Bernard Ashley was bombed out of his school in the Second World War. He went to 14 different primary schools because he was evacuated in and out of London during the war.

It didn't put him off school though. Bernard trained as a teacher and went on to be the head teacher of three primary schools. His wife has been head teacher of two schools and he has two sons who are both head teachers. Bernard knows a lot about schools!

Bernard was born in South London and has never moved very far away. At school he describes himself as “a conforming coward who didn't work hard enough”. Originally he wanted to be an actor, but teaching is quite like acting and Bernard enjoyed it, before retiring to write full-time.

Bernard has been writing since 1965 when he sold some short stories, but his first book was published in 1975. Since then Bernard has written over two-dozen books. He likes to tell stories that are full of excitement and drama, but which also show how a child copes with a crisis point in his or her life.

Bernard has always been committed to supporting and promoting multi-cultural children's books. He won one of the first Other Awards for The Trouble with Donovan Croft, the story of a West Indian boy who becomes mute when a white family adopts him. Almost all of his stories are set in the Charlton area of London where he lives and has taught, and which he knows so well.