The Other Side of the Dale

The Dales Series #1

by Gervase Phinn

Gervase Phinn is a school inspector in Yorkshire, including the Yorkshire Dales. He chronicles in this book his appointment to the local school inspectorate and then stories of various visits made, with a background cast of brilliant characters such as the chief school inspector, the dazzling secretary who is always getting things wrong, the local aristrocrat who is head of the school governors, potty schoolteachers who should have gone out to grass years ago, and divine children with superb Yorkshire humour.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Humor, Autobiography, Education, British Literature

288 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1998

About the author

Gervase Phinn (born 27 December 1946, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England) is an English author and educator. After a career as a teacher he became a schools inspector.

He is now a freelance lecturer, broadcaster and writer, a consultant for the Open University, Honorary Fellow of St. John's College, York, Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) of the University of Leicester, Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) of The University of Hull and the Fellow and Visiting Professor of Education at The University of Teesside.

In 2005 the highest academic award of Sheffield Hallam University, Doctor of the University (D.Univ.) was conferred upon him by the Chancellor, Professor Lord Robert Winston. In 2006 he became President of The School Library Association.

He has published five volumes of memoir, collections of poetry and a number of books about education. He has a particular interest in children's literature and literacy.
He is married with four grown-up children.

Reviews

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gervase Phinn takes on the job as County Inspector of Schools. His first year in this role, after switching from teaching, is an interesting and enlightening experience. The reader is treated to insights about the Yorkshire people, the teachers and children who make up the schools, the countryside and some of the amusing incidents that make up the days.
This is a charming read. The children are a delight. Some adults could learn from them. I particularly liked this young boy who when told he was not very talkative said.’ If I’ve got owt to say I says it, and if I’ve got owt to ask I asks it.’
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed some of this author’s other books I was thrilled to pick this up at A Lifeline book fair recently. I had no doubt I would love it and was not disappointed. What a joy to read! His love for the children and the teaching profession is evident and it is all told with a gentle sense of humour, A thoroughly entertaining read and definitely recommended if you want a feel good book.

[Carolyn Schofield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have an interesting story about this one. We bought this as a leaving present for someone we knew, then discovered they were actually friends with the author. Fortunately I don't think they actually already had a copy! It's a lovely book, and as a former resident of the area in which it is set I used to speculate where various fictionalised schools actually were.

[Tzippora · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite piece, the last-

"The lad could not describe the beauty that surrounded him,
The soft green dale and craggy hills.
He could not spell the names
Of those mysterious places which he knew so well.
But he could tickle a trout, ride a horse,
Repair a fence and dig a dyke,
Drive a tractor, plough a field,
Milk a cow and lamb a ewe,
Name a bird by a faded feather,
Smell the seasons and predict the weather.
Yes, that less able child could do all those things."

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. This memoir is very reminiscent of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small books but without the animals. Fascinating, thoroughly enjoyable stories about the schools and people of Yorkshire, circa 1980s. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly enjoyed this gentle selection of anecdotes about Gervase Phinn's experiences in his first year as a school inspector in the Yorkshire Dales. Phinn has a talent for introducing eccentric and warm-hearted characters, and his enthusiasm for the role he had comes through strongly.

This book is quintessentially English - in fact, the Yorkshire Dales almost become a character in their own right. We see them through Phinn's eyes as the seasons pass, and his descriptions of the various schools he visits are vividly drawn.

It is very much in the spirit of James Herriott, and is a very pleasurable way to spend a couple of hours.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely shades of James Herriot here. Not laugh out loud funny like Herriot, but sweet and enjoyable. Phinn describes his first year as school inspector in Yorkshire. His love of Yorkshire echoes Herriot's and I long to visit the dales and see it for myself. I also appreciate Phinn's love of children and his ability to capture the eccentric. I will definitely continue this gentle series.

[Lavon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great little read. Of course, I am biased when it comes to books set in England, and this one is set in Yorkshire where we used to live. It is about a young school inspector and all the great stories about his job and the quirky Yorkshire residents. A really fun read if you enjoy reading about some of the fun things young children do or say.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another series that I can only say is a MUST READ! This was the most charming and fun book. It is the collective stories of experiences of the Yorkshire school inspector Gervase Phinn. The children in the school and their teachers just jump out of the page and talk to you. Wonderful!

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a tragedy that we in America don’t know about Gervase Phinn. I’m so thankful for my British friends who recommended books to me. This was a delightful and cheerful & often humorous memoir. I am enjoying reading these with my friend Elizabeth Laumas.

[Patricia Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very 'English' book - Gervase Phinn was a teacher before becoming a schools inspector and this novel is the first in the autobiographical Dales series. It's full of anecdotes about the children he taught in the Yorkshire Dales. He has a sharp eye for the ridiculous but never mocks the children. I found the whole series amusing and heart-warming.

[ShellTheBelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more suited to those of us who have kids in primary school. Nicely written.

[H. Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An uncomplicated, entertaining read.

[Philippa Mulqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not big on reading non fiction but this was great. Really enjoyed the stories of teachers and young children. I especially liked the way Gervase learned so much from the locals. His openness and growing ability to listen to the students was impressive. The account of the drama class reenacting the sinking of the Titanic and some of the versions of the nativity plays were laugh out loud moments.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir from Gervase Phinn's days as a school inspector. I can see so many inspirations that he drew from to write his fiction series about Barton-in-the-Dale.

I also very much enjoyed discussing this book with my friend, Shiloah!

[Jenny Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful read. Particularly enjoyed it as set in the area my ancestors came from. One of the remote schools was just along from where my great grandfather grew up. I am sure many of the other schools had my ancestors attending them.

[Pat Brackenbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read each chapter tells how Gervaes developed his career as a School Inspector

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this style of book... English setting, humorous, a peek into a school inspector's world... yes, yes, yes.

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you read this and All Creatures Great and Small in short succession, you will absolutely no doubt want to move to the Dales. A sweet, funny, lovely lil read. A good un.

[Christy Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could this be any more cozy? The author writes with such beautiful descriptive phrasing and clever metaphors. This is my second read through and this time as a read-aloud with the family, and everyone enjoyed it. It worked well as a read-aloud as you could come in and out and miss a chapter here and there as each chapter was mostly a separate story in itself. Many laugh out loud moments and heartwarming sections. There was also a quaint little love interest, which will continue into the next book in the series.

[Christine Parkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the series. It is a light hearted and interesting book detailing his new job as a schools inspector. If you want something that is easy to read, this book is a good choice.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is Gervase Phinn's memoir about his time as a School Inspector for English in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1980s. I had this book on my paperbackswap.com wish list for awhile. By the time it arrived I had forgotten why I wanted to read it. I was expecting a charming time gone by fiction story like Miss Reed's Village School series. I found this story very slow going. Some of the anecdotes about the children are very funny and some of the local color is interesting, but mostly I found this book boring. I was surprised that the children he encountered are my own generation and there are brief mentions of computers. Mostly the schools are very old-fashioned though. Most of what Phinn does didn't interest me much except that he and his colleagues had some good ideas about education and I wondered what they have to say about Common Core. My grandmother enjoyed this book more than I did. It's going back on paperbackswap so I can get something a little more old-fashioned and interesting.

[Sandy D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book I saw in "The Common Reader" catalog and then made my library get through inter-library loan.

Imagine a cross between James Herriot & that Mitford series by Jan Karon - this is the story of an "Inspector of Schools" in Yorkshire. There are lots of "cute things kids say" in it, and some interesting descriptions of the area. Not too much drama or excitement, but I don't always want that (or heartbreak) in my books.

Here's an excerpt I liked (a yow is a female sheep, btw, and its one of the schoolkids talking):

"Its a word which describes a yow when she's heavy pregnant, so heavy you see, she falls over on her back and just can't move, she's helpless. Sticks her legs in t'air and just can't shift. It's called 'rigged', proper word is 'riggwelted'. Me dad comes in from t'fields and flops on t'settee and says, 'I'm fair riggwelted'."

[Rebecca B - What Rebecca Read Next · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gervase Phinn writes from the heart. His love for Yorkshire and all its quirks are evident on every page. As a school inspector he met a veritable eccentric mix of people, from teachers, parents and colleagues. The greatest joy are the children and all they can teach us. Joyful to read and laugh out loud, children say it as it is.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gervase Phinn, who narrates this book, is appointed School Inspector for English in the Yorkshire Dales. He recounts his initial interviews and settling-in period, and several incidents as he travels around visiting local schools.

Well-written with a humorous eye for detail, and I found each chapter enjoyable. However it felt somehow like collected short stories rather than a book in its own right - not necessarily a problem, but it made it rather less enjoyable than the James Herriot books with which it's been compared.

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

At long last, after a two-hour search up and down the Dale, along muddy twisting roads, across narrow stone bridges, up dirt tracks, past swirling rivers and dribbling streams, and through countless villages in an increasingly desperate search, I eventually arrived at my destination.

This was billed as the James Herriot version of the school inspector-ship oeuvre. Mildly amusing in parts and worth reading if you are actually in the teaching profession. I did make it through the read, alas, my attention didn't play ball for most of the time.

Really rated the cover picture though.

[Scilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an easy reading, interesting, humorous book by an school inspector in North Yorkshire. He has several fun episodes talking with children as he describes his travel among the schools talking with head teachers, classroom teachers, and students. He begins with a description of his interview for the job and also discusses his other duties such a judge for a poetry contest and giving lectures.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are like James Herriot books. Feel good happy books where nothing too bad ever happens. Funny laugh out loud descriptions of real kids and the unexpected things they say. I also died laughing reading his descriptions of some of the 'difficult' people in his office. Once you read one you will have to track them all down. Great books you'll enjoy and so will your mother, grandmother, sisters ect.

[Claire (Clairby11xxx) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(7/10) I was very pleasantly surprised by this, I went into it wondering why on Earth anyone would write a book about being a school inspector. As it happens the job is far more involved than I thought and it was written so well I couldn't help but enjoy it.

It had me in absolute stitches when he was explaining the various pronunciations of his name he had come across and was a book full of great humour and warmth. I would definitely read the other books in this series.

[Abbie Birnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Already read this once, but I've just read it again and it's utterly amazing!! An easy read, but a good one, filled with short stories all about being a school inspector in the Yorkshire Dales. Perfect book to read when on holiday in the Yorkshire Dales!! I've moved on to the second one!

Edit: read it again. Love it so much, it's such an easy read and one that I really enjoy! I love all the different characters, and the fact that this is based on real life makes it even better!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gentle humourous tales of the author's life as a School Inspector in Yorkshire. This being the first such book it deals with his appointment as School Inspector and him gradually getting to know the ropes. Some of the anecdotes about the children are quite amusing.