New Staff Michaelmas Term

In September, we welcomed a number of new staff - read a little bit more about some of them here: Mr King, Head of Modern Foreign Languages

Before starting at Beechwood in September, Mr King taught Modern Foreign Languages at the Beacon School in Amersham, where he spent seven years. What was your first impressions of Beechwood Park?

When I first came to visit, I was struck by the warmth of the School as a whole - all the staff I met were very welcoming, and the pupils I saw were kind to each other, and all looked as if they were having lots of fun whilst learning. What is your favourite part of the School and why? Of course, the classrooms are fabulous as that is where all the learning happens, and I love the huge open spaces of the Sports facilities, but my favourite place has to be the Great Hall for its sense of history - I love walking through and imagining what it must have been like in the past, and what kind of people might have visited and spent time there. It is awe-inspiring to work in a place with such a long and interesting history. What is your favourite school meal?

That is a difficult question, as we are fed incredibly well here. I do love the Coconut Chicken Curry though ... Tell us an interesting fact about yourself I used to live at Hampton Court Palace - you can see where my love of historic buildings started!

Mrs Carley, Director of Sport

What you were doing before you came to Beechwood?

Life before Beechwood was a little warmer! I worked for 8 years at Dulwich College in Singapore It was a wonderful opportunity to live in this incredible country and to travel all over South East Asia. Living abroad and learning about other cultures and traditions is something I would recommend to anyone if you get the chance! What was your first impression of Beechwood?

My first impression was how stunning the main building is and how friendly everyone was. Space is at a premium in Singapore and my previous school only had one playing field. Beechwood is very lucky to have so much outdoor space to play sport! What is your favourite part of the school and why?

My favourite part of the school is the swimming pool at the moment as it’s so warm in there! I also love eating lunch in the Great Hall, it is bursting with history and I can read all the names of previous Heads of Schools and Scholars. I have yet to visit the Pottery Cellar or the Boarding House, there are still so many places to discover! What is your favourite school meal?

Ooh so many to choose from, I really like the turkey pie, fish and chips and the Sticky Chinese chicken! Tell us an interesting fact about yourself I have just adopted two black and white kittens called Raffles and Columbus Pickle.

Mrs Porter, Year 3 Teacher

Before starting at Beechwood in September, Mrs Porter taught Year 5 at a school in Great Missenden and Year 2 at The Royal Masonic School for Girls.

What were your first impressions of Beechwood?

You cannot fail to be impressed by the amazing grounds at Beechwood, which I have enjoyed exploring with my class. Having taught in a girls’ school before coming here, I have also enjoyed getting back to teaching both boys and girls. What is your favourite part of the School and why? Of course, the 3P classroom is my favourite place! This is made even better by having a wonderful view of the surrounding area

What is your favourite school meal?

Chicken noodles with prawn crackers! Tell us an interesting fact about yourself I have a golden retriever called Albus, named after the Harry Potter character..

Mr Outson, Year 1 Teacher

Member of his own class, 1O, asked Mr Outson a few questions to get to know him better...

Why did you become a teacher?

I studied Sport Science at university, and had been coaching young children to play rugby, so from there decided I wanted to get into teaching, so I could help children with more than just rugby.

What were your first impressions of Beechwood?

Having only just moved down from Newcastle, I am a long way from home, so it was the warm welcome from staff and children that really made the difference to me! It is a very friendly school - especially in 1O, of course! I love the grounds too - it is a fantastic place to be! If you could meet anyone from history, who would it be? I would love to meet Roald Dahl. I have always loved his books, and I’d love to ask him where he got his ideas from!

What is your favourite part of the School and why? Of course, the 1O classroom is my favourite place!

What was your favourite subject at School?

I always loved sport, especially rugby, but also Maths.

What did you do before coming to Beechwood? I worked as PA to the Deputy Head Academic at Haberdashers’ Boys’ School before joining Beechwood. The reason for my move was to move into semi-retirement to have a shorter working day and commute, and as I live in Markyate, it is ideal. What were your first impressions of Beechwood? My first impression was the very welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. Sitting at the Front Desk, I meet lots of people, and everyone always seems to be smiling and happy, even at 0730 each morning! What is your favourite part of the School? My favourite parts of the school are the imposing and historical building front reception, which is where I work, and the grounds. What is your favourite School meal? Because I am part time, I only stay for school dinners occasionally but my favourite meal so far has been the turkey pie - delicious! and

Romario Antonio, Graduate Teaching Assistant

Before coming to Beechwood, Mr Antonio was at Loughborough University studying for a degree in Social Psychology. Why did you want to be a GTA? I wanted to be a GTA at Beechwood as I enjoy working with children and wanted to gain more experience on my journey to becoming an Educational Psychologist. I was also really interested in the nurturing, child-centred approach that Beechwood takes and by the impressive facilities I saw when I visited the School for my interview. Tell us an interesting fact about yourself I have lived in four different countries - Jamaica, The Turks and Caicos Islands, England and Australia. What were your first impressions of Beechwood? My first impressions were WOW! I felt like I was at Hogwarts when I first walked into the Great Hall. What does a GTA do? My roles involves working as a teaching assistant during the day to support teaching and learning from the youngest students in Woodlands up to the oldest students in Top Form. During the school day, I do a lot of reading with pupils, as well as supporting them in English, Maths, Science and Games. The variety in lessons and year groups I support in is one of my favourite things. In the evenings I work as part of the Boarding team where we do lots of fun indoor and outdoor activities together, have the most amazing dinners, and occasionally go on trips out of school. I also enjoy being a games coach and the unbeaten streak I had with my brilliant Colts E football team was undoubtedly the highlight of my first term at the School.

What are you looking forward to next term? The thing I am looking forward to most next term is working with my new rugby team which I’m sure will be a massive success and tons of fun.

What is your favourite school meal? Too many to choose from, but the lasagne is to die for! 16

Before starting her job here, Zoe was studying Psychology at the University of Birmingham and working during the holidays as the Manager of the Oxford Active camps at Beechwood.

Why did you want to be a GTA?

I’m really enthusiastic about learning and I wanted to get experience of working in a school that doesn’t only care about the academic needs of children, but also their social and emotional needs. As an aspiring educational psychologist, Beechwood’s child-centred and nurturing approach to education aligns with my values. I’d also heard what an amazing school Beechwood is from my mum who works here and my brother who is in Top Form, and I knew that I would get to gain a breadth of experience with children of all ages!

What does my job involve?

There are two main parts to my role. I am a Teaching Assistant during the day, supporting learning in a range of lessons from Maths and Phonics to Science and Latin. I’m very grateful that I get to work throughout the School, all the way from Woodlands to Top Form, and I also work closely with Learning Support. I also assist with co-curricular and after school activities, including games sessions, sports fixtures, COSTA swimming and after school care. The other main part of being a GTA is living in the boarding house and being part of the team. This involves waking the boarders up in the morning, helping them to complete their prep, helping to run a variety of evening activities, overseeing bedtime, monitoring their well-being, and keeping them happy and safe.

What is your favourite meal at Beechwood? It’s hard to choose a favourite meal at Beechwood because all the food is incredible. If I had to pick it would probably be the sticky chicken and noodles. Chinese and Thai food is my favourite! What has been your highlight of the term? It would have to be seeing all the amazing Christmas performances that the children and staff have worked so hard to put on. Seeing the children so passionate and excited about their performances has been very heart-warming! I’m also really looking forward to the Boarders’ Feast on the penultimate day of term. I’m told it involves hilarious sketches, awards, and lots of food! What am I most looking forward to next term? This term, I helped in Year 3 maths every day. It’s been great to see the children’s confidence and knowledge grow as the term has progressed. Next term, I’m really looking forward to seeing this development in another year group and a different area of the curriculum, which I believe is going to be Year 4 English.

If you missed the Junior Department’s interview with Mrs McIntosh earlier this term, you can watch it here