Brian Simon facts for kids

Brian Simon (born March 26, 1915 – died January 17, 2002) was an important English expert in education and a historian. He was a leading member of the British Communist Party. His historical writings often showed a view of history influenced by Marxist ideas.

Early Life and Education

Brian Simon was the younger son of Ernest Darwin Simon, 1st Baron Simon of Wythenshawe and Shena, Lady Simon. His father was a baron, which is a title of nobility in the United Kingdom. His brother was Roger Simon, who became a lawyer and writer.

Brian attended Gresham's School in Holt, Norfolk. He was there at the same time as famous composer Benjamin Britten and diplomat Donald Duart Maclean. He also spent time at Schule Schloss Salem in Germany.

In 1934, Simon went to Trinity College, Cambridge to study. He became a leader in the University Education Society. In 1935, he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain. His brother Roger joined a year later. He also joined a student group that studied Marxist ideas.

Brian Simon later wrote that his time at Gresham's School made him hide most of his creative ideas. After Cambridge, he trained to be a teacher at the University of London's Institute of Education.

Career in Education and War Service

In 1938, Brian Simon was chosen to be part of a new education committee for the Labour Party. He also became the secretary of the National Union of Students (NUS) branch at his institute. In 1939, he became the President of the NUS. He traveled to international student meetings, including a trip to Moscow in 1939 with Guy Burgess.

During the Second World War, Simon served in the Dorsetshire Regiment and the Royal Corps of Signals. He was also part of a special unit called the Phantom regiment. This unit connected him to many places and led to a lasting friendship with the actor David Niven.

After the war, Simon taught in a primary school in Manchester. He then taught at Varna Street Secondary Modern and Salford Grammar School. While at Salford, he directed a play that gave actor Albert Finney his first stage role.

From 1950 to 1980, Brian Simon taught at the University of Leicester. He started as a lecturer and became a professor in 1966. He retired in 1980 as an emeritus professor, which means he kept his title after retiring.

Simon became a very important person in the world of education. He wrote many books and articles about the history and politics of education. He strongly supported creating a national system of comprehensive schools. These schools aim to provide education for all children, no matter their background or abilities, in one school.

Some people criticized Brian Simon's ideas later in his life. Anne Corbett, in an article about him, said that critics of comprehensive schools did not agree with him. They said he was an upper-class intellectual who did not understand what working-class children needed. He was also criticized for being an education spokesperson for the Communist Party. In the 1950s and 1960s, the party was working to stop intelligence testing in schools.

His writings often showed a Marxist view of history. This means he looked at history through the lens of social classes and economic changes.

Family Life

On February 12, 1941, Brian Simon married Joan Peel. She was an assistant editor for the Times Educational Supplement. Her father, Home Peel, worked for the government in the India Office. Joan was also a descendant of Sir Robert Peel, a former Prime Minister.

Brian and Joan had two sons: Alan, born in 1943, and Martin, born in 1944.