Archives of the Joint Committee of the Four Secondary Teachers' Associations

Executive committee meetings, agendas and minutes, 1953-78; annual reports, 1922-63; financial statements, 1921-74; papers of sub-committees and working parties, 1958-74; files of correspondence with local committees of the Joint Four, 1923-74; files of correspondence with organisations, 1957-74; papers relating to the Fdration internationale des professeurs de l'enseignement secondaire and its congresses, 1927-72; subject files, 1926-76. Papers for local committees of the Joint Four: (i) Hampshire committee: minute books, 1938-74; correspondence 1946-76 (ii) Humberside committee: correspondence, committee and other papers, 1973-6.

The four principal secondary teachers' associations, the Incorporated Association of Head Masters (IAHM), the Association of Head Mistresses, Incorporated (AHMI), the Association of Assistant Mistresses, Incorporated (AAMI) and the Assistant Masters' Association (AMA) while retaining their existence as independent bodies, were, from 1921, federated for certain purposes under a joint committee, known as the Joint Committee of the Four Secondary Associations, frequently known as the Joint Four. From 1921, the offices of the four associations were housed in the same building. From then on it encouraged the establishment of local joint committees to deal with secondary teachers' interests within each local education authority area and it also developed extensive connections overseas, representing England and Wales in many conferences and linking organisations. The Sex Discrimination Act, 1975, ended the single-sex associations and with them of the purpose of the Joint Committee, which was dissolved on 31 December 1978.

The Special Collections Division is available for anyone to use, regardless of whether you are attached to an academic institution. Access to the Archives and Manuscripts and Rare Books reading room, however, is by prior appointment to access the manuscript material. See our website for more details.

The archives of the Association of Assistant Mistresses now form MS 59 in the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick Library