Farewells - Issuu

from The Portmuthian, 2022

Thanks from the Editor in Chief

STAFF NEWS Farewell to...

Dr Anne COTTON

Dr Cotton departs PGS in the Summer of 2022 after four years as Head of The Portsmouth Grammar School. In the Autumn of 2022 she will take up headship at King’s College, Wimbledon

The months have flown by, and it is hard to believe that I have now completed my fourth and final year at PGS. In a unique and challenging period in the school’s history, the approach of our pupils and staff, the support of parents, OPs and friends of the school, and the spirit of our community have been remarkable. PGS is a very special place, and it has been a privilege to be a member of the community. My family and I will take with us many fond memories of our time here.

Ben Goad

Ben Goad, Deputy Head (Academic) leaves us after 15 years of outstanding service to the school, to start a new adventure in Barcelona with his family. James Burkinshaw delivered this moving farewell tribute to the common room.

Ben and I began our respective Ithaka journeys together, when we both arrived at PGS in September 2007. From the very beginning, so much of Ben’s personality was clear: the enthusiasm, the wit, the charm and the intelligence. And from the beginning his stylish suits hinted at a capacity for showmanship - some might say exhibitionism. David Doyle recalls that “Ben had only been here a few days before he was roped into participating in the 2008 staff ‘Carry On’ calendar - appearing with Emma Burns as Cleo draped on a chaise longue (PGS style, two classroom tables with a cloth thrown over). Ben instantly whipped off his shirt to play the role of her servant. Sadly, this also led Stan Lowe to do likewise!”

Ben’s theatrical flair was confirmed over several years of directing the Year 9 Play in a Day; his production of Nun’s Priest’s Tale, with Bev Clifford’s tutor group won the laurels at the Theatre Royal. Drama has always played a big role in Ben’s life and I know how proud he and Lucy are of Poppy’s fantastic performances over the years culminating in her starring role in A Streetcar Named Desire in Edinburgh in November, 2020. Ben, of course, brought this same performative flair to the regular scientific explosions he set off in the middle of the Quad, to the delight of all pupils, dressed in lab coat and mad-scientist goggles. And it was this enthusiasm and razzamatazz that he brought to his teaching, too, which made him an extraordinarily popular and effective teacher, still remembered with great affection and admiration by his former pupils for bringing science alive. That same enthusiasm and energy he brought to overseeing the building of our magnificent Science Centre, as Head of Science, back in 2007, just one extraordinary part of his Goad legacy.

For Ben is, of course, not just a man of style but of substance: with a brain the size of several multi-verses, who has, for a decade and a half stretched and challenged our best and brightest, not only teaching A level Physics and preparing future engineers for university application, but bringing his love of philosophy and spirit of intellectual enquiry to his teaching of Theory of Knowledge as part of the International Baccalaureate. And, of course, Ben has been an outstanding Deputy Head (Academic) - of which more later.

The impossibly talented Mr Goad is also a famously good cook. As a keen sportsman and outdoorsman, a long-standing supporter of D of E for well over a decade (always generous with his time in supporting pupils beyond the classroom and beyond the weekday), Ben has traditionally cooked a full English breakfast on a campfire for the Silver D of E groups. However, if truth be told, his Hester Blumenthal tendencies can sometimes get the better of him; Ben’s bacon-and-egg-flavoured ice cream, created using liquid nitrogen, during a typically Goadian Latter House assembly, was

It is, of course, impossible to talk about Ben without reference to his unfailing courtesy and unflappability. Mark Howson remembers that, when Ben was Head of Science, chairing meetings for the other science dept heads, he would always supply chocolate biscuits, which he kept in his desk drawer. On one occasion, all could see something was amiss from a Roger Moore-esque raised eyebrow: no chocolate biscuits, just some shredded paper and a litter of baby mice. The meeting was adjourned. The fate of the mice remains shrouded in mystery. Those qualities of intelligence and unflappability, Ben’s complete sense of integrity, his attention to detail, saw us through the unprecedented academic challenges caused by the pandemic. Debby Valentine, who worked closely with him throughout, praises Ben’s meticulousness, describing him as “a problem-solver extraordinaire. He always had a solution to any seemingly impossible problem. And always so calm and measured! The amount of work he put into dealing with the CAGs and TAGs over the last two years was unbelievable - but it ensured that we were covered and watertight at every stage.” Ben protected the pupils by ensuring that they went into the process with data that was watertight, and by being ready to fight for those who he saw as having been treated unjustly by the system, giving up many hours of his time to argue with exam boards on behalf of those who had been mistreated. As a result of Ben’s meticulousness, integrity and determination, he won each case.

That work ethic is something everyone notes about Ben. In his first Portmuthian interview, in 2008, he talked of getting up at 5.30 am to cycle to work from his then-home on the Isle of Wight and, as those of us who have received BCTG emails just before midnight or just after dawn can testify, he has maintained those sorts of hours ever since. And, although we will all miss him greatly, we are delighted that he and his lovely wife Lucy are now able to enjoy their exciting new adventure together, in Barcelona, along with their youngest, Jacob. They are the most wonderful parents and have produced three of the most amazing children you could hope to meet: Poppy, Zach and Jacob: enquiring, free spirited, independent, creative and caring, reflective of their parents.

In one of his brilliant Latter House assemblies, Ben took the poet John Keats to task for accusing Isaac Newton of destroying the poetry of the rainbow by ‘reducing it to prismatic colours’. Ben argued passionately that science only made things more beautiful, more wonderful. Ben himself very much retains that sense of wonder, that desire to keep journeying: physically and intellectually. The Middle East, Kenya, Oxford, Portsmouth and now Barcelona - and I am sure there will be more destinations along the way for Ben, Lucy and their family. We are all glad to have travelled with them, and we wish them many exciting new adventures together.

My Catalan is a bit shaky, but “Gaudeix del teu viatge, Ben”.

James Burkinshaw

Josephine Morgan

How long have you been working here?

15 years! I started in 2007 when I was just 25! I was an unqualified teacher with a 3 month old son when I came for interview. I didn't dare to dream that I would be successful, but I was, and the rest is history.

What are you going to miss most about PGS?

The pupils and my colleagues. Yesterday I was clearing out my office and found all the thank you cards I've received from pupils over the years. It was so touching to read the letters of thanks. I am still in touch with many OPs and knowing that I have had a positive impact on their lives is the greatest achievement of my career. I've worked with some incredible pupils over the years and they've inspired me every single day. I will also miss my colleagues who have been so supportive and good fun. PGS staff work incredibly hard and there are so many brilliant teachers here.

What has been your favourite moment at PGS?

There are so many to choose from, I can't narrow it down to a single one! Some of my highlights include: • Running the Sixth Form Trip to Paris • Teaching IB Philosophy. So good! • Mental Health Week(s) where staff 'came out' and discussed their own struggles with mental health. • The sold-out EnGendering Change conference we hosted for teachers across the UK. • Working with my dad (Mick Kirby) and sisterin-law (Emma Kirby). • The sex-ed revolution. We are now considered national leaders in this field and I'm so proud of what we've achieved. • All things pride - drag queens, gay anthems, amazing speakers, pupil leadership, out pupils and staff, inclusive sex ed, Portsmouth Pride, rainbows. • The progress we've made on all things D&I

What has been your most embarrassing moment at PGS?

Forgetting I'd stuck the condom demonstrator on the board then banging my head on it.

What has been the biggest change you have seen since joining PGS?

The most positive change has been seeing the school become the progressive and inclusive place it is today. I know that this work has had a tangible impact in helping so many members of our community to feel safe, be authentic and know that they are cared for.

What’s your next step?

I founded Engendering Change back in 2018 and have been giving talks, training sessions and consultancy to schools across the UK. I have also started offering corporate services and I am delighted to now be in a position to do this full time. Watch this space!

Lidia Szmid

How long have you been working here?

5 and a half years

What are you going to miss most about PGS?

The pupils’ kindness and determination; the staff’s good humour.

What has been your favourite moment at PGS?

It’s really hard to choose! So I will list a few: Matilda, Measure for Measure, my IB class, my Year 11 class, PGS winning the Dance Live heat, John Muir camp, theatre trips, the first production I watched (Swallows and Amazons) and realising how talented the pupils are, We Will Rock You and all the laughs I’ve had with pupils across classes.

What has been your most embarrassing moment at PGS?

When I met a Year 7 class for the first time in 2017, asked them to line up outside again after they came in too chatty and unfocused, and then, having entered the room properly, I proceeded to sit down on a chair which completely snapped underneath me, resulting in me landing in a heap on the floor.

What has been the biggest change you have seen since joining PGS?

I’m cheating a bit, but since being a pupil it’s the amazing Sixth Form Centre and Science blocks.

What’s your next step?

I am off to Harrow International, Shenzhen

Mark Howson

How long have you been working here?

26 years 1 term

What are you going to miss most about PGS?

Getting to play with chemicals. Helping pupils understand really challenging Chemistry and posing questions that pupils think they know the answer to, but do not.

What has been your favorite moment at PGS?

I have really enjoyed running the Royal Society of Chemistry Top of Bench competitions, which have been hosted at PGS for about 7 years. However, every precipitation, solution colour change, smell or pop is a little victory!

What has been your most embarrassing moment at PGS?

I like to introduce errors (usually common examination ones) in my teaching to see if pupils are thinking about what I am writing on the board. Past pupils will probably recognize this. I had a Y13 class that did not like to think about what was being taught, so one day I started to introduce errors into a long organic reaction mechanism. They continued to copy and not notice so I continued until finally, the board (and their notes) had a catalog of errors, some absolutely obvious! At this point and before I had a chance to address them, the classroom had a surprise governor visit! I continue to be hopeful they did not notice!

What has been the biggest change you have seen since joining PGS?

Application of computers. I was probably the first teacher to teach a lesson using PowerPoint slides and a whiteboard/projector.

What’s your next step?

I am still a senior examiner and will continue to tutor chemistry, but I am looking forward to having time to learn new skills from languages to cabinet making. Also, planning to travel especially during term time - what a treat!