former Therfield staff
in alphabetical order of surname

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Steve BELL - Art & Design 1978-89
message 16.03.01 : contact: sbellATes.com

memories of Therfield: I joined Therfield in 1978 as a teacher of Art and Design and stayed for 11 years, with Wendy Newstead as my Head of Department and Christine Swietoniowska as my colleague. I have so many memories of that time that it is difficult to pinpoint any particular one, but I'll give it a go.

In the early 80's I remember an It's a Knockout Competition during the summer term in the quadrangle, where a group of 5th form girls were dressed as Sailors, miming and dancing to the tune of In the Navy by Village People.

During other years, it was the annual Inter House Sports day, with all the commotion and organisation that this entailed, and being a member of the Art Department we were involved in creating banners and other visual aids to help identify people from each of the respective Houses.

On the subject of Houses, I served under Eileen Griffiths for two years as Deputy Head of Juniper before crossing to the 'enemy' and becoming Head of Leith for my remaining time at the school. I was also a member of Norbury for my first two years, so Polesden was the only house I didn't have the pleasure to be a member of. It's funny but there were some teachers who had such fierce loyalty to their respective House that one couldn't imagine them being a member of any other house, e.g. Colin 'Tommy' Tomlinson for Norbury, and Nick Hunter Henderson for Polesden. Inter House football competitions could be quite tense affairs given the loyalties displayed by some!

At the end of Winter terms, we often had the staff pantomine and I had the pleasure of playing a bearded ugly sister one year along with Paul Saddington and Martin Polkinghorne, and a be-wigged wicked prime minister the next!

The annual musicals were always  one of the highlights of the school year given the efforts of Dave Cox, Chris Pratt and the various Drama dept staff that were involved. One year I made a cameo appearance myself during the Inn scene from Oliver.

School ski trips were another highlight, I was regularly involved with the Surrey Alpine Village project for most of my time at Therfield (I learnt to ski at the tender age of 26 as a result). I also joined Dave Cox and Steve Hill on one of their ski trips.

what am I doing now? I am actually writing this in Salt Lake City, Utah having accidentally found the Therfield Alumni site while trying to look up some plumbing information! If it hadn't been for someone mentioning blocked toilets, the link would never have been made. Such is the power of the Internet!

Why am I in Salt Lake City? Well since leaving Therfield in 1989, I joined the Flight Simulation Industry working as an industrial lecturer in Computer Graphics. My present company is based here in Utah, and occasionally I have to work here instead of the UK base in Horsham West Sussex.

I live in Billingshurst with my wife, three step children and a baby daughter, and as you can probably guess from above, I have fond memories of my time at Therfield. Best wishes to all who remember me, and good luck to Therfield - may the spirit continue ever onwards and upward!

Dave COX - pictures of his leaving do July 1999 including some former staff

Mariot DALLAS, Chris Pratt's assistant in Music 1981-6
message 31.03.06: contact dallasfalkirkATtiscali.co.uk

It was my very first job, and I had a great start to my teaching career! Some memories ...

- the ghastly Music hut, freezing in winter, boiling in summer
- Half a Sixpence, Annie Get Your Gun, The King and I, Grease
- Christmas services in St George's, including the time the candle wax dripped on the new vestry carpet
- lots of very talented young musicians, too many to name individuals
- pupils practising outside under the tree in summer
- the Class Singing Competition held at lunchtimes in the Upper Hall, prizewinners going to the Odeon Leicester Square to see ET
- the Wye Valley Trip, the history trip to the WW1 battlefields
- the seriously unpleasant conflict surrounding the strikes and withdrawal of lunchtime supervision. Lunchtimes spent eating sarnies at Oxshott woods or in dear Shelagh Livesey's living room
- Chris and I sharing one electronic keyboard between us and one very ancient reel to reel tape machine!
- a very scary CSE Arithmetic bottom set, including Paul the skinhead who arrived regularly late, kicking the door on the way in
- the Expressive Arts Evenings, with arty crafty things and brass fanfares in the corridors
- The Swing Band and the Cabaret nights

Ah, how time flies...

I've been back twice, once to Chris's retiral lunch and once to an evening organised by Lesley Price. I am still teaching, Faculty Head of Creative and Aesthetic at Falkirk High. Please send my regards to all pupils and staff!

Paul SADDINGTON - Sociology/Economics 1978-80
message 26.10.01 : contact: pfsaddingtonAThotmail.com

I was a member of staff from 1978-80, teaching mainly Sociology with some Economics.  I left Therfield to move up to the Midlands, so we could afford to buy a house, and I was appointed as a teacher of Economics at South Bromsgrove High School, Bromsgrove. 

I am still there, but I am now Head of Economics and Business Studies.  I also set up Sociology A Level at the school a few years ago and I am also Head of Careers and in charge of Work Experience.  I now have two children; Alex who is 16 and Jacob is 13.  My wife, Keiran is Acting Headteacher of Ridgeway Middle School in Redditch.

It was good to see the photos of Dave Cox's leaving party as I recognised quite a lot of the people in the photos and saw Dave as a great friend. Do let me know how I can keep in touch; this is really exciting!

Tracey SCARSBROOK - Geography 1988-1995
message 14.1.01: address updated 25.4.05 contact: scarsbrookfamily AT tiscali.co.uk

I taught Geography at Therfield for 7 years under the careful eye of Gill Stewart as Head of Department and Nigel Sharman as Head of Humanities Faculty.  

I moved from Therfield to become Head of Geography and Deputy Head of Humanities at The Wallasey School in my home town of Liverpool where I worked for a further 2 years before becoming Head of Humanities at Norbury Manor High School for Girls in Thornton Heath, Croydon, then Assistant Headteacher. Since September 2004 I have been Deputy Headteacher with responsibility for our Business and Enterprise status.

I am also studying for my MBA in Educational Management at Leicester University so there really is no getting away from education at home at all, as my husband has also trained to teach History in recent years and the children Sam and Rachael are also both at school!!  

I remember my form group with a lot of affection and also my colleagues from the various departments - where are Jo Roberts, Gill Stewart, Barbara Neuman, Gill Pass, Dave Cox ?

I am pleased at how Therfield has continued to progress from strength to strength.

If anyone wants to get in touch by email it would be lovely to hear from them again or you can visit my school website at www.nmbec.org.uk

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