My cousin Frank Rose, who has died aged 89, was a talented teacher who rose to become head of Millfields primary school in Hackney, east London. His child-centred approach was much influenced by AS Neill’s Summerhill school in Suffolk, where the emphasis lay on giving children a greater say in the way they were taught.
Known throughout most of his life as Chicky, Frank was brought up in an orthodox Jewish family in the East End of London by his parents, Leah (nee Shinebone) and Phil Rosenthal. He attended the Jews’ Free school in London, established to help Jewish children integrate into British society, and in 1940 was evacuated to Soham in Cambridgeshire, where he was exposed to rural life and fell in love with nature.
At 14 he was employed by the jewellers Wakesman in the capital, putting up with the job until national service at 18, when he was posted to India just before partition in 1947. On his return to Britain he went to night school, qualified as a teacher and married Beattie Yodaiken, also a teacher.
His early career began at William Patten primary school in Stoke Newington. He eventually became deputy head of the Solomon Wolfson Jewish primary school in Notting Hill, and followed this up with the headship of Millfields. While still teaching he completed an MA in the philosophy of education at Birkbeck College, London.
Chicky was gentle, dutiful and kind, with a delightful sense of humour. In his private life, his relationship with religion was complex. He learned avidly about Jewish history, philosophy and ethics, and was critical of unthinking ritual and doctrine, yet continued to adhere to Jewish practices that had been ingrained since childhood. He loved discussion and debate, read widely across various disciplines, and had a book of poems, Odd Man Out, published in 2010.
He is survived by Beattie, their children, David, Shirley and Yvonne, four grandchildren and one great -grandchild, and his brother, Cyril.
