School news – Goodbye Sarah

After 22 years at Gordon’s School – nine as a student and 13 as a member of staff – Sarah Maslen, Head of Victoria House, Head of Equestrian and LGBT+ Lead has left Gordon’s this summer.

Sarah’s parents, Stella and Steve Long, worked at Gordon’s School until 2017; they were the House Parents of Augusta House, so Sarah’s journey began as a student along with her younger brother. With a break away from Gordon’s to attend College Sarah moved back ‘home’ to Gordon’s in 2007, where she started working as a house tutor 2 evenings a week. She supervised the girls and ensured they got off to bed on time. She then progressed to Graduate House Assistant. This was a full time role along with the house tutoring. Her teaching experience began when she was asked to provide last minute cover for an RE lesson. That experience lead to a passion for teaching and she later went onto teach RE at GCSE level for 4 years and achieved great exam results for those students.

In July 2015 Sarah wrote a paper to The Boarding Schools’ Association titled ‘Combating homophobic language and behaviour in schools’. She pioneered a student group called Pride+, now called ID+. This student group will now be led by Victoria Howard-Andrews, a Gordonian. In 2017 The School’s first ‘Pride Week’ took place and for two years there was a ‘Colour Run’ race on the backfield to raise money for charity.

In 2012 Sarah was approached by 3 girls with a request to create a school Equestrian team. They joined the NSEA with around 4–5 riders, with Sarah as the coach. From the very first event the team came back with rosettes. The highlight of Sarah’s entire 22 years at Gordon’s took place at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2016, during the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations. This was a show jumping competition and the girls were competing against professional riders and other adult riders. The girls were R Wilman, C Burrell & F Elliot. Her Majesty met each rider and awarded the prizes.

In September 2016 Victoria House officially opened under Sarah as the first Head of House starting with a small number of girls. Despite being small they were strong determined girls and in their first year won the Longmore award. When asked about being Head of House Sarah says ‘It’s the best thing and the hardest thing you will ever do! I feel like I have 86 additional daughters in my life!’

Sarah has moved with her three children to Llanelli in South Wales. She has bought a house with a sea view and a stone’s throw from the beach. The sunsets are amazing and she can’t wait to begin the new chapter.

Sarah’s Message to all Gordon’s students: ‘Every student who leaves Gordon’s should feel confident that whoever they are, whatever their passions and whatever they want to do once they leave, they are PERFECT!! Don’t ever be afraid to let your individuality SHINE!!!’

Thank you Sarah, you will be missed.

#CONNECT #ENHANCE #SUPPORT

Some of our Gordonians – from the class of 2018, Harry Porter (Gravesend) studying at Birmingham and Tasmin Martin-Young (Kensington) studying at Durham, and two from the class of 2020, Callie O’Brien (Sandringham) studying at Leeds and Hailey Wong (Windsor) also at Birmingham – joined a Zoom call organised by Head of Music Rachel Brazendale, to connect and support some of our Year 12s, who are considering studying Music at University. They shared course content and also things they found challenging between the A-Level and a university degree. What a wonderful way to enhance and connect our community. If you would like to connect with your old teachers or department heads and support current students with an insight to the world of University or Work please get in touch at gordonians@gordons.school