Ratcliffian 2016 (LOWRES)

STAFF FAREWELLS
Staff Farewells
Ms Ashleigh Callow
Mr Aidan Cooke
Rev (Mrs) Georgie Hadley
Mr Daniel Jones
STAFF FAREWELLS
Teacher of EAL
By Mrs M Reeves
Ashleigh Callow started
working at Ratcliffe in
February 2015, when
she took on the post of
EAL teacher with specific
responsibility for teaching the
students from Thailand on the
Leicester City Thai Football
Programme. The boys had
little to no English upon
arrival, and Ashleigh was
instrumental in helping them
to settle into the routines of
school life and to improve
their grasp of the language.
Ashleigh has since taken on
more EAL teaching within the Senior School and has also
taught mainstream English. She took on the role of Year 8
tutor at the start of this academic year, over and above the
commitments she already had, and has been a supportive
and caring tutor to all her tutees.
Ashleigh’s passion and commitment have been clear from
the start. She has contributed so many good ideas as to how
to take the EAL department forward and has always been
a kind, caring and supportive colleague. Ashleigh will be
greatly missed in the department, but we wish her all the
very best in the challenges she will face in her new post as
EAL teacher at the City of London’s Freeman’s School.
Mr Gareth Coleman
Preparatory School Teacher
By Fr C Cann
Mr Gareth Coleman joined
the Preparatory School
staff as a newly qualified
teacher in September 2014
as we moved into the new
building. Mr Coleman has
been a very popular and
inspiring Year 6 teacher
and sports coach and we
greatly appreciate all he
has done over the last two
years in the Preparatory
School. We wish Mr Coleman every blessing as he relocates
to Leeds and takes up a post at Leeds Grammar School.
Senior Housemaster and
Teacher of PE and ICT
By Mr G J Sharpe
During his four years in charge of
Boys’ Boarding here at Ratcliffe,
Mr Cooke has overseen a whole
raft of changes, developments and
improvements. Most obviously,
from the boarders’ point of view,
he has been instrumental in
bringing about big improvements
in the common room, kitchenette
and study room facilities within the boarding house. The size
of the community has also increased significantly since 2012
– from around 50 to over 80 boys. In part, this has been
due to the establishment of the Leicester City Football Club
Thai Academy initiative. Mr Cooke played a significant part
in planning for the introduction of this programme and then
assumed day-to-day responsibility for the scheme.
In his younger years, Mr Cooke was a keen and very able
rugby player, and he has brought his expertise and love of
the game to our sports fields, coaching senior teams – most
recently, the 1st XV.
We wish Mr Cooke and his family every happiness and
success as they move to Ampleforth College, where Aidan
will take the role of Senior Housemaster.
Mrs Lynn Harland
Maths Support Teacher
By Mr G Higham
Two years ago, Lynn moved
to Ratcliffe College from
Loughborough High school for
Girls. We have been very fortunate
to have someone with a degree in
Mathematics and a fully qualified
Mathematics teacher as a specialist
Maths Assistant to help the weaker
students in Years 7 – 9; Lynn has
done such a brilliant job, and the
students and teachers she has
supported will miss her greatly. Lynn has explained concepts in
a manner which has enabled students not only to understand
and cope at the time, but also to lay firm foundations on
which to build in the future. She has also worked, unpaid,
using her time and expertise, in supporting the development
of resources for the students. Lynn, you will be sorely missed
and we wish you the very best for the future.
Teacher of Learning Support and Religious Studies
By Mr N Walsh & Mrs J Cluley
Mrs Hadley has been a
talented and much loved
member of Ratcliffe College
for the past 15 years. She
has had a wide range of
different roles, including
teaching – not just in one, but
three – different departments;
Form Tutor; Head of Careers;
and lead member of staff for
the Equestrian Team.
Originally based at the
Dyslexia Institute, Mrs Hadley
joined Ratcliffe College in
2001 and quickly became an established teacher within
the Learning Support Department. Over the years, she has
supported many students who have struggled with their
academic studies; being dyslexic herself, she has always
been able to relate personally to the unique challenges of
dyslexic learners.
Mrs Hadley is also a talented artist and after only one year
here was offered additional hours teaching within the Art
Department. We know that she felt privileged to be able to
combine her love of art with her love of teaching.
You might think that working within two departments might
be enough for one person – but not Mrs Hadley! Her strong
Christian faith led her to accept an additional teaching
role within the RS Department, which she has continued
up to this day. Her faith has also continued to grow: she
undertook further study to gain a Postgraduate Diploma in
Theology and Pastoral Studies, which led, ultimately, to her
ordination in 2014.
Mrs Hadley has been a member of the Religious Studies
Department since 2006, teaching across the age range from
Year 7 to Year 11. She is extremely passionate about the
subject, from both an academic and faith perspective. At GCSE,
her students have always achieved excellent results and many
have gone on to study the subject at ‘A’ Level. Mrs Hadley has
also taught Years 12 & 13 General Religious Studies. She
has made a huge contribution to wider school life, attending
retreats to the Briars and trips to the Holocaust Centre.
In her role as Reverend, Mrs Hadley is leaving us to
undertake the responsibility of pastoral care for three local
villages. We wish her every happiness and know that her
flock will be in very safe hands!
Assistant Director of Music
By Fr C Cann
As Assistant Director of Music,
Mr Jones has helped build
up Preparatory School music
magnificently over the last
two years and we are hugely
grateful for all his hard work
and inspiration. We have
thoroughly enjoyed learning
a range of new hymns for
Mass and assemblies and
the children have really
enjoyed the gamut of new
opportunities opened up
to them to learn a range
of instruments. Mr Jones
also taught in the Senior School and those in Senior School
Orchestra have benefited from his direction as the orchestra
have taken on new students and undertaken ambitious
pieces. Mr Jones and his wife (who taught ‘Cello here, see
below) are moving to Winchester House Preparatory School
to take up the positions of boarding house parents. Mr
Jones will also be Director of Music at Winchester House
and we wish them every blessing for the future.
Mrs Rachel Jones
Assistant Director of Music
By Mr E McCall
Mrs Rachel Jones has taught ‘Cello since 2015 and as part of
the Year 4 String Scheme, and has rapidly improved standards
of lower string playing, as evidenced in the termly RATS
concerts. We wish her the very best of luck at Winchester.
Mrs Katy Lyttle
Piano Teacher
By Mr E McCall
Mrs Lyttle has been with us for four years as a Teacher of
Piano. In her time, she has taught a number of students with
great diligence. Mrs Lyttle always ensures that her students
pay the greatest of attention to the musical nuance and as a
result, the examination results they gain are impressive. She
has been highly communicative and proactive as a teacher
and colleague.
We wish her the very best of luck as she leaves Ratcliffe to
devote more time to her private teaching.
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