Interview with Geoff Cooksey (b.1925).

Geoff Cooksey came to Milton Keynes in 1971, appointed as headteacher of the proposed new Stantonbury Campus. He briefly describes his previous career in education, then moves on to discuss the educational philosophy which shaped the development of Stantonbury as an ‘open’ school. During the three years before students arrived he worked with the architects on building design, appointed staff, and with them developed the curriculum. He found the County Council encouraging and also gives credit to local councillors for ideas about community use.

He talks about their initiatives in both the curriculum and extra-curricular activities, such as Day Ten, and the huge enthusiasm felt by all the staff. He recalls the first intake of children, reaching 600 at the end of the year; his relationship with other secondary heads; and the rapid growth and development of the school over the years. He describes his ‘open office’ principle, long curriculum meetings, and mentions Roy Nevitt and Hilary Davan Wetton in relation to community drama and music activities. ‘There were many detractors’, but parents were still bringing children to the school. He comments on today’s schools and the political status of education. Talking of MK, he recalls in the early days he ‘used to wander around in a continual state of excitement because something new was going to happen … the sense of being in something that was growing and being born … I’m a great supporter of Milton Keynes and have little patience with those who knock it.’