Your account of the legend, Gareth, is hereby verified.

Nick would even start a test, with "Close all books, hurry up", 20 yards from the classroom, walking along a deserted corridor (because he was always 5-10 minutes late) and delivering "Question 3" as he entered the room.

He would joke with the class - but they were the jokes he had used with previous years. For example, "the battle of Old Nick's Cross - hem! hem!" for Neville's Cross. Hilarious!

That you found him relaxed may be down to the fact that my calculation suggests that he taught you in his retirement year at KBGS?

The method of teaching history used throughout the school, save some of the work for A Level, was purely didactic. Here's the facts; get 'em down and remember them.

Subsequent reform of these methods in history teaching came initially through:
the reforming curricula of the School's Council (representative of a cross-section of society but dissolved by Keith Joseph);
the CSE (a development of the Keighley !! Certificate introduced to validate competences of Keighley Sec Mod leavers) which, through its methods of assessment, precipitated the type of study of sources and evidence to which you refer;
the GCSE (initiated by Keith Joseph)produced national criteria for all history syllabuses requiring stringent assessment of truly historical objectives and skills;
the Secondary Examination Assessment Council (SEAC) which monitored - even policed - the syllabuses of the different boards and their assessment to ensure parity across the country. However, it was decided by Thatcher that these matters should not be entrusted to teachers and they were replaced on SEAC by her political appointees viz Letwynd et al.

Since then any purist attempts to validate history in secondary schools as a useful weapon in the skills armament of the young school leaver have been defeated by inappropriate systems of assessment, championed by the CRE (Campaign for Real (?)Education)which have discouraged the development and assessment of the valid historical skills and techniques which Gareth describes.

The end began with Baker and his National Curriculum - a licence thereafter for successive ministers to hack up education to their liking - possibly because these skills are dangerous in the wrong hands.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1952-60

Current location (optional) Lincoln

I confirm Terry's account of Nick's entry to the classroom.
As to being relaxed, he would play the part of Elizabeth toying with the affections of Philip of Spain, playing the part by placing a finger under his chin and fluttering his eyelashes.
He had much on his mind often. Well there was a war on, you know. He would pause halfway through a sentence and gaze down into Alice Street and we would sit silent as mice until he turned and continued the sentence without loss of sense. These thoughtful moments lasted 5-10 minutes sometimes, or seemed to.
I liked the old bugger.He taught the Tudors and I have always enjoyed that part of History.