Frederick Mander

Background

Mander was born in Luton in Bedfordshire, the son of Arthur Mander, an iron plate worker, and his wife, Carrie Ellingham.

Education

He obtained an external Bachelor of Science degree from the University of London.

Career

Mander was the headmaster of a school in Luton from 1915 to 1931. He joined the National Union of Teachers (National Union of Teachers) and was elected to its Executive Committee in 1922. The actions of the LEA were widely condemned after the National Union of Teachers were able to prove that the non-union ‘blackleg’ teachers employed by the LEA were inadequate.

Following the strikers" action, in 1926 the Board of Education ruled that teachers" salaries should be agreed at a national level by the Burnham Committee.

Mander became Vice-President of the National Union of Teachers in 1926 and President in 1927. He resigned as headmaster of his Luton school to become the National Union of Teachers"s General Secretary, a position he held from 1931 to 1947, when he retired.

In 1931 Mander opposed government demands that teachers" pay should be reduced by up to 30 per cent because of the economic crisis at that time. The reduction was eventually limited to 10 per central

He was knighted in 1938.

He was the Vice President of the National Foundation for Educational Research from 1948 until his death in 1964. The Mander College of Further Education in Bedford College was built in 1959 and was named after him. He was the President of the Bedfordshire Natural History Society.

Sir Frederick Mander died at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital in 1964 aged 80.

Membership

Mander was Chairman of Bedfordshire County Council between 1952 and 1962, and was a member of the Executive of the Association of Education Committees.

Connections

teacher:

Luton Higher Grade

teachers:

Lowestoft Strike