While at school I was a founding member of the School bank, run by Barclays, which operated at lunchtimes once a week. Memories I have include: going on a Year 7 trip to Le Touquet; Bassingbourne Barracks for a military open day and the World War One battlefield day trip to the Somme. History and physics were my favourite subjects and at the time, I wanted to go on to study history at degree level. 

 

I achieved a set of good grades at Manningtree – I was awarded the Lloyd Willimot prize for the highest boy’s GCSE grades in the year – and I went onto study physics, maths and history at A Level at Colchester Sixth Form College. While I was there, I decided that physics was the subject I wanted to take further, and I went on to study for a physics degree at the University of Bath.

 

I always had a thought of becoming a teacher – while at Sixth Form, I completed a pre-teaching course which involved returning to MHS once a week to observe teachers and discover what it was like to be a teacher. After University I worked as a web designer for a year and then applied to train to be a teacher starting in 2002. I carried out my second training placement at Manningtree in spring 2003 and was offered a job as a physics teacher, starting in the summer of 2003.

 

In 2006 I became second in science and in 2008 I became head of science, a role I really enjoyed and which I continued until leaving the school in 2018 to work for a local trust of schools to lead on their science strategy. I returned once again in 2024 to teach science part-time whilst continuing to work with other schools and offer private tuition.

 

I enjoyed my time as a student at MHS and have kept in touch with many of the friends I made there. The school has always been welcoming and friendly and therefore I jumped at the chance to work there when the  opportunity arose. I have often had flashbacks of my time as a student when walking around the site, especially as some of the classrooms are still similar. There have been several changes though—the room I used to teach in (now room 26) was once the cookery room and the English and music blocks didn’t exist. Only one teacher is still teaching at the school from when I was a student – Miss Blackford taught me geography in Year 8 way back in 1992/3. 

 

MHS has taught me many skills which have been so useful over the years. I have always felt part of the school and that belonging is part of what has drawn me to return for the second time as a teacher!