Five more staff members join our Brookes family
A very warm welcome to five more members of staff who have joined our Brookes family, completing our line-up for the new term:
Gary Niblock has been appointed as Subject Lead for Modern Foreign Languages from Balwyn High School in Melbourne, Australia, having previously taught French, German and Spanish in the UK. He worked in journalism, translation and customer service before qualifying as a teacher three years ago. He speaks four languages and is an avid sports fan with a particular passion for cricket, Australian football and soccer. Gary works to maintain a positive presence in the classroom and encourages his students to live by a famous quote from golfer Gary Player: “The more I practise, the luckier I get.”
Hannah Herd returns to Brookes as our new Year 1 & 2 Teacher having been a Cherry Trees pupil many years ago. Over the past seven years, she has taught in London, Birmingham and most recently Warwickshire where she specialised in early phonics and literacy. Hannah’s passion lies with the younger primary years as she loves seeing their independence and confidence grow throughout the school year. Her teaching style is best summed up in the writer Brooke Hampton quote: “Speak to children as if they are the wisest, kindest, most beautiful and magical humans on earth, for what they believe is what they will become.”
Lucy Allen joins to lead our SEND provision and brings a wealth of experience supporting children with a range of learning needs to give them confidence and access to the curriculum. She taught at Thomas’s Battersea and Finton House Schools in Wandsworth before joining Moreton Hall Prep School on moving to Suffolk. She considers that learning support has a defining role in a child’s life and recognises the need for professionalism and care for the whole family. She sees her position as a crucial link between pupil, teacher and parent: “A pupil’s success depends on communication.” Lucy is married with two children and enjoys walking, tennis and has recently gained her Day Skipper sailing qualification.
Freddie and Susie Walton are joining as our new Boarding Parents as we’re now expecting at least a dozen boarders to join us this September. Having previously been boarding parents at Finborough School and most recently at Moreton Hall Prep School, the couple have some fresh ideas on ways we can grow our boarding numbers and ensure our boarders have a wonderful experience at Brookes. In addition to their boarding responsibilities, Freddie will also take on some PE and Sport duties whilst in 2021 Susie, who is currently on maternity leave, will take up a part-time teaching role. Freddie and Susie have two young children of their own and the family will be moving in to live at Gryphon House full-time.
Between them these new staff bring outstanding ability, experience and enthusiasm which – combined with the dedicated team we already have at Brookes – means we are well positioned for a great 2020/21 and beyond. Preparations are well-underway for our September restart and we also have a whole host of improvements taking place on campus, bolstered by volunteer groups of parents and staff. We can’t wait to get together to start the new academic year!