tells Wheeler that her hair glows in the light, but then remarks that he meant it in a scientific kind of way and was only making an observation. On her part, Wheeler gives plenty of opportunities to Adams to declare his feelings for her, but the nervous Adams always backs out. Eventually, 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. Bean and Milton cannot agree on the relative importance of music or drama in the school's curriculum and are constantly belittling each other.

The teachers break into a game of musical chairs as Wheeler walks in. Wheeler finds that the staff is drunk and gets into an altercation with Allcock. Allcock aims a punch at Wheeler but ends up smacking Griggs. Griggs is absolutely enamored with Allcock now and kisses her while she was resting in the sports equipment room. Allcock also reciprocates his advances.

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.