SCHOOL NEWS // STAFF LEAVERS
GEORGIA HIRD
I have never met someone with the positivity that Georgia brings to everyday school life . Georgia ( or Gee as she is known to colleagues ) joined us in September 2018 as a sports graduate and immediately threw herself into school life here at Pock , bringing enthusiasm , initiative , and drive to her lessons .
Over her two years as a sports graduate , Georgia shared her knowledge of hockey , netball , cricket , athletics and – together with Mr Wheeler – her vast knowledge of strength and conditioning to help develop our pupils to be the best sportspeople they could be , both on and off the pitch . From pre-prep PE lessons to training with the 1st XI , all pupils respected and looked up to ‘ Miss Hird ’ as a brilliant role model . Georgia was ‘ Pock ’ through and through and gave up her own time to help anyone who needed it , for example , taking children to fixtures so that they could all fulfil their potential , and so proved herself to be an ideal candidate to study for her PGCE here with us .
When COVID-19 first hit in early 2020 and everyone was getting used to life online , Georgia hit the ground running , dedicating her time to providing the best opportunities for our pupils to continue to grow . She edited , produced , and filmed lots of online strength and conditioning videos , created PE challenges , and even hosted online HIIT workouts before and after online lessons . Then , during COVID in Lent 2021 , the two of us reunited in boarding to help look after the handful of girls in Faircote , which is where the legendary ‘ Friday Musical Workouts ’ were born !
Georgia was not only of huge value to the sporting side of Pock but also to the boarding community . Living on-site can be overwhelming but , instead of limiting herself to ‘ just ’ her duty nights ,
Georgia went above and beyond for the boarders here . She took boarders for horse riding lessons , for sessions in the gym on-site , and accompanied trips – all voluntarily – in order to make pupils feel valued and as much ‘ at home ’ as they could be . I will never forget the Christmas we made a roast turkey dinner for all the Orchard girls , myself as head chef and Georgia as my right hand woman , we managed to get everything on the plate with no disasters – which was a feat in itself !
When Georgia was close to finishing her PGCE , she was soon snapped up by Nottingham High School to start her career as a fully-fledged PE teacher , a role in which I know she is already making waves in . Everyone needs a bit of Georgia-Hird-positivity in their lives and our PE office certainly misses it . We wish Georgia all the luck in the world in her new job .
LEAH LORD
Leah leaves Pocklington School after 16 years of working in the pastoral side of school life – working full time as a school nurse , ten years as the lead of the medical department , and covering an evening duty in Faircote for four years as well ! She loved this aspect of her role as she felt that she could explore a different relationship with the girls , not just being seen as ‘ the nurse from the San !’ but Mrs Lord who loved to cook and bake with them on Tuesday nights . I have known Leah since 1994 , having worked alongside her at York A & E before moving here to join her team in 2007 as she took over the role of lead nurse . She has always been proud to work here at Pocklington , seeing it as a privileged job while being able to support her children , Matt and Hatty , as they experienced the full life of being Pocklington School pupils .
How times have changed over the course of Leah ’ s time here : the introduction of the HPV vaccination ( something we now take for granted ), no longer screening for TB , an increase and diversity of boarding life and , of course , Covid ! But throughout facing life ’ s challenges , Leah has always been a loyal , supportive colleague and friend , who gave the best possible care she could to the pupils that she has seen join and grow up at Pocklington .
As she leaves here , she looks forward to enjoying some quality time with her family , to be a ‘ hands-on ’ Grandma , continue her love of cooking , enjoy the outdoors whilst walking Peggy the dog , and , hopefully , to travel with her husband David – finally getting to fulfil those adventures in New Zealand .
I hope I can carry on her motivation , warmth , and dedication to the nursing side of school life , providing a safe and open environment for pupils to feel welcome . I wish her every happiness and a well-deserved rest !
KATIE HAILS , KATHERINE HOLDSWORTH , MANDY DAVIS AND ANDREW WRIGHT
Katie Hails , Katherine Holdsworth , Mandy Davis and Andrew Wright have been with us for one year – and what a year to spend at Pocklington School ! In that time , Katherine , Mandy , and Katie have offered fabulous support in the Prep School , with a whole range of activities – the breadth of which is quite astounding , and Andrew Wright has done a sterling job supporting and stretching our scientists in Pocklington School . Our thanks go to all of you for your efforts , and we wish you the very best of luck with your next steps .
8 THE POCKLINGTONIAN