Valete

Leo Winkley

Leo, shortly after I was interviewed for my job here, which I reckon was about a month into your time as Head Master, I got chatting with a colleague of mine as together we managed the lunch queue. I always really rated her opinion and wanted to pick her brain. I told her about our phone call and how you’d offered me the job and I then listed to her all of the reasons why I was nervous about accepting it. She had once worked with you and with a reassuring little smile she said to me that I needed to remember that I wouldn’t just be going to work at St Peter’s, I’d be going to work with you, and then she added, “he’s the only person I’d move half way across the country to work with”. I’m glad that I trusted that colleague and today I thought I’d tell you why over the last seven years here I’ve found that, in York ... town is good. First of all, Leo made truly inspired choices about who to offer jobs to! Yes, I would say that wouldn’t I, but actually I think that the point is an important one. In your final briefing to the common room you told us that you have never worked with a better group of colleagues. That may well be true, I certainly hope so, but please don’t underestimate what you have done in shaping the atmosphere here into a place in which we can thrive, where we can feel able to give of our best and to feel proud of the place that we are a part of and what we achieve here. The best leadership isn’t about telling people what to do, it’s simply about being secure enough to allow others to do what they are good at and to shine. It is because of you that we are surrounded by so many shiny happy people. You are welcoming of new ideas, encourage us to take risks, and offer an enormous depth of support to those who wanting to explore just what we can do. And so we have a public lecture programme, a concert programme that takes in venues all across the country and indeed the world, an independent state schools partnership, sports teams that compete credibly on both the local and national stage, drama productions that wouldn’t look out of place in professional theatres, bursary support for a growing number of pupils, five boarding houses and massive a range of trips

and tours ... the list goes on and on. And it all happens because you are someone that turns up saying “yes, together we can do this!” The team that you have crafted here is a very special one. That’s what you look like as a leader, with you ... blue gown is good.

One way of showing just how proud you are of what we achieve here has been in your care for the grounds and buildings. When I arrived here, the walls of the main corridor were tired and pale blue. And then, rather wonderfully, you let Jules’s creative eye have a look over the place. And yes, at first you only trusted her to do the colour scheme in the toilets outside your office but thankfully we’ve moved on from there. You’ve refitted the labs and classrooms, built a grounds team that now have national awards under their belts, created welcoming reception areas both for Clifton and St Peter’s, upgraded the Memorial Hall and, of course had the vision to not to bother extending maths and MFL, but to knock them down and start again. The campus master plan that you have overseen is simply an outworking of something much deeper that you have built here, though: the sense that the seven school values that you worked to helped us to articulate should unite everyone in the three schools of the St Peter’s family. Your attitude has been that we need a beautiful place in which we can nurture beautiful lives. Here ... grounds are good!

And everything that you have done here has been with an utter commitment to the belief that learning should be serious fun. Over the last seven years, I have felt really privileged to stand three times a week with you as we have waited for chapel and chew the fat in our weekly meetings. Please don’t underestimate just how much I have appreciated your gentle wisdom. It’s always impressive that you can verbally improvise and that, in front of a group of parents you can be every inch a statesman, and yet I wonder how many of the pupils realise just how silly the jokes can be just before you walk into chapel? And yet I think that both of us have long since abandoned any thought that we might be able to get the pupils to laugh. Except, of course, once every couple of years. I won’t forget in a hurry the arrival of the Peteroo delivery boy on Red Nose Day or, indeed, you morris dancing and flamencoing your way up the centre of chapel. So many people, Leo, have appreciated your ability to balance serious and fun. With you ... to clown is good!

While it seems like too short a time, we are glad that you have been at the helm here (couldn’t resist a nautical metaphor). It’s true, of course, that you will leave here feeling that there are still stones that you have left unturned, but you have worked hard to be a good custodian of the Peterite tradition and there are, I am sure, many ways in which we won’t see the fruits of your often quite exquisite judgement for months or perhaps even years after you are gone. Under your leadership, St Peter’s has indeed become a place that it was worth crossing half the country to be part of. In conclusion, thank you for teaching us that ... brown is good!

The Rev Daniel Jones

Alison Hutchinson

Alison Hutchinson joined the Mathematics Department at St Peter’s in 2006, and at this time she taught J4 at St Olave’s in addition to our own Third and Fourth Form. She also began to provide invaluable individual support lessons, which many pupils have benefitted from immensely throughout the 12 years that she has been with us. One of Alison’s many qualities has been her absolute commitment to the pupils, and her desire to do her very best for each and every one of them. Although officially only part-time, she frequently stayed well beyond her contracted hours, coming in to school during times that she was not teaching in order to see students who had requested or indeed been encouraged by Alison to seek extra help. House staff often commented about the care that Alison gave, her thoroughness in making sure pupils caught up on any work missed, and the fact that she has always been so giving of her time when any child has had difficulties. Alison has the ability to build a student’s confidence in mathematics, helping them believe “I can do it”.

Alison’s teaching is excellent, something I have seen not only from a Head of Department’s view, but also from that of a parent. The consistently high IGCSE results that her sets have achieved year on year has been amazing.

Alison has been such a valued and highly respected member of not just the department, but of the school as a whole; I am indebted to her for the outstanding care and attention that she has given to each and every one of her pupils.

Mr David Spencer

Andrew Christian

The first time I met Andrew, we chatted about his role and how we would work together. I went home that night and said to my wife words to the effect of ‘this new learning support guy is good; he’s going to be a massive help’. How right I was.

Andrew has made a massive impact on all things Learning Support in his year and a half with us. It was in January last year that he joined us from Bury Grammar School for Boys; his passion for, and knowledge of, his subject area were immediately obvious. Andrew

displayed genuine warmth and care for the pupils he worked with, which quickly allowed him to build a positive working relationship, and importantly, gain the pupils’ trust. He has educated and informed the teaching staff, raising our awareness of the range of learning issues that many of our pupils experience.

Andrew is meticulous in his organisation. His filing and paperwork are a wonder to behold; everything is perfectly categorised. During his very last week in school and indeed into the summer holidays he was updating records and tidying up learning programmes for pupils on his register. Nothing was ever left to chance, everything was just so.

It is this attention to detail that helped to earn him the respect of the pupils he worked with, most notably a group of Fifth Form boys undertaking their GCSEs. Between them this particular group possessed a diverse range of access arrangement requirements, but through refining things after the trial exams, Andrew put everything in place to allow the boys every chance to perform in the summer. His willingness to take full responsibility for this group was a huge help to me personally, but most importantly, he put the pupils at ease, them knowing that nothing would be left to chance.

Andrew is an absolute expert in his subject, and I think it is fair to say that he transformed learning support provision at St Peter’s. It is a fact that our pupil body have a significantly greater number, and range of learning needs than in years gone by, and through his expertise, patience and empathy, Andrew brought us up to date, to where we need to be. He leaves behind a legacy that should continue to provide the pupils with all the support to which they are entitled. He has been a pleasure to work with, and as he leaves to lead a department of 25 at Prestayn High School, we wish him every happiness and success, and thank him wholeheartedly for all he has done.

Mr Neil Matkin

Cath Hempsall

I first met Cath a little over nine years ago, when she came to St Peter’s to be interviewed for a job in the history department. I asked her to deliver a lesson on the impact of First World War on Britain to a difficult Fourth Form class. A number of things were clear from the outset: Cath had great control of the class; she was well prepared, with clearly thought out activities and carefully constructed resources; she was energetic and enthusiastic in manner; dare I say it, she was a little formidable. It was clear to the then Head Master, Richard Smyth, and to David Watkinson, the Director of Studies, that Cath was the only possible person who could be appointed. It was only myself who had serious concerns about employing her as I realised the amount of hard work it would take to get the energetic, enthusiastic, cheerful, committed, and ambitious Cath to blend with the general ethos of the history department here at St Peter’s.

To be honest, I was not wrong. Project Cath has been a long, slow and at times a difficult and a deeply disappointing process. In her first year, one of her targets was to eat more cake. This is something she has, at face value, taken to with aplomb. But probe beneath the surface and it is clear she was only half-hearted in her efforts. There is no point eating cake if you go for a swim, run, cycle, or hot yoga class (or all of the above) afterwards! I realised I needed the help of the rest of the department. Steve Gwilliam and John Armstrong did the St Peter’s history department version of extraordinary rendition and took her to Belgium to try and break her on chocolate and strong Belgian lager. There was some success here I understand, but not as great, or as long lasting, as I would have hoped. Frankly, I was thinking Cath was an entirely hopeless case, and that my best mentoring efforts had failed. You can imagine my shock, therefore, to find that she has decided to give up work and become a student. Maybe the department’s efforts have paid off in the long term; Cath is certainly better equipped to cope with student life now than she was when she arrived!

Richard Smyth recognised instantly that Cath was someone who liked to be busy, indeed needed to be busy. I think it is fair to say that, as a school, we have kept her very busy. As well as a full time teaching role in the department, Cath has contributed so much to the wider life of the school. It would be too much here to list everything she has done, however, a few highlights are: Housemistress of Queen’s House; the CCF; the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme; rowing; netball; rounders; Exploration Week; the physics/history trip to NASA; the Beverley 10K; and the erstwhile social secretary of the staff room. Cath has been the heartbeat of the St Peter’s community. I don’t think the school will realise what she does - what she really does - until she has gone next year.

In many ways, Cath is the very embodiment of the seven core values of St Peter’s in

particular, endurance (not least for having had the three Stephen boys through the house). However, I should like to suggest two other core values that, for me, sum up Cath perfectly: integrity and loyalty. On a personal level, those lucky enough to be her friends know that Cath is honest and honourable in all that she does. We can trust her entirely to offer sound advice – and not always the advice we want to hear. She will do anything to help and support us – no matter what the cost. However, these values have also been central to the roles she has undertaken here here at St Peter’s. For example, Cath ran Queen’s House on moral grounds – what was right and what was wrong. Personal and professional integrity ran through everything she did: she treated everyone the same and was scrupulously fair; when necessary she would punish, regardless of who the perpetrator was, but once punished, that individual knew they could start afresh; crucially, she didn’t just impose these values onto the pupils, she helped the pupils themselves to develop and value integrity and loyalty. Cath did not try to be popular: she did not follow the easiest path – the route of least resistance. She was educating her pupils into making right decisions for themselves and taking responsibility for their own actions. Surely, this is the purpose of education in its most fundamental sense. Moreover, the pupils knew that Cath would back them fearlessly – again, whatever the cost. It was for these reasons that Cath was one of the most respected housemaster/ housemistresses at St Peter’s School amongst us as staff, but most importantly, amongst the pupil and parent bodies.

Cath has been wonderful to get to know over the last nine years. She will be missed greatly by all her friends – although now she is a student she has time on her hands to keep in touch! St Peter’s – as an institution and as a community will miss her. And, from me personally, thank you Cath for being a rock professionally, damn good fun socially, and a good friend always. I shall miss you greatly.

Mr Richard Trevett

Irene Bevan

When I was asked, not long ago, whether I would be willing to speak at Irene’s retirement party, I immediately accepted; as it is a real honour to have this, all too brief chance, to thank Irene on behalf of all of us at St Peters for her extraordinary commitment to our community.

I have had the privilege of knowing Irene and her family for over 30 years – first as a parent to Piers and James, then as a colleague and very soon after as a most supportive and valued friend.

As a parent Irene was hugely supportive of her boys and as you can imagine did not suffer fools lightly. She had their backs and they knew it. This fierce loyalty to those she counted as her family and friends was absolute and unquestioning. If she felt you had stepped out of line she would tell you in uncompromising fashion possibly a reason we got on so well was our consistent use of “unacceptable” adjectives! Watching Irene rise to her full height of about “seven foot tall”, when in full flow was a sight to behold and I remember the words delivered to a previous Head Master, over an issue about a pupil she cared deeply about - and was in her opinion about to be cast out – I DON’T THINK SO? –Sister Bevan had won the day!

Fundamentally this was her greatest asset, for Irene was here for the pupils- she would always go the extra mile for them- as her rather wonderful Orio Cheescakes For Tayo showed, she had their backs and looked after those in distress. The sanatorium was a safe port, in an often storm wracked sea, for many vulnerable pupils. They knew she cared and that was what was important to them. Well before adolescent metal health became a buzz word she recognised those in need and offered the sort on non-judgemental support that was needed.

As a very experienced theatre and casualty nurse with now only three months short of 50 years in nursing; Irene gave the sort of reassuring calmness we as staff needed on arrival at the sanatorium with an injured pupil.

I clearly remember a member of Sedburgh First XV arriving in tea with a very interesting swelling at the top of his left ear. His mother was in some distress as she realised that he was going to develop ears like his father! Without any fuss Irene syringed his ear, with his father present bemoaning the fact that it had not been done for him!

In all my years in the house Irene provided the sort of support you would want a sanatorium sister to provide - she was always there when you needed her - she gave very sound advice and had contacts all over York if you needed a bit of extra advice. In addition and probably most importantly she would tell you if you were getting something wrong.

The pupils at St Peter’s over the years trusted Irene completely and this respect turned into genuine affection over the past 20 years.

To finish I would like to say that is has been a 30 year journey which I am happy to record is not at an end as Irene will be doing some work with us in the future. In this time I first respected Irene as a devoted and loving mother, then grew to trust her as an incomparable sanatorium sister and then to have the honour of regarding this outstanding lady as a true friend.

Mr Paddy Stephen

Libby Ullstein

Although Libby Ullstein joined the school in 2009 as Head of the Geography department, she has made a huge impact on many aspects of the school.

She was a truly inspirational teacher who meticulously ensured pupils had covered every detail of the specification, and will be especially remembered for the calmness and patience shown to those pupils struggling or less able and could often be found giving pupils extra lessons beyond the curriculum. Being a perfectionist, Libby set very high standards in the department, leading the department through two board changes at GCSE and three at A-Level; always wanting to give the pupils the best chance of reaching their potential. The department as a result soon became one of the most popular optional subjects at GCSE and at A-Level.

After just three years at St Peter’s, Libby took on the position of Assistant Housemistress of Hope House deputising for Sue Watkinson, and on Sue’s retirement became Housemistress, a position she held for four years. She had enormous time for all her pupils, spending many evenings supporting a huge number of activities that they were involved in outside the classroom. Her thoughtful pastoral support covered all aspects of teenage life, having a long lasting positive outcome on many pupils. The trust that they had in her was exceptional and she found herself giving advice on all sorts of issues such as managing work, relationships amongst peers and with parents and on one notable occasion being asked by a male member of the house whether he looked suitably attractive in preparation for a potential date. Libby was a fantastic role model for the pupils in her care and it was with much regret and sadness that she relinquished this position to concentrate her energies solely on the department.

Her love of geography and the great outdoors extended to her involvement on helping lead DofE trips. Libby is never more comfortable than trekking through the countryside in outdoor pursuit gear, a huge rucksack of provisions on her back. During her nine years at St Peter’s she went through two pairs of walking boots, three pairs of waterproof trousers, two waterproof jackets and two down jackets which is testament to her dedication. As a holder of a pilot’s licence, Libby was also the obvious choice to help run the RAF section of the CCF which she did for four years alongside running a day house. She never said “no” to anybody, and in addition to being Head of Geography and Housemistress of Hope House, she also helped run the Community Action, contributed to Third Form rowing and was a committed member of the school choir.

Above all, Libby was very generous with her time, and made a major contribution to the all-round development of pupils at the school. This was extended through her involvement in many school trips and field days including seven trips to Arran, four to Morocco, three music tours, a trip to Iceland, three expedition days, and 36 Geography field trips. Not many members of staff can top that impressive tally.

As a result of the numerous contributions Libby has made to the school, you might think she is a ‘Human Doing’ rather than a ‘Human Being’. However, Libby is very much a ‘Human Being’ who made many strong friendships at St Peter’s; we will truly miss her. We wish her well for the future – a future that involves Libby heading south to start a new life nearer her family, and given her ambition, drive and sense of purpose, she has many career plans and we look forward to hearing of her future success.

Mrs Angela Tooby-Smith

Hannah Hamilton

Whether in her CCF uniform or one of her famous smart skirt suits (Hannah remained horrified by the idea of a dress as suitable work wear) Hannah’s initially somewhat severe appearance belied a huge sense of energy, fun and the kindest of hearts.

Similarly, whilst she did not ‘do’ hugs, the smallest of achievements or pieces of good news would be celebrated by an enthusiastic ‘High Five’.

Hannah joined the School from the High School of Dundee, bowling over the Head Master and governors at interview with her candour and energy. One governor asked what her favourite drink was and Hannah replied immediately, red wine. Something that many, including Bursar Michael Schofield, can vouch for.

Initially responsible for marketing, over the coming years Hannah was handed responsibility for development and alumni.

Hannah’s key achievements all leave a legacy. She developed the school’s branding guidelines, ensuring the school shone more brightly than its competitors (one of Hannah’s favourite past times was flicking through school magazines and gasping in shock at horror at the marketing efforts of some other schools). She brought the School into the modern era with the launch of social media channels and not one but two new websites were delivered under her guidance. Hannah launched the School’s Brick Appeal for the Boathouse and left the school with a thriving development, alumni and marketing team.

of the Association of Marketing and Communications in Independent Schools as well as Regional Vice President for the Institute of Development Professionals in Education. Her knowledge of fundraising, alumni relations, marketing and communications in the sector was such that barely a week would go by without a counterpart at another school calling or emailing for advice, which she was always willing to give freely and frankly.

Hannah also threw herself into School life with gusto. In addition to CCF, she regularly joined on DofE expeditions, ran cooking lessons for Sixth Form pupils and even slept overnight in the school in her sleeping bag to deter would-be jesters on the eve of Prank Day.

To her team, she was generous and unflaggingly supportive. Her response of being told of a mistake was always, “that’s OK. We can fix it.”

Hannah was bitterly disappointed that I shed tears neither when she told me she was leaving (in The Grange over lunch on a school day – I should have known something was up!), nor at her leaving do. That was only because of my happiness for her, and I have missed her tremendously since she left in August 2018 to join Stamford Endowed Schools as Director of Development and External Relations, where she leads a team of 12.

Miss Katherine Pomfret

Mike Johnston

“Why do we play –for fun”

I have had the privilege of knowing ‘Jonners’ for almost 40 years. He was born at St Peter’s in Wentworth House in 1962 where his parents were Housemaster and Housemistress for 15 years.

The Cross Keys of St Peter’s runs through Jonners like a rod of iron. He was Head Boy at St Olave’s and was a very good games player at St Peter’s. He was Captain of Rugby, Cricket and Water polo and also represented the first team in Hockey and Swimming. He scored the winning try versus Ampleforth in the 1978 unbeaten first XV, the first time we had beaten them away for over 20 years, which contained John Ellison and Martin Gargan, both of whom went on to secure “Blues” at Oxford and Cambridge. He was a superbly agile and combative midfield hockey player who managed to transition from grass and shale to Astroturf, not only as a player but as an outstanding coach. In cricket he was a very fine slow left arm bowler with great variation in flight and pace and the ability to turn the ball square on the right track. I only mention these things because Jonners return to St Peter’s as Director of Sport was universally welcomed in 1997.

He brought with him an energy and organisational skill that moved our games programme on quickly. One of the key reasons for his appointment was to take St Peter’s Hockey forward from grass to Astroturf and from senior hockey only, to hockey throughout the school. That he succeeded in this is unequivocally true. From St Olave’s to St Peter’s we have seen boys’ hockey flourish, despite him having to fight tooth and nail for it in recent years. The fact that we have had County Champions at under-18, under-16, under-15 and under-14 and have been North of England Champions at under-18, under-16 and under-14 qualifying for the national finals at under-16 and under-14, is testimony to his tireless efforts to give every pupil the chance to shine.

Jonners has selflessly worked at under-14 level in both Cricket and Rugby. It is not until the boys mature that they come to realise just what a depth of knowledge and skill he possesses in these sports, much of our success at senior level is derived from the work he has done both at St Olave’s and in these formative years at St Peter’s. He could in effect have coached all three main sports at first team level. The under-15 DMC winning team would never have won that Cup but for one of the most masterful defensive coaching sessions I have ever witnessed in which he simply and with such ease gave each player his role and the confidence to follow a pattern of play that exposed no one. His organisation extended to tremendous Senior Rugby Tours to Canada, South America, and memorably to Australia. The lads on these tours will tell you what a wonderful experience Jonners gave them and will be forever indebted to him. He was also instrumental in the success of our first XI Cricket tour to South Africa in 1992 - the first such tour by an English school after the Apartheid had ended.

However his main job was to teach PE and this he was able to do with great skill. From the swimming pool to the athletics field, from invasion games to circuits he was a skilled technician. He was able to get even the weakest boy to achieve something. I witnessed this in person whilst “tick boxing” for our SMT, as it was then called, who had decided we should watch other subjects and submit written accounts of the positive things we had witnessed in these lessons. I was asked to go to a double PE lesson in the Third Form to watch Mike teach Gymnastics. To say the group were of mixed ability would be an understatement. However by the end of the first lesson all the boys had done a hand spring off the vaulting horse except one rather large boy who was very nervous and lacking confidence. Mike patiently took him though what he had to do, spotted for him and as he managed the hand spring-there was a spontaneous round of applause from all the other boys. In the second lesson he was following this up with related lifting and support skills.