Carer Kayleigh returns favour for her former head teacher

A RETIRED head teacher at a Kent care home is being cared for by a former student, while also assisting another caregiver with her Open University studies.

Dorothy Latham, a resident at The Old Rectory, a branch of ACI Care that specialises in residential, respite and dementia care, is continuing to teach the next generation, despite retiring from the profession almost 30 years ago.

She said: “I can’t think of one single best moment in my career – I had many happy and jolly occasions.

“Teaching is very rewarding, it gives you a good feeling when you know you have helped children to achieve, but now being cared for by a former pupil is lovely, and it has a proper family feeling about it.”

Starting her career in 1955, she joined Baldwins Hill as a primary school teacher for Surrey County Council, before later moving to Kent County Council to teach at Dymchurch County Primary School, where she met Kayleigh, who now cares for her at The Old Rectory.

Despite working in education continuously for 56 years, Dorothy, still affectionately known as Miss Latham, is still passionate about teaching and educating.

As well as seeing a former pupil on a daily basis, she also mentors registered manager Kelly Parker, helping her with a history degree at the Open University.

She added: “It’s lovely to see Miss Latham so passionate about her career, even now after all this time.

“She has devoted her whole life to education and continues to offer a helping hand, and I’m lucky that I get to experience it first-hand. It’s something we both look forward to, and find really rewarding.”

During her expansive career Dorothy was appointed head teacher of Dymchurch Infant School, a senior lecturer at Christchurch College of Higher Education (now known as Canterbury Christchurch University), and later became headteacher of Dymchurch County Primary School once the two local schools amalgamated again.

Alongside her work, she also spent time educating herself and spent a year at the Cambridge Institute of Education to study Advanced Primary Education, before studying at university where she gained a first class BA in psychology – specialising in children’s memory and learning –and graduated with a Master’s degree, dedicating one day a week from her work to her studies.

After retiring, Dorothy kept herself busy and went on to lecture at Canterbury Christchurch University for a year, and later worked as a school inspector.

She then got a position with the Ministry of Education, assessing classroom assistants who had completed a special diploma at university, before fully retiring at the age of 77.

Now aged 88 and residing at The Old Rectory care home, Dorothy likes to read history magazines, work on her laptop, write letters to friends and is currently working on her biography.