Homerton Roll News, 2012 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----Becky in Cardiff. I am presently Head of Drama at Rougemont School. Have worked in Nottingham, London, Bangkok and now Newport! Deborah Walker 1972-76 Have lived in Belgium since 1981, will be returning to the UK in 2013. Sarah Maxwell 1973-77 After eight years of part time study, I was thrilled to be awarded my PhD this year. Jane Deborah Shepard 1974-75 Was a mature student whilst at Homerton. Have enjoyed teaching Sociology and Politics A Level (only) in Cambridge and Huntingdon and am still teaching English using CELTA/DELTA qualification. Jane Gray 1975-78 My news is that I took early retirement in April (as early as possible) and my feet have not touched the ground since! I have travelled to France and had a long holiday in USA visiting friends and family in Virginia, New Jersey and on Cape Cod. Have done lots of decorating, cleared out huge piles of teaching materials I no longer need, work in the local Oxfam bookshop once a week, have started to learn Italian and am now supply teaching. Arlene Pryce (née Jones) 1975-79 After leaving Homerton, Arlene taught briefly at Hitchin Girls School and then returned to Wales where she taught in a range of Secondary schools for twenty-eight years in a range of roles as head of department and later as pastoral head of years 9-11. Forever indebted to Peter Raby, as Head of Drama, she directed thirty school productions, many of them to audiences of over eight hundred each night. Arlene also toured many of these productions to schools in the United States, where she kept in close contact with friends from Cambridge college days. Since entering teacher education in Cardiff School of Education, she has led the training of five cohorts of PGCE Secondary English students and many more Humanities undergraduate students in English and Drama. She is external examiner for PGCE English teacher education at Anglia Ruskin University and has examined for a range of assessment organisations beginning with the Cambridge Examinations Syndicate in 1979. She has worked as a consultant to United States educational training organisations for many years and is currently interested in the establishment of the Schools for the Future Program in Massachusetts. She is also proactive in a range of Literacy Projects in Wales and in her free time is still immersed in theatre.
Arlene has two daughters and a stepson. Her husband is a post graduate fine artist from Chelsea School of Art Design who grew up in Baldock and so also has close links with Cambridge. They visit often as a family and in a professional capacity." As soon as the bulbs push through in the Spring, my instincts lead me to a train - so we can return to Cambridge..." Arlene keeps in touch with Caroline Spain who also joined Homerton in 1975 and Sue Swaffield via links to the Cambridge LfL network. Her next- door neighbour in Brecon, Amanda Renwick is coincidentally also a Homertonian and is a dear friend and valued colleague, as Head of the Department of Professional Development at Cardiff School of Education. Angela Margaret Wimbush (née Nayler) 1977-81 Angela is now Assistant Head, Wakefield Girls' High School, Junior School. Alison Knights (née Greenough) 1979-83 After nearly half a century as an Essex blonde I have now moved to Cambridgeshire! I’m still working as a primary music specialist in Herts and Essex and have the great joy of teaching two of my three grandchildren. I am very happily re-married after losing Carmine in 1995 and have been able to wear big hats at two of my children’s weddings! Life is good! Dr Anthony Mills 1979-83 Recent early retirement and move from Cambridge to Penzance. Now embarking on making a second career out of my art photography hobby.
1980s Sarah Bird 1981-1982 I am still loving teaching English and now as an Assistant Head, developing teaching and learning at my school. I have two boys and am married. I have a busy life but enjoy living in Dorset and now facing the challenges of a seventeen year old learning to drive and applying for University! I have kept in contact with some of our English and Drama PGCE group but would love to hear from people who were at Homerton at that time. It was visiting Universities for our son’s application which made me contact Homerton again and wonder what had happened to us all. We were a great group. My career has really followed a path with responsibilities in English then whole school always working with new teaching and learning ideas. I run inset and have done this in different authorities. I am still fascinated by how children learn and 22