Tracing the life of Sir Cyril Norwood, one of England's most prominent and influential educators, this book investigates the historical development of secondary education in England and Wales during the early twentieth century. During this time, an enduring ideal of secondary education associated with Sir Cyril Norwood became dominant. This was presented as the authentic English tradition of education, based on the ideals of the great independent or public schools, and culminating in the so-called 1943 Norwood report on the secondary school curriculum and examinations.