Alistair Cameron "Please Sir, can we play 'Hot Seat' today?" This is very often the request I receive from my classes, particularly towards the end of term. 'Hot Seat' is a game in which
that Paul used when describing Ali: 'From the moment he arrived in Manor, he was the consummate professional. He had a quiet but firm approach and the kids always responded brilliantly. Or maybe they were trying to impress Sarah who usually accompanied Ali! I'm sure you'll miss him.'
pupils try to describe a mathematical word to a team member
Ali moves to Abbotsholme School in Staffordshire. He will be
without actually saying it, and before a picture of a bomb
very much missed at St. Peter's and will, I am sure, prove to be a
explodes. The pupils love it, and it is just one of the popular
superb appointment. The saying 'our loss is their gain' could not
classroom resources that Ali introduced to the department. Of
be more fitting.
course underlying all the fun is the fact that the descriptions
D.Spencer
pupils use can be of great help to their understanding
Tom Marriott
of
mathematical terms (although a favourite
Tom joined St Peter's straight from Cambridge University. He
description of Force is
was interviewed for, and accepted, the position of teacher of
'May it be with you!'
history even before he had taken his final examinations. Inevitably
as
and
imagine,
can
we had to 'knock off
is rarely the
some of his rougher
you
a
undergraduate edges
circle divided by its
(not wearing a jacket,
diameter!)
missing Chapel etc.)
circumference
Something that Ali
of
and in Paddy Stephen
else
the school had the H
introduced,
ideal man for the job!
this time to the 6th form, is 'the cake mistake'. If a fundamental or critical error is made by a student, they are expected to provide a cake in the following lesson for all to share.
This has gone down tremen-
dously well with both staff and pupils, and has been adopted by other members of the department, including myself. (I appear to have gained a little weight though, whilst Ali has remained slim... testament, I'm sure, to his very good teaching!) Ali is highly professional. He has built up excellent relationships with all of the pupils that he teaches and they have the utmost respect for him. He has also been fully involved in the wider school community where his commitment has been greatly appreciated. He has supervised Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions and Mountaineering Club trips, he started a Mountain Biking Club, he has regularly run Hockey training sessions and he has gone on a number of school trips including an expedition to India. In every one of these activities he has proved to be talented and highly professional; the students have certainly gained much from Ali's
Tom was taken under his considerable wing and developed into a prolific coffee drinking, sport's
kit
wearing,
marathon running...! Like Paddy, Tom committed
himself
wholeheartedly to everything he did. He was an outstanding teacher of history with a passionate belief in his pupils. He had both an enviable breadth of knowledge (less enviable tastes in DVDs!) and a genuine love of intellectual argument; he often argued against his natural position for the sake of a good debate. Moreover, he achieved some of the best results within the department. For instance, one of his GCSE sets achieved 20A*s and one A in their exams; his other group that year had the best value added results of the department.
guidance. Ali is very competitive and I often hear of his success in
The school worked Tom hard and he threw himself fully
some demanding weekend run or marathon. Even on the school
(though not always uncomplainingly!!!) into all that he was asked
trip to India he enjoyed being first up any of the hills! Ali's wife
to do. He was a very successful resident assistant housemaster in
Sarah has also been involved with school life, joining Ali on trips
Linton and was a non-resident assistant in Manor before that. He
with pupils to see Leeds Rhinos as well as accompanying him to
participated fully in the school's extra-curricular programme -
India with St. Peter's pupils.
taking the heavy burden of being master in charge of rugby teams,
Ali has been described as the 'Maths Department iFawkes Champion', and I have certainly very much appreciated all of the work that he has put into this area. The maths home pages that he has created are attractive and fun. There's Shrek, maths quotes, radio and video clips, as well as various maths jokes (yes, they do exist!).
rowing squads and girls' cricket teams.
Despite these heavy
commitments he still managed to enthuse his charges and oversaw a great deal of success with them. Tom Marriott will be impossible to replace. St Peter's loss is undoubtedly Cranleigh's gain. R.J.P.Trevett
Ali's work in The Manor has been greatly valued by both Steve Gwilliam and Paul Taylor. I couldn't agree more with the words
ThePeterite2010-2011
