The BIG Interview with Mr Brown

Mr Brown interviewed by Oscar Morris

In this edition’s BIG INTERVIEW it was our pleasure to get to know Mr Brown, Shiplake’s Deputy Head Pastoral. Read on to find out some interesting things about the man you might not know as well as you thought…

This is my twenty-fourth year at Shiplake. I arrived in 1999 as Head of History, became Skipwith Housemaster a few years later (for six years), took on College House for seven years, spent a few years running the co-curricular programme and have been Deputy Head for about seven years, I think. Shiplake has changed in size, from around 290 pupils in 1999 to over 500 now, and shape, with lots of new buildings. But what hasn't changed is the ethos and atmosphere.

Varied and unpredictable! I never know from day to day what I will be doing. Obviously, I do some teaching (Year 7 and 9 History and also PSHEE), coach rugby (U13A team), have a Year 13 tutor group and have a lot of regular meetings, but a lot of my time is spent sorting out a variety of issues; safeguarding, pastoral concerns and discipline. I work very closely with the Housemasters, the chaplain and medical wing and together we spend a lot of time supporting pupils and working with their families to ensure that they are safe and happy. At times this can be challenging but I love the variety and being in a position to help and support those who need it.

Mr Brown interviewed by Oscar Morris

We are a small, caring school where pupils are encouraged to get involved and achieve their personal bests in all areas. At its heart is the expectation that everyone looks after each other. I often refer to the house system as our "gold standard" and I strongly believe that this ensures that every pupil is valued, cared for, and has a wonderful range of opportunities. In so many schools pupils turn up in the morning, wait in a heartless form room with a tin locker, if they are lucky, register and then head off to lessons. At Shiplake, a warm, friendly welcome (and more often than not a few dogs) awaits everyone. House staff get to know pupils much better this way.

That's a really difficult one and, try as I might, I cannot think of one individual. There have been a few people along the way who have inspired me. One is a teacher at my old school, Queen's College, Taunton (pictured). He taught me History, coached me cricket and hockey, was a Housemaster and also a very good singer. He seemed to love his job and I thought that I could see myself doing something similar. That's exactly what I have done!

Mr Brown interviewed by Oscar Morris

That's easy! It's got to be Viv Richards, the all-time great West Indian and Somerset batter. Viv played in the '70s and '80s and I had the great privilege of watching him on numerous occasions playing for Somerset at Taunton. Somehow, I managed to slip off to the County Ground after school in the summer term. I'm still not quite sure whether I was supposed to, as I was a boarder. Viv Richards was an icon and is still considered to be one of the best batters ever. He made batting look so easy and could rip a bowling attack apart with ease. Unlike many batters these days, he always looked graceful and effortless, even when at his most aggressive. He also managed to avoid controversy. Search for him on YouTube; you'll be impressed!