Salvete
Mr Michael Schofield
We welcome Mr Schofield to St. Peter’s and wish him luck with his time here.
Last January Michael Schofield joined St. Peter’s as the new Bursar. Although new to York itself, Mr Schofield is no stranger to Yorkshire. He was born in Mombasa, Kenya, but grew up and attended school in Leeds. He then went on to attain Economics and Accountancy BA Hons at Newcastle University.
Lucy Schofield LVI
Mrs Joanna Wright Mrs Wright joined us this year as our new Deputy Head. We welcome her as a new face (and desperately needed female voice) in the school’s Leadership Team. Her experience at her previous schools equip her well to take on the challenge of the day-to-day running of the school. Mrs Wright has held distinguished pastoral roles at Queenswood School in Hertfordshire, St. Edward’s in Oxford and Oundle School.
Mr Schofield qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Newcastle before joining TT Group Plc. Here he was Finance Director of a company within the TT Group. Before coming to Peter’s Mr Schofield was Bursar of Rishworth School in Calderdale, a job he enjoyed but decided the time had come for a new challenge and the opportunity offered by St Peter’s was really exciting. In his spare time, Mr Schofield enjoys cycling, and has taken part in many races, often placing very highly. Cycling, he tells me, is his favourite hobby, and, as he says, ‘I’ll still be cycling as an old man, no matter how much harder it gets to climb those mountains.’ Other hobbies he lists include reading and walking, and he is a ‘huge film lover’, with a penchant for westerns and musicals. When asked for his favourite quote he gives ‘It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live,’ from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, the musical adaptation being one of his favourite films. After his first six months in the job, when this interview took place, Mr Schofield states ‘the time has flashed by and despite all the challenges that come with any new job, I’m really enjoying the role.’ He has also appreciated living in York for the past year, the ‘beautiful city’ being another factor in drawing him to St Peter’s. When asked to describe himself in three words, Mr Schofield gives ‘reliable, optimistic and determined’ although admits that others may say, ‘ how about “reads very slowly?”’.
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The Peterite 2012-2013
In the autumn term Mrs Wright presented an absorbing assembly in which she aimed, as she put it, ‘to bridge something between myself and the pupils.’ She was following the advice of the Head Boy who had said that this would be a good way to introduce herself to over five hundred people all at once. We can definitely agree. Surprisingly, perhaps, Mrs Wright’s teaching background lies in Drama. When asked about this, she said that she loves teaching and it was always fun, with a purpose. She read French and Theatre Studies at University but in teaching was drawn to her love for Drama and the power of language, the magic of imagination and working on texts to understand subtext. Her proudest teaching moment? Watching the first night of a production she directed and seeing pupils own their work and ‘take off’. “There is a tremendous sense of pride in what they have achieved”. A favourite play or production? “Impossible to choose … though maybe Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker which is about the transforming power of theatre.”
