Master 2007/8

Dr Peter T Warren CBE was installed as the seventh Master of the Guild in 2007 and immediately co- chaired a joint Banquet at the Mansion House in celebration of the Sponsoring Alderman serving as the Lord Mayor of the City of London.  The Guild was not large enough to support its own event at the Mansion House and it shared the occasion with one of its fellow guilds, the Guild of Public Relations Practitioners. The two guilds enjoyed a memorable evening – the first occasion that two companies had shared a Mansion House Banquet.  The new Master was keen to ensure that the Educators continued to participate in the fund-raising for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal with Educators attending, inter alia, a Dinner at the Arts’ Club and the Oriental Banquet at the Mansion House.   The Master organised the first Away Day for Court and invited Freemen to review the way ahead to begin preparation of a new Strategic Plan for 2007-13, building upon that accepted during the Mastership of P.M.Weaver. The new Plan was adopted by Court in February 2008 and received a warm welcome from the Sponsoring Alderman. 

The Franklin Lecture in 2007, sponsored by the Gatsby Foundation, was delivered by Dame Julia Higgins, FRS, Principal, Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College, London, on ‘Education – the making of a researcher?’ and the Master’s personal Seminar Series was on ‘Educational Research – quality, quantity, use and abuse’ .  Reflecting the Guild’s growing activities and strategic thinking, the Court established committees for Development,  Finance, and Fellowship and Social affairs (replacing the Guild Liaison Group). The Master received a first cheque from the Lord Mayor’s Appeal in September 2007 and was able to announce during his year that the financial targets had been met (and exceeded) that would enable the Guild to petition in 2009 for Company status. This success owed much to the Sponsoring Alderman, Sir John Stuttard, who had made the Guild a beneficiary of his Lord Mayor’s Appeal, the generosity of the Foundation Master, contributions from many other Freemen, the generosity of the Worshipful Company of Bakers in allowing the Guild to use its Hall on very advantageous terms, and the continuing pro bono services of the Clerk and his wife.

During his year, Dr Warren kindly donated a rather attractive badge intended for the Mistress Educator which he was able to present to Mrs Warren for use before the end of her term of office.  The formal transfer of this badge by one Mistress Educator to another was written into the Annual Assembly procedure and Mrs Warren’s successor had the advantage of wearing it throughout her term of office.  

Attractive as the badge is, Dr Burne as Dr Warren’s next-but-one successor, decided to wear it herself as the Master’s badge rather than, as was the custom, her normal Officer’s badge  which other Masters had worn.  With the precedent set, the Master-Elect in favour, and Dr Warrren more than willing, the Court decided in 2010 that the Mistress Educator’s unique badge should in future be worn as the Master’s Badge. It was hoped that some other Past Master would be kind enough to donate a new badge for the use of future Mistress Educators.