tristram jonesparry is a british former teacher of mathematics he was headmaster of emanuel school 19941998 and westminster school19982005 independent schools in the ukupon his departure from westminster jonesparry received a great amount of attachment and approval from staff and pupils he was depicted as an excellent leader and educator who devoted his time entirely for the sake of education rather than to building excessive relationship with external highsociety figures who bears a warm heart under a stern appearance who will always be remembered for picking up rubbish from the little deans yard ground there was rumour that he was in argument with the school council over issues concerning the allocation of funds gathered from benefactors the council thought the fund should be used for improving school facilities while he was of the opinion that the money should be provided to smart students unable to afford feeshe became involved in media and political controversy in 2004 when on retiring from independent schools at the age of 58 after 30 years teaching experience applied to teach in a state school in order to give a bit back but was rejected by the general teaching council on the basis that he had not completed the pgce teacher training course which is obligatory for teachers in the state sector but not in the independent schools insisting also that they were obliged to apply this rule rigidlycritics of the decision labelled it totally absurd given jonesparrys long teaching experience in leading independent schools and as headmaster of westminster frequently cited as the most academically successful school in the country the growing media controversy surrounding the issue further spotlighted what many saw as a particularly onerous example of bureaucratic pedantry leading to pressure on the then education secretary charles clarke from his own advisers to change the rules following a decision that the rules were necessary in order to preserve standards the national union of teachers and nasuwt endorsed it and the teacher training agency stated that a fasttrack route for qualified teachers already existsjonesparry is now manager of the oxfordshire further mathematics centre