Staff News

STAFF LEAVING UPPINGHAM

Julia Broughton Teacher of English and Housemistress of Johnson’s from 1994 to 2003, which she ran with her husband, Mark. Julia always balanced empathy and authority expertly and, above all, was incredibly kind, not only to the girls, but the House staff and tutor team she counted as her friends. She was loved by all her pupils, who never failed to wonder at her enthusiasm for her subject. We wish her well in her retirement.

Anna Merrett The Merrett team, Anna and Nic, arrived in Uppingham in 1990 and, from 1993, Constables became their home for the next 19 years, during which time Anna was instrumental in the changeover from the House taking boys to girls. After that, Anna took up a resident tutor role in New House and also played a passionate part in the School’s Charity Committee, working with all of the Houses to raise funds for The Mango Tree and other worthy causes. Her commitment to Uppingham has spanned 30 years and we wish her a very happy retirement.

Chris Howe Chris arrived in the Physics Department in 2004; his contribution to Science in general has been immense and, as an all-round sportsman, countless boys and girls have benefited from his wealth of experience. He was a valued tutor in School House for his entire time at Uppingham. He also joined the CCF when he was appointed to the staff, and his previous military experience greatly enhanced the training programme. He assumed command of the CCF in 2013 and continued in the post until his departure. We wish Chris the best of luck in his new role at Eastbourne College.

Kate and Alex Boyd-Williams Joined Uppingham six years ago as joint Houseparents of The Lodge. They built a community in the House based on three principles: love, laughter and respect and offered calm and considered wisdom to the girls. We wish them well in their new roles at Framlingham College.

NEW APPOINTMENTS TO HOUSES

Louise Escott is the new Housemistress of The Lodge. Louise joins the School after a position as Deputy Head at the British International School in Moscow.

Tom Hollyer takes over from Jim Reddy (Hf 89) as the Housemaster of Fircroft, teaching Geography and Wellbeing. Tom’s previous role was the Head of Boarding at Caldecott School in Hertfordshire.

Jo Welch succeeds Katharine Gaine as the Housemistress of Fairfield. She joins us from Witham Hall School where she was Head of Boarding.

IN BRIEF…

Uppingham’s Design and Technology department was pleased to support the NHS in its fight against Covid-19 by making much needed face shields for front line staff. Clive Simmons, Head of DT, used the laser cutter in the Leonardo Art Centre to produce many hundreds of visors. The OU Charity Fund was pleased to contribute towards the cost of materials and the purchase of an additional machine to increase production.

Dr Neil Gavins (LH 80) After a sabbatical year fulfilling his recording and performance commitments with Sony, Alexis Ffrench returned this September to the Music Faculty. His album Dreamland reached No. 1 in the UK Official Classical Album Chart. Following on from the worldwide success of Evolution, Alexis told us that he was honoured and grateful to have achieved a second UK No.1 and wanted to thank everyone at Uppingham for their support.

Malcolm Tozer’s latest book Puddings, Bullies & Squashes tells the story of 20 early public schools’ football codes, drawn from nineteenth century versions of the game. Many of the games were fashioned by the space available to them, whether grass or stone, large or small, kicking or handling. All were robust, vigorous and hazardous. Malcolm’s wide-ranging book gives a true flavour of the variety of those early codes before the nationalisation of the game by the FA from 1863 and the RFU from 1871, which ended the arguments about whose rules should take primacy. Thring introduced football to Uppingham – before that hockey was the winter game – and the School played its own code until 1888, the year after his death. Published by Sunnyrest Books, it’s available to purchase on Amazon.

Dr Tozer was on the staff from 1966-1989 teaching Physical Education and Physics and Housemaster of The Lodge 19751989. In 1989 he left to be Headmaster at Northampton Grammar School. He has written a series of scholarly books on Uppingham and Thring as well as many articles.

STAFF NEWS

LIFE AS HOUSEMASTER OF FIRCROFT

By Jim Reddy (Hf 89)

Jim Reddy, 1994 as a boy in Highfield

“There is a History job advertised at Uppingham”, I said to my wife Emma, “Shall I go for it?” It was 2009 and I had been working at Whitgift School in South London for five years, teaching History and latterly as Head of Academic Admissions and Head of Years 8 and 9. I had loved every minute of working at this busy and vibrant 10-18 all boys London day school, however, not only did we need to get out of living in SW11 because we needed more space for our toddler, Annabel (our garden was no bigger than a fourth form study), but also, when I had quit my job as a corporate solicitor at Linklaters five years previously (“why would you do that, sir, it is much better paid than teaching!”), I had an inkling that one day I would want to try my hand at being a boarding Housemaster.

Why? I think I knew, even while at university, that being a Housemaster would be hugely rewarding. I had been metaphorically grabbed by the scruff of the neck by my Housemaster, Robert Lankester, when he took over as Housemaster of Highfield in January 1991. At that point during my Lower Fifth, I was hideously underachieving and what I did finally achieve in my last three and a half years was down to him encouraging (and often forcing) me to take advantage of all the opportunities available, whether they were sporting, dramatic or academic. So, many years later, I found myself searching the Times Educational Supplement for History jobs at boarding schools.

When Uppingham appeared, I ummed and aahed, should I apply for a job at my old school? Would it be strange being on the teaching staff with Casey (O’Hanrahan), Bods (Peter Bodily) and Wilko (Richard Wilkinson) who had all taught me? Of course it would but nine boys’ boarding houses meant that I thought my chances of being appointed into a house were perhaps higher than at many other schools.

So I went for it. I got the job and, after a year of teaching at Uppingham and just after the birth of our second daughter, Lottie, I sat in Richard Harman’s office the day after the Leavers’ Ball while he kindly appointed me to start as Housemaster of Fircroft in September 2011. Things are very different now: rightly, schools advertise externally for houseparent positions and there is a rigorous and meritocratic selection process involving both internal and external candidates.

I took over Fircroft from the wonderful David Kirk, inheriting a tolerant and fun place, where boys were encouraged to be themselves. I also inherited Richard Hegarty (now doing a brilliant job as Housemaster of Highfield): steeped in boarding experience and institutional living (has he ever paid a utility bill?), Richard had already been living and working in Fircroft for five years as Resident Tutor in the old Fives court condominium, remembered by Old Fircroftians from the glory days as a ‘subtle’ place to smoke. Richard was extraordinarily supportive to me, and more importantly the boys, in every respect, critically challenging my decisions and giving me time to spend with my growing family.

Matron, Angela Park, has been at Fircroft since 2000 and it is no exaggeration to say that the House would not run without her; to say I relied on her is an understatement. Like that great Leicester Tigers open side flanker, Neil Back, she’s simply everywhere and her tough love ensures that Fircroft boys feel at home and also that they reach their potential by adhering to her high standards.

It is not possible to name here all the other House staff I had the immense privilege to work with: tutors, cleaners, chefs and so on, but I am indebted to them all for all their support and dedication through the years.

My memories of living and working in Fircroft are simply wonderful. Looking after boys and young men aged 13-18 never brings a dull moment.”

Old Fircroftians of 2011-2020 will be pleased to know that it would be unfair to mention any particular names here as, unsurprisingly perhaps, my salary does not stretch to me retaining a Chambers and Partners-rated defamation silk. Instead, I will focus on the memories that are forever seared on my mind: simply sitting around and shooting the breeze with the boys; sharing in the myriad successes in House competitions and witnessing the sheer joy boys took from playing with their closest friends and with other year groups. The brilliant and moving House concerts on Remembrance Sunday, with both stellar and dreadful performances, but also superb ensembles of boys playing together. The fantastic House Christmas suppers; finding my two-year-old son Joe wrestling with the House Captain; risk assessing and thereafter watching House bulldog, and visibly witnessing new pupils grow when they tackle a sixth former who has sensitively, yet subtly, allowed them to do so, knowing that this will help them to settle in; and ultimate tennis. Times spent sitting with boys in Mr Wilding’s office as their advocate but also as disappointed quasi-parent; House plays including Call Over (twice!), One Flew Over the

Jim and Emma Reddy

Cuckoo’s Nest, Journey’s End and taking Fresher to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016; bread and cheese evenings on Saturdays; Selfless Sundays; the highs and lows of August GCSE and A Level results days; terrible haircuts; breakfast for tea…

The list is endless. Of course, it was not all plain sailing, by any means. Human beings are unpredictable and, particularly in times of transition, they are prone to doing things that surprise and disappoint their Housemaster. Put simply, the items that end up on the Housemaster’s desk (both literally and metaphorically) are remarkably diverse and of paramount significance. Often your heart sinks and you wish that those items had not been brought to you: at times the job is tricky, as one navigates the conflicts which emerge through serving parents, the School, the staff, but most importantly the boys. However, the role of the Housemaster, ably supported by his team, is to pick the boys up when they get things wrong, shake them off and get them back on the horse, ready to clear the next hedge. And while it is perhaps thought unhealthy to be emotionally involved, it is impossible not to care deeply as a Housemaster. It is a job one has to take personally as it is about people. To do it impersonally would not only lead to doing it badly, but also to miss out on what it is about. As OUs will no doubt appreciate, it is a job which you have to live, eat and breathe in order to do it properly; living cheek by jowl with teenage boys can have its challenges, but ultimately it is hugely rewarding and it keeps you feeling young. Boys of this age group can be unhygienic, lazy, unintentionally rude, difficult to wake up in the morning, uncommunicative and more. However, they are also hilarious (sometimes intentionally), proud of their House, loyal, caring and full of immense potential.

What was I trying to achieve in the role? It quickly became apparent to me that my job was to ensure that the boys understood and demonstrated the values necessary to successfully and happily contribute to a community. This involves them respecting others and treating them kindly. I wanted to encourage them to express themselves, in whatever form that took. The Housemaster is there to push them beyond what they think they can achieve; from this comes inner self-confidence. They need to leave as eighteen-year-olds who can look after themselves and also others. And, of course, manners maketh the man! Whether I achieved any of that is, I suspect, unclear and time will tell as the vintage of 20112020 mature into their twenties, thirties and beyond as partners, fathers, friends, professionals, community leaders, and so on.

Fircroft is, and will remain, a special place and I am forever indebted to the School, Fircroftians and their parents for affording me the privilege of looking after the boys. I honestly can’t think of a better job in education.”

My wife Emma and I, Annabel, Lottie and Joe (and Alfie the dog) all loved being part of Fircroft. We formed long-lasting and rewarding relationships with boys and parents. We want to see you again and cannot deny that we are waiting for the wedding invitations for the 2011 cohort to come through the post!

I admire those who do the job for 15 years, but after nine years I knew it was time to hang up my boots, spend more time with my family and explore other opportunities. I am currently loving teaching more History, managing Uppingham’s global universities’ applications, tutoring in The Lodge and studying for a Master’s degree at King’s College London. Fircroft is in great hands with Mr Hollyer and it will no doubt flourish under his care. Floreat Semper Fircroftia!