The Salopian - Winter 2021

SCHOOL NEWS
25
Whilst there seemed very little that he could not turn his hand to (other than drive a car), Maurice was an enthusiastic
contributor to Shrewsbury’s whole school ‘Failure Week’ in 2017. As part of the hastily put together staff dance troupe, he
strutted his stuff on stage to Pharrell Williams’s Happy at the Failure Week Variety Show and even taught himself the clarinet on
YouTube which, in spite of an impressively successful and speedy period of self-tuition, ended somewhat disastrously on stage,
much to the amusement of pupils and staff alike in the audience!
A talented singer, actor and composer, the stage was a favourite place for Maurice, and alongside keenly supporting the life
of the theatre and the performing arts at Shrewsbury, perhaps one of his most memorable contributions was at the annual
House Singing competition, where he and Toby Percival became a formidable double act as the live stream commentary
team. Effortlessly able to talk non-stop for the entirety of the event, such was the quality of the commentary that the Music
Department began to get nervous that people would actually stop coming to watch the concert in the Alington Hall, preferring
instead to stay at home and listen to the informative (and often hilarious) commentary. A career in television perhaps awaits…
Maurice’s final year or so at Shrewsbury School coincided with the COVID pandemic and, whilst I hesitate to mention it
knowing just what a toll it had, it is worth pausing to do so to acknowledge the outstanding role Maurice played during this
period. Indeed, whilst he would I’m sure wish to pass credit on to others, there is no doubt that Maurice was the chief engineer
that enabled the School to pass through the choppy waters with confidence, navigating the unprecedented challenges and
responding deftly and speedily to the fast-moving waters. When the nation went into lockdown and the School moved into
online mode, Maurice quickly put together a plan, architecting a quite brilliant model of online learning ensuring that our
pupils’ educational needs were not disadvantaged. Pulling together teams and expertly working with them to craft this new
programme, the resulting model was a masterpiece of design. Shouldering an enormous weight and burden of responsibility,
Maurice likewise led the complicated process of teacher assessed grades with impressive skill, working tirelessly and
determinedly with Heads of Faculties and teachers to get the fairest possible outcome for all pupils. It was a true mark of the
man seeing the devotion, care and attention he put in to all of this work, for above all else, Maurice was driven not by his
own self-ambition but by a determination to do his best for others. He served those particular Salopians with distinction, and
parents, staff and pupils alike can count themselves fortunate that when the crisis hit, we had such an individual as Maurice at
the academic helm.
Life in a boarding school may well be like being aboard a submarine, but Maurice’s five years here certainly didn’t drop under the
radar. Far from it, his achievements in such a short time are quite extraordinary, and he leaves a lasting legacy in a great many areas.
On a personal level, I count it a great privilege to have been able to work closely with him on the leadership team for these past
five years and likewise count it a great privilege to have benefited from his wisdom as a colleague, his camaraderie as my next-door
neighbour and, most importantly, his support, guidance and unflinching good humour as a close friend.
Life beneath the waves in our particular submarine has been all the richer for his time in the crew and as he climbs aboard the
St Peter’s vessel – where he takes on the role of Senior Deputy Head – we wish him safe voyage in new seas and thank him
for all he has done here at Shrewsbury. An extraordinary tour of duty from an extraordinary individual, Maurice can be proud
of all he has achieved here at Shrewsbury School. We salute you, MHW!
Peter Middleton
Oliver Chipperton
Staff 2016-21
Oliver arrived at Shrewsbury in September 2016 following the highly successful
completion of his NQT year across two Bedfordshire schools. Oliver was my first
appointment to the History Faculty and, upon meeting him in March 2016, it quickly
became clear that he was ideally suited to inject dynamism, pedagogical rigour and
collegiate support to the new look ‘Team History.’ Oliver settled into life at Shrewsbury
seamlessly and quickly garnered a reputation among his pupils for meticulous lesson
preparation, interactive teaching and learning alongside a genuine care for the tangible
academic progress of all whom he encountered on the top floor of Hodgson Hall. Oliver
was a genuinely supportive ‘wing man’ to me in the History Faculty as we made the
successful transition to IGCSE whilst enhancing both student numbers opting for the
subject and external examination results. Oliver made a range of significant contributions
to the vibrancy and quality of the Faculty’s provision – from leading the Berlin study trip
to re-calibrating our approach to effective feedback alongside creative new schemes of
work for the Third Form. Beyond his teaching role, Oliver was a much-valued Resident Tutor in Severn Hill and developed a
warm, nurturing relationship with pupils through significant involvement in competitive Football and The Hunt.
It was no surprise to see Oliver appointed Head of History following my change of school role in 2020 – the Faculty was in
more than safe hands. Oliver’s year in the role was dominated by the educational impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and
enforced school closure during Lent Term 2021. However, with characteristic attention to detail, Oliver was able to lead the
Faculty through a ‘Teacher Assessed Grade’ process which left no stone unturned in its rigour and fairness to each of our
young historians. As a native of the South-East and soon to begin married life with Becky, Oliver could not turn down the
opportunity of being appointed Head of History at Kimbolton School for September 2021. He leaves Shrewsbury having
developed into a quite outstanding classroom practitioner and a supportive, kind manager of people. We look forward to
keeping in touch and establishing an exciting historical and pedagogical link between the two schools.
Harry Mackridge