STAFF ANNEXE
FAREWELL
FAREWELL
The school bids farewell to the following staff:
Rachel Farrar( 02-16) Careers and University Advisor
Anne Lawson( 89-15) Physics Lab Technician
Jan Midwinter( 06-16) Faircote Boarding Housemistress
Nick Tomaszewski( 89-16) Head of Economics, Business Studies, Government & Politics
NICK TOMASZEWSKI( 89-16)
Nick Tomaszewski came to Pocklington in 1989 after a brief tenure at St Peter’ s in York. Appointed as a teacher of Economics and Politics he became the head of department 18 months later; a post he has held since then. A forward thinker, he noted the difficulty that Economics caused for those with weaker mathematical skills and got permission to run a pilot of‘ Industrial Studies’ – a forerunner of today’ s Business Studies. Initially five pupils, Business Studies is now often the most selected subject by students in the lower sixth.
From his arrival he has been a stalwart of the CCF rising to the rank of Major taking responsibility for the training programme and, alongside Mr Evans, Mr Kilsby and others, establishing in school the format of the cadet force we have today. Many students have been with him at Welbeck, the Colts Canter, Skill at Arms Meetings not to mention numerous summer camps and adventurous training trips.
He was Housemaster for Wilberforce House for 21 years, initially in a non-pastoral capacity when the school had heads of year, but for 10 years as a full Sixth Form Housemaster guiding students through their UCAS applications and onto university.
For 17 years through Young Enterprise he encouraged sixth form students to set up their own businesses, which have won many awards, and on two occasions they reached the Regional Finals. Economists under his control have also taken part in the Bank of England Target 2.0 competition with some success.
In years gone by when we had a varied curriculum he taught Earth Mysteries, taking( willing) students to see the Devil’ s Arrows at Boroughbridge and the Rudston Monolith and enlightening them in Neolithic ways such as stone circles, burial chambers and ley lines − even inspiring one student to read Archaeology at university.
A high level distance runner in his younger days, he switched more recently to biathlon and triathlon, not for him cricket and rugby. He has also been a champion of so called‘ minor sports’ in school − basketball and badminton.
Blue was definitely his favourite colour – Chelsea and the politics of Margaret Thatcher his passions, alongside his family of course.
He leaves us into retirement and moves away to Oxfordshire to be nearer his partner and to play more golf.
JAN MIDWINTER( 06-16)
Jan started at Pocklington in 2006 and having grown and developed Orchard and built upon Faircote for the past three years, she has seen boarding move from the‘ good old days’ to the present flourishing boarding environment.
She began her career in the Women’ s Royal Air Force( WRAF) as an Administration Officer, rising to Commissioned Officer and then being made the first female Intelligence Officer in Phantom Squadron. Jan left the WRAF to pursue family life; however, being married to an RAF pilot saw her continued involvement in Forces life. She has lived all over the world: Germany, Singapore, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, as well as various postings around the UK. She became involved in youth work as a teenager, having been a Queen’ s Guide, and then as her children grew up she became a Brown Owl and later a District Commissioner for the Girl Guides. After working for the NHS, Jan returned to working with children at Marlborough College in 2003 as a Dame in Little Field House, before finally moving to Pocklington and Orchard House as Assistant Housemistress in 2006.
The Orchard girls proved to be a great delight, so much so that when Hélène Knights retired as the Housemistress of Orchard, Jan was successful in her application to take over the reins. Jan’ s mission statement has always been‘ every child matters’, with the girls’ well-being and education at the forefront of her work. She has laughed with them, guided them, praised them when they’ re getting it right, conversely explaining when they’ re getting it wrong, and many a time literally fallen over with them!
One former Housemaster aptly said,‘ A day is a long time in boarding’, and so you can only imagine exactly how long 10 years in boarding feels. It is definitely not a sleepover or babysitting, though it has definitely been blood( one Assistant Housemistress got her fingers jammed in the kitchen window and wasn’ t found till after lights out), sweat( it’ s either 45˚C or-5˚C in the Faircote Office), and tears( Jan often chose a Saturday night film for the girls to have a good cry over).
We have laughed, cried, jumped for joy and celebrated every achievement of the girls. There have been wonderful outings with Orchard, St John’ s, Dolman and Fenwick-Smith, Christmas dinners, barbecues, boarders’ Remembrance services, parties, board games, movie nights, plays, dances, a plethora of pranks, reading to the‘ Lyndies’, poetry, sorry notes, hashtags, snow fights, picnics and some very strange and wonderful conversations. Although there have been sad times, the abundance of good times has always been greater.
Jan is truly cherished in the community and we wish her good health, happiness and longevity as she retires. keep in touch
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