My friend and colleague, Eric Macfarlane, who has died aged 93, was an inspiring and influential educationist. His own experience of school had sometimes been frustrating and difficult; reflecting on those years, he concluded that the purported excellence of some grammar school teaching had left far too many with a sense of inadequacy.
When Eric, aged 35, was appointed head of Letchworth grammar school, Hertfordshire, he wanted to encourage radical curricular alternatives. His key priorities were teamwork, use of the imagination, getting rid of streaming and participatory learning.
