John Coe: an obituary by Robert Young (NAPE Secretary)
It is extraordinary that someone into their 90s should want to edit a journal. Almost all members of the teaching profession at the point of retirement in their mid-60s hang up their boots and settle for a life of relative ease and comfort, free of the angst associated with educational ventures. But not for John. No single person could have done more for the profession in the so-called twilight years of life than John and a critical aspect of this engagement has been the channeling of his energies and expertise into his role as Editor of Primary First.
This voice as editor draws on a distinguished record of service to the profession, stretching back to 1949 when he qualified as a primary teacher. Two headships were followed up by two appointments in the local inspectorate, the first in the West Riding of Yorkshire and the second in Oxfordshire, both areas of the UK which were celebrated in the 1960s and 1970s as beacons of excellence in the primary sector and both providing inspiration for much of the child-centred philosophy behind the famous Plowden Report of 1967. He was of a generation of inspectors who saw their role in constructive terms as supporting and nurturing the professional development of teachers rather than as arbiters of professional competence, managing the accountability stakes. Jeremy Rowe, a former Oxfordshire Head, describes how John brought an immediate understanding of what you were aiming for, and from the basis of his observations, talk kindly but firmly, to explore ways of taking your game up many further notches. Jeremy saw him as his most important critical friend and one senses that many in the profession have seen him in that light, recognising the quality of insights he has brought to bear on the profession. Lynn Hannay, another former Head, reflects glowingly on this aspect of his professionalism, an ability to gain the trust of staff and to share with them a quest for continual improvement.
At the point of retirement, the challenge of initial teacher education beckoned and John took on the programme leadership of the Primary PGCE at the London University Institute of Education at a very stressful time when central government was embarking on the process of establishing a foothold in curriculum design and accountability. On retiring from full-time work, he then proceeded to contribute on a part-time basis to initial teacher education at Oxford Brookes University.
John’s role in NAPE has been all-pervasive from its inception in May 1980 when he was one of its architects alongside a group of heads and inspectors who deeply cared about the way in which primary education was perceived as the Cinderella of the educational system, subservient to the secondary sector in terms of its preparatory role and undervalued as a critical phase of education in its own right. Since 1980, John has taken on all the officer roles on the NAPE Council including two stints as Chair and his formidable commitment to the wellbeing of the organisation is reflected in the fact that he remained a constant and pro-active figure in NAPE for forty years, a remarkable achievement and unsurpassed. Moreover, the fact that he was willing to maintain the Editorship of Primary First until 2020 and continue to write for NAPE until 2021 speaks volumes about John’s dedication. As Editor he steered the journal, as NAPE’s flagship, acquiring a distinct voice, highly accessible in its format, occupying a half-way house between the traditional academic journal at one end of the spectrum and the tips for teachers newsletter at the other.
His editorials, in addition to all the articles/papers he has drafted over the years, reveal the sharpest of minds and the accumulated wisdom of years of experience. But his reflections are always more than a dry analysis of the current scene – they are infused with quality of concern for the entitlements of childhood. This passion for a concept of education which is not constrained by the requirements of a high-stakes testing regime and which does justice to the full breadth of human expression and enquiry has consistently informed his approach to educational commentary.
John was, of course, much more than an academic. He was the one who breathed life into countless events, transforming ideas discussed at Council into actual meetings and conferences. He did not shy away from the hard graft of liaising with potential contributors, drafting the advertisements, checking the room details, manning the stands etc – in essence fitting the pieces of the jigsaw together to ensure success. Never short of ideas, it was John who came up with the proposal for a national Festival of Voices, having embarked on an Oxfordshire version with primary schools, he then extended it to the national scene, initially at the Royal Albert Hall and subsequently at the Wembley Conference Centre, an initiative which enhanced the musical lives of countless primary children, as well as providing a significant income stream for NAPE. John’s willingness to take a step beyond his comfort zone was typified in 2015-17 by his engagement with the ERASMUS-funded European Keycolab Project as its UK director, which involved primary schools on the continent and in the UK as well as NAPE in a focus on key competences in the primary classroom. The challenges posed by the internet and information technology were also grasped with enthusiasm and he was very keen for NAPE to take advantage of the lines of communication opened up by the new world of social media, as reflected in his fascinating podcast on the NAPE website.
John’s last dictated communication to the NAPE Council and to others connected with NAPE, just a matter of weeks before his death, spoke positively about the good achieved by NAPE in the field of primary education but reminded us that there is still much to do, highlighting the importance of speaking out against the one-word judgements made by OFSTED in their judgements about schools. John remained passionate in his advocacy for a more enlightened and richer version of what education is about. The reduction of the complexities of school life into a single descriptor for the purposes of accountability would have flown in the face of everything he believed in the scope and potential of human endeavour. We are all the richer for having been touched by his humanity and we can all be inspired by his example.
