This thesis examines to what extent and by what means the Assistant Masters\ud
Association (AMA) was able to influence provision in relation to conditions of\ud
service for the secondary schoolmaster in England and Wales in the 60-year period\ud
from the AMA's foundation in 1891. A thematic approach is adopted with chapters\ud
devoted to the specific issues of tenure, salaries, superannuation, registration and\ud
training. Within each chapter there is a necessary concentration on the earlier period\ud
of the AMA's history when the impetus to create acceptable conditions of service was\ud
at its most imperative.\ud
The thesis draws upon much previously unused material from the Assistant Masters\ud
Archive, lodged at the University of London Institute of Education Library. The\ud
study builds upon and extends the earlier research of Baron, Tropp and Gosden, and\ud
provides an alternative interpretation to the more recent work of Lawn, Ozga, Grace,\ud
and others, which presents the behaviour of organized teachers in terms of employeremployee\ud
conflict. The strike, confrontational stratagem and the coercion of its\ud
membership are seen as alien to the AMA's philosophy. The AMA's participation\ud
with Joint Four, and its interaction with other teacher unions, are fully explored.\ud
The significant contribution of the AMA to enhanced provision across the spectrum\ud
of teacher employment is shown to be primarily the result of the Association's\ud
persistent, professional dialogue with government - both central and local - via\ud
carefully researched data and targeted argument