Belper School Alumni

In almost 50 years since its establishment, Belper School and Sixth Form Centre has welcomed and watched thousands of students come and go, flourish and create fantastic futures for themselves. We have been in touch with some students from the past to see what they have been doing since their time at Belper.

We have been overwhelmed with the success of our alumni in terms of employment and hobbies, from interior designers to psychologists, engineers to ultra-marathoners, care-workers to set managers and musicians. Here are some of their stories:

Megan King – Interior Designer

“My time at Belper School initiated my interest in creative subjects. It was during my art GCSE that I was first taught how to use photoshop – software that I now use every day at work! I was encouraged to study an Art Foundation at Nottingham College by my art teacher which is a course that I highly recommend if you are a creative student unsure about which pathway to study at university, like I was. I studied Textile Design at Heriot-Watt University, specialising in woven textiles. After receiving a first-class honours degree, I began working as an Interior Designer for a company in Chesterfield who specialise in designing show homes for new-build housing developers all over the UK. My day-to-day role involves producing bespoke designs to help clients visualise the selected furniture, fabrics and wallpapers. After a design is accepted, I install the furniture to the show home and style the house with accessories. This is one of the most exciting aspects of my job as I get to see a whole project come together from the initial design to its final installation.

Jamie Vella –Lighting Control & Visualisation Assistant Manager, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

“I will always remember spending all of my time in the drama department, causing mischief and lighting exam performances! I went to Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies in Nottingham, where I studied Technical Events as a Level Extended Diploma. Beyond that, I learnt whilst on the job working with incredibly talented people! I work in a department of 7 Lighting Programmers at the Royal Opera House. On a day-to-day basis we spend our mornings in tech rehearsals for new shows and our afternoons preparing for the evening performance. We work with world-class lighting designers to bring their ideas to life, as well as working with industry leading manufacturers to further develop control software.”

Natalie Peake –Psychologist

“I loved my time at Belper School. I was always very active at school, playing for the Belper girls’ Hockey team as well as at a county level! This active lifestyle is something I still have and I spend my weekends hiking the Cumbrian fells. From sixth form, where I studied psychology, biology and art, I went to Lincoln University to study clinical psychology. At university, I worked as a research assistant and was the captain of the University of Lincoln’s ladies’ first team for field hockey. I worked in the same cafe throughout A levels, my degree and after university for a while before finding my first job as an assistant practitioner for the Memory and Later Life Service in Cumbria where I worked for a year and a half supporting older adults with mental health and cognitive difficulties. I have recently just started as an assistant psychologist with the same service and will be tasked in my new role with service development and neuropsychological testing of older adults. Next November, I aspire to apply to do my clinical doctorate and I would love to go on to specialise as a clinical neuropsychologist!”

With thanks to former Belper School students Megan King, Jamie Vella and Natalie Peake, and to Hannah Trinder for being our liaison.