Mrs Kay has organised a trip to Conway Castle in Wales for the progress class she takes. Mr Briggs is sent on it by the headmaster “to keep things in order” as he sees Mrs Kay’s method of teaching a bit to easy going and tolerant. This tells us that these two characters both have different attitudes and methods of teaching and different images of the children in the progress class.
In scene 4 Willy Russell shows us that Mrs Kay genuinely cares about the children in the progress class. She tells Maurice to “come away from that road will you?” as she cares for his safety and not that she enjoys ordering the children around. This is part of her motherly image. Later in the play she links arms and cuddles the children and puts trust in them too, like a mother would to her child. Some of the children enjoy this, as they do not receive that kind of comfort from home.
During the visit to Conway Castle Mrs Kay wants the children to have fun and enjoy themselves, as most of the children hadn’t left the busy inner city before. She also lies to the coach driver to allow the children the benefit of eating and drinking on the coach. Mr Briggs however believed the trip should be educational and can’t believe the driver is allowing food and drink on the coach. He also briefs the children on how to behave and enjoy themselves on coaches. In his speech he tells the children what to do and what not to do. This speech was ignored, as the children do not like Mr Briggs method and start doing the things they shouldn’t. This shows Willy Russell believes that when children are ordered what they can and can’t do they will do it but when asked nicely they will comply a lot more.
We also learn about Mr Briggs seeing the docks as a photographic place of beauty and when he tells the children he gets the reply of “its only the docks” and the place where there fathers work long hours for little pay.
Robert Chamberlain
Later on when they stop at a roadside café Mr Briggs wants the children to line-up and walk in an orderly fashion and wants the other teachers on the trip to help him supervise them in the shop. Mrs Kay tells him to trust them and lets them run free without any orders being dished out. This backfires on her as the children rob most of the food but none of the teaching staff find out. This also happens when they visit the zoo. Mrs Kay trusts them to behave on the unplanned visit to the zoo, totally against Mr Briggs feelings, but the children thief the animals and get caught. Mr Briggs uses this to warn the children and also to question Mrs Kay’s method. Mr Briggs sees that as the children are in the progress class they “wouldn’t be interested in animals”, however Mrs Kay knew the children would enjoy it as a “extra bonus” on the trip.
At the castle, Mr Briggs rudely interrupts a group of children talking to Mrs Kay when they have an argument and Mrs Kay tells Mr Briggs that it is “too late” to educate them and the trip is a way to give them a “good day out” and not of educational purposes.
Once more Mrs Kay goes against Mr Briggs method and takes an unplanned trip to the beach. She playfully dunks Kevin’s head in the sea but dries again as a mother would with her child. At this stage Mr Briggs isn’t joining in as he is sitting on some rocks. We are told in the stage directions that Mrs Kay then takes part in a game of football before realising Carol has gone. When Mr Briggs is informed he comes over as “I told you so” and “it was bound to happen”. He then shouts on about how he is going to get them all out of a job but Mrs Kay’s main concern is Carol being safe and not her job. This again shows her relationship with the children.
Mr Briggs finds Carol on the cliff top threatening to commit suicide. He manages to persuade her not to and becomes more like Mrs Kay. He is the one who suggests a visit to the fair and instead of being angry at Carol he is very forgiving. His new ways lasted all the way back to Liverpool.
On arrival back into the city Mr Briggs smartens himself up to keep up his strict image and refuses to go for a drink with the other teaching staff as he says he’s got marking to be done. Before he leaves the school he deliberately exposes the cameras film so that none of his hidden image is shown to the rest of the school.
I believe both Mr Briggs and Mrs Kay’s ways of teaching and attitude towards the children is correct but at different times. Mrs Kay puts too much trust in the children, which is good but they still need to be accompanied. A good example is in the café. Mr Briggs wanted them to line up and be orderly and Mrs Kay just let them get on with it. In that circumstance I believe Mr Briggs was correct but at the castle and zoo I believe neither was correct. There should have been some rules but some trust too. Mrs Kay’s method was good when in school and visiting the places but she was too soft at times. You need a mix of both methods I believe, you need a kind, tolerant side and a strict, disciplinarian side but not to the extremes of the two main teachers featured.
