Max arrived at Radley in 1989 following many years teaching physics in the state sector. Having been passionate about electronics since the age of seven, he also ran an electronics club for students and electronics courses for physics teachers. We asked Max what prompted his move to Radley.
I had been very happy in my previous school, but I was concerned about the changes I was seeing so I started to look for something new. I saw an advert in the TES for an electronics specialist at Radley College and the job description could almost have been written by me – everything it included was exactly what I’d always wanted to do. But I’d never been to a public school before and the idea was very daunting – I’d heard of Radley because of the BBC TV series (Public School, 1980). I didn’t think I’d get the job, but I thought at least it would be nice to have a look around. I was so nervous it took me a couple of attempts to actually drive through the gates for the interview!
Eventually I arrived at Warden Silk’s house, now L Social, to find it was exactly as it had been in the TV series and Warden Silk hadn’t changed at all. We sat down for a coffee and chatted for a while as I waited for the interview to begin. Oddly, there was no interview, and we went for a tour of the school. I was introduced to Charlie Millward, Head of Physics at the time. I showed him some of the electronics projects I’d developed, and he introduced me to the Head of Design. We had a casual lunch, and then went back to the Warden’s house for a cup of tea and another chat, but still no interview. Of course, that was the clever thing – it had all been an interview but I’d been completely off-guard the whole time. I didn’t realise until afterwards that fourteen other people had applied for the job and it was a real shock when I received the call offering me the position!
How did you come to establish the Radley Video Unit?
When I arrived, the electronics lab had just been built and there was a fund of £20,000 to equip DT for video. I was asked if I knew anything about video and whether I could help determine what to buy. I’ve been interested in film all my life – I made my first film in 1969 – so being asked to help spend that money was quite an opportunity! £20,000 was a lot of money in 1989, but it bought a lot less video equipment than it would now. We purchased an editing suite and one or two cameras and started filming, and within a year I’d made the first Glimpses of Radley film. Following that I made a longer film to commemorate Warden Silk’s retirement in 1991.
What makes Radley a special place for you?
Radley is a very innovative place – I’ve always enjoyed trying new equipment and finding better ways of doing things. To help with electronics teaching we created a network of computers (which were built by two students during the summer holiday) and used them to teach electronic circuitry. There’s always been one or two very clever boys who have been able to make things happen, often putting us way ahead of other schools.
In terms of teaching, Radley tends to get it the right way round I think – if a teacher has a passion for a subject, they are likely to be good at teaching it and inspiring students so I find the dons here very knowledgeable and engaged in their subjects. And of course, it’s a beautiful space to be in.
Can you pick a highlight from your career?
My book Electronics in Practice was published in 1986, which was a highlight – I still remember getting the first copy through the post. Since then, I’ve published other textbooks and articles in electronics magazines, including a magazine series which then became a book and ended up (thanks to a very bright boy called Philip Clayton), as an interactive circuit designing system. Philip created this in the new language of HTML – and spent a year on the project. We put it on a CD ROM and sold it to lots of other schools.
Tell us a bit about the Video Unit’s day-to-day work.
We have several strands but the part I enjoy the most is the creative and technical side of film-making, especially exploring the latest equipment. One of the greatest things is being able to talk with boys about film-making and new and innovative products on the market – there’s always a group of boys who are just as interested in these things as I am. We all enjoy working on the promotional films, such as the Radley Tour videos, and we also film at other schools. The money we make from these is used to buy equipment and cameras. Feature films, like Arthur Davie-Thornhill’s (E, 6.2) recent film The Last Adventure are a real highlight.
Have you been involved in a Social over the years?
Yes, E Social. There was a group of Removes who did electronics and they took me under their wing and asked me to be a sub-tutor in E Social in 1990. The boys later confessed that their ulterior motive was to get me to mend their broken headphones! Mike Hopkins, who was E Social Tutor at the time was really the one who made me feel at home at Radley. He was an extraordinary man and a wonderful Tutor.
What does the future hold?
The greatest excitement at present is the new building being constructed, and the prospect of at last having a proper home in an ideal location for the Video Unit.
