Rotherham
Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...
, England) is an English author and educator. After a career as a teacher he became a schools inspector and, latterly, Visiting Professor of Education at the
University of Teesside
, mottoeng = Deeds Not Words
, established = 1930 – Constantine Technical College1969 – as Teesside Polytechnic 1992 – gained university status
, type = Public
, endowment = £0.23 m (2019/20)
, chancellor ...
. He graduated from Leeds Trinity University in 1970 with a degree in Education.
He has published five volumes of memoir, collections of poetry and a number of books about education. He has a particular interest in
children's literature
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
and
literacy
Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...
.
He is married with four grown-up children.
Career
Phinn taught in a range of schools for fourteen years before becoming an education adviser and school inspector. He is now:
* a freelance lecturer, broadcaster and writer
* President of the
School Library Association
The School Library Association (SLA) is an independent organization in the United Kingdom which promotes libraries and literacy in schools. The SLA was founded in 1937 and is based at Kembrey Park in north-eastern Swindon. It is a charity registe ...
for 2006–2009
* a consultant for the
Open University
The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...
* Honorary Fellow of
York St John University
, mottoeng = They may have life and have it more abundantly
, established =
, type = Public
, administrative_staff = 618
, chancellor = Reeta Chakrabarti
, vice_chancellor = Professor Karen Bryan
, student ...
* Doctor of Letters of the
University of Leicester
, mottoeng = So that they may have life
, established =
, type = public research university
, endowment = £20.0 million
, budget = £326 million
, chancellor = David Willetts
, vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah
, head_labe ...
* Fellow and Visiting Professor of Education at The
University of Teesside
, mottoeng = Deeds Not Words
, established = 1930 – Constantine Technical College1969 – as Teesside Polytechnic 1992 – gained university status
, type = Public
, endowment = £0.23 m (2019/20)
, chancellor ...
.
Bibliography
He has published many articles, chapters and books and edited a range of poetry and short story collections.
His academic texts include:
*''Young Readers and their Books'', published by David Fulton* ''Touches of Beauty: Poetry in the Primary School and Reading Matters''
He has published collections of his own plays, poems, picture books and short stories, including his anthologies of verse:
*''Classroom Creatures''
*''It Takes One to Know One''
*''The Day Our Teacher Went Batty''
*''Family Phantoms''
Books of stories for children:
*''What's the Matter, Royston Knapper?''
*''Royston Knapper: The Return of the Rogue''
*''Our Cat Cuddles'' (a picture book)
Dales series
Phinn is probably best known for his memoirs, many of which he has read as audiobooks:
*''The Other Side of the Dale'' (1998, Michael Joseph)
*''Over Hill and Dale'' (2000, Michael Joseph)
*''Head Over Heels in the Dales'' (2002, Michael Joseph)
*''Up and Down in the Dales'' (2004, Michael Joseph)
*''The Heart of the Dales'' (2007, Michael Joseph)
Associated books
*''A Wayne in a Manger''
Others
*''All These Lonely People '' (2009, Penguin Books)
*''Out of the Woods but Not Over the Hill'' (2010,
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint (trade name), imprint of Hachette (publisher), Hachette.
History
Early history
The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs ...
)
*''The Little Village School'' (2011, Hodder & Stoughton)
*''Trouble at the Little Village School'' (2012, Hodder & Stoughton)
*''Secrets at the Little Village School'' (2016, Hodder & Stoughton)
*''Road to the Dales – The story of a Yorkshire Lad'' (2010, Penguin) – a memoir of his early childhood
Television and radio appearances
*''
Esther
Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...
'' (BBC1)
*''
Midweek
''MidWeek'' is a weekly United States tabloid shopper and advertisement periodical published in Honolulu, Hawaii and distributed throughout the Islands of Oahu and Kauai. It is owned by Black Press and is a sister publication of the ''Honolulu ...
'' (BBC Radio 4)
*''
You and Yours
''You and Yours'' is a British radio consumer affairs programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and produced by BBC News.
History
''You and Yours'' began broadcasting in October 1970, when its first presenter was Joan York. In the 1980s it briefly ra ...
'' (BBC Radio 4)
*''Open House with
Gloria Hunniford
Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE (born 10 April 1940) is a Northern Irish television and radio presenter, broadcaster and singer. She is known for presenting programmes on the BBC and ITV, such as '' Rip Off Britain'', and her regular appear ...
'' (ITV)
*''
North East Tonight
''ITV News Tyne Tees'' is a British television news service produced by ITV Tyne Tees & Border and broadcasting to the “ Tyne Tees” region.
Overview
The news service is produced and broadcast from studios at The Watermark, Gateshead with ...
'' (Tyne Tees Television)
*''
Today programme
''Today'', colloquially known as ''the Today programme'', is a long-running British morning news and current-affairs Radio program, radio programme on BBC Radio 4. Broadcast on Monday to Saturday from 6:00 am to 9:00 am, it is produced by BBC N ...
'' (BBC Radio 4)
*''
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is also a physi ...
The Heaven and Earth Show
''The Heaven and Earth Show'' is a BBC television programme that aired on Sunday mornings from 10am to 11am on BBC One. The show ran for nine years between 1998 and 2007, looking at spiritual and moral issues. Over the years it had numerous prese ...
'' (BBC 2)
*''The
Des O'Connor
Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter.
He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with ''The Des O'Connor Show'' in 1963, which ran for ten years. He a ...
Look North
''BBC Look North'' is a name used by the BBC for its regional news programmes in three regions in the North of England:
*''BBC Look North'' for the BBC North East and Cumbria region
*''BBC Look North'' for the BBC Yorkshire region
*''BBC Look No ...
'' (BBC 1)
*''
The Big Toe Radio Show
''The Big Toe Radio Show'' was a daily show (seven days a week) for children on the DAB radio station BBC 7 at breakfast time and from 4 to 6pm. It was aimed at children aged nine to eleven. It featured music, games, stories read from well-known ...
'' (BBC Radio 7)
*''Just One Chance'' (BBC 2)
*''
Book at Bedtime
''Book at Bedtime'' (''A Book at Bedtime'' until 9 July 1993) is a long-running radio programme that is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 each weekday evening between 22.45 and 23.00.
The programme presents readings of fiction, including modern classics, ...
'' (BBC Radio 4)
*''
Book of the Week
''Book of the Week'' is a BBC Radio 4 series that is broadcast daily on week days. Each week, extracts from the selected book, usually a non-fiction work, are read over five episodes; each fifteen-minute episode is broadcast in the morning (9:45a ...
'' (BBC Radio 4)
*''
A Good Read
''A Good Read'' is one of BBC Radio 4's longest-running programmes; in it two guests join the main presenter to choose and discuss their favourite books. Sue MacGregor stepped down in 2010 as the programme's then-longest-serving presenter (seven ...
'' (BBC Radio 4)
Honours
In 2004 Gervase Phinn received "The Speaker of the Year Award" from the
Association of Speakers' Clubs
The Association of Speakers Clubs (ASC) is a British confederation of about 150 clubs around the country that promote the skill of public speaking.
History
The ASC was formed by de-merger from Toastmasters International (TI) in 1973. Most of ...
. ''Up and Down in the Dales'', won the Customer Choice Award at the Spoken Book Awards.
In 2005 the highest academic award of
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...
, Doctor of the University (D.Univ.) was conferred upon him by the Chancellor, Professor
Lord Winston
Robert Maurice Lipson Winston, Baron Winston, (born 15 July 1940) is a British professor, medical doctor, scientist, television presenter and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician.
Early life
Robert Winston was born in London to Lauren ...
. He is a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
and an Honorary Fellow of the English Speaking Board.