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The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male
Where a school has more than one schoolmaster, a man in charge of the school is the headmaster, sometimes spelt as two words, "head master". This name survives in British independent schools, but it has been replaced by ''head teacher'' in most British publicly funded schools, although "headmaster" is often still used colloquially, particularly in
The schoolmaster: or, A plain and perfect way of teaching children to understand, write, and speak the Latin tongue
(1570; Based on the edition reproduced by Menston Scolar Press, 1967)
Google books text
* Edward Egglestone, ''The Schoolmaster in Literature'' (2003) Titles Education and training occupations Education in the United Kingdom
The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compu ...
teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled after British public schools, but is generally obsolete elsewhere.
Origins
The word “master” in this context translates theLatin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
word magister. In England, a schoolmaster was usually a university graduate, and until the 19th century the only universities were Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...
and Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...
. Their graduates in almost all subjects graduated as Bachelors of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
and were then promoted to Masters of Arts (''magister artium'') simply by seniority. The core subject in an English grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school, ...
was Latin.
Usage
Where a school has more than one schoolmaster, a man in charge of the school is the headmaster, sometimes spelt as two words, "head master". This name survives in British independent schools, but it has been replaced by ''head teacher'' in most British publicly funded schools, although "headmaster" is often still used colloquially, particularly in grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school, ...
s, and is equivalent to the principal in American schools. The term "headmaster" also survives in some American and Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with " republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from th ...
independent schools.
A range of other terms is derived from "schoolmaster" and "headmaster", including deputy headmaster (the second most senior teacher), senior master and second master (both used in some independent schools instead of deputy headmaster), and housemaster, the schoolmaster in charge of a boarding school house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...
). Some independent schools use other titles for the head of the teaching staff, including "High Master" and "Rector".
The female equivalent of "schoolmaster" is schoolmistress, which is used with all the same prefixes.
The archaic term for the second schoolmaster in a school in England is usher.''Reports of the Commissioners Appointed in Pursuance of Acts of Parliament'', Volume 33 (1839), p. 628
See also
*Education in the United Kingdom
Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments: the UK Government is responsible for England; whilst the Scottish Government, the Welsh ...
References
{{ReflistBibliography
* Ascham, RogerThe schoolmaster: or, A plain and perfect way of teaching children to understand, write, and speak the Latin tongue
(1570; Based on the edition reproduced by Menston Scolar Press, 1967)
Google books text
* Edward Egglestone, ''The Schoolmaster in Literature'' (2003) Titles Education and training occupations Education in the United Kingdom