Peter Simpson: from teaching to trustee

A science based start

I entered St John’s in September 1973 having made a significant mess of my ‘A’ levels. I embarked upon a primary/middle school course with Biology as my main subject and Chemistry as my subsidiary. At that time the head of the Biology department was Dunstan Adams. He was a dynamo of a man with pure white hair, tremendous enthusiasm and a real knowledge of his subject. He had very high expectations of his students and quickly gave corrective advice.

The Head of the Primary phase was Ken Cramer. He was another dynamo of a man with a keen sense of humour and exacting standards. I must also mention James Shields who was our Registrar and author of ‘The Gifted Child’. He was a very real character in the best sense of the word.

At that time St John’s was still quite small. It felt like a family. The fact that I can remember so many names of tutors after some 46 years is a testament to how effective it was at promoting that feeling.

The College merged with Ripon College in 1974. But for those of us who were ‘John’s men or women,’ little changed. We had a ‘Wells Fargo’ mini bus which traversed the York-Ripon route twice a day, but this was almost exclusively used by tutors rather than students.

From student to teacher

Whilst I loved my time in York, I was itching to get out and teach. I lived for teaching practices. So when I competed my Cert Ed (whilst qualifying for the  BEd Hons course) I opted to get a job. In 1976 that was easier said than done! Thanks to Dunstan Adams I had an interview at a secondary school in Surrey. It wasn’t a successful interview (they didn’t want me and I didn’t want them!). But the inspector took me to a middle school in Guildford where I was formally interviewed four days later and appointed.

After eight great years there, I ventured to Berkshire as the Deputy Head of a junior school. After three years there, I was appointed Head of a middle school in Surrey.  I was delighted to have the opportunity to improve and grow a school which at that time was in less than robust health. I spent ten years increasing the roll by 200% and enabling it to become one of the biggest Church of England junior schools in Guildford Diocese.

It was during my time here that I regained the thirst for serious study. At that time local based research enabled those of us in full-time education to embark on serious degree study. In my ten years I was able to achieve a  BEd, MBA and just before I left, managed to achieve my doctorate by thesis on the role of the Headteacher in a Church of England Primary School.

A career crosswords

In 1998 I did find myself at a bit of a crossroads. I has thought that I would remain a headteacher until I retired but fate took a hand. I was asked by the LA inspectorate to support another school in Surrey. Four weeks later I applied for the post of County Consultant for Primary Education and was appointed.

I widened my remit whilst I was there and became one of three senior consultants. Then in 2004 fate again took a hand. I was ‘approached’ to apply for the  post of Head of School Improvement in Sutton. I confess that I didn’t even know where it was!  However, having found out it was in travelling distance from my home, I applied and was appointed, much to my amazement.

After about three years I was interviewed and appointed to an Executive Head post (Sutton’s term for Assistant Director of Children’s Services) with the remit for Education. As in all things, changes came about and I found myself  with a new post with the longest title ever, but suffice it to say it was the equivalent of Director of Education. During the latter part of my time there I was also the Joint Acting Strategic Director of Children’s Services. This was supposed to last about three months, but actually lasted 15 months. Despite being invited, I did not apply for the substantive post of DCS. Once we had a new DCS, I applied for early retirement which, eventually, I was granted.  

Retired?

I then thought I might do a  ‘bit of consultancy’ which turned into being the founding Chief Executive of the Guildford Diocese multi-academy trust! This I did for about five years until I decided that the Trust needed someone who would see it through the next five years as CEO, something I didn’t want to do.

So, I retired… sort of. I was approached to be a trustee of a multi-academy trust and was the voluntary Single Executive leader until appropriate paid posts could be filled. After leaving that trust I was asked to be a trustee on another trust to give ‘a little educational advice’. I am currently Chair of Trustees!

All this started at  St John’s and I shall be forever grateful for my time there.