MY BURFORD - MR R STRINGER - HISTORY TEACHER

Our History Teacher, Mr R Stringer reflects on his role and time at Burford School as part of our new 'My Burford' series.

This feature series aims to shine a spotlight on the superb staff team at Burford who make it possible for us to offer 'the best of education' to our students.

I started teaching at Burford in September 2003. My classroom was Room 12, which is now one of those missing from the sequence of rooms 1 – 22. It’s funny to think that we have Rooms 1 & 2, but try looking for Rooms 3 – 14. My classroom stood roughly on the spot where students now queue for the pod at break and lunchtime. One side looked towards the J Block and the other onto the farm buildings. The farm had recently closed and, although the animals had gone, the site was largely intact. Break duties sometimes involved searching the farm buildings for students who weren’t where they were supposed to be. I look back on those first years with fondness, as I was able to enjoy teaching before the arrival of computers in the classroom.

My next classroom, Room 5, was one of the old Maths classrooms, which were ‘temporary’ structures at the back of the Sixth Form. The rooms were beginning to show their age by this time, a colleague in Room 6 had a hole in the floor at the back of his room and anyone attempting to use my fire door would have had a nasty surprise, as the wooden steps beyond the door had rotted and collapsed! From there, I was able to join the rest of the History Department in the double decker block, my wanderings at an end.

In addition to History, I’ve taught a little English, RE, Youth Award (CoPE) and General Studies, thus broadening my experience. Looking back, the weekend trips to Woodlands with the Youth Award students were a real highlight for me, with mountain walking, climbing and canoeing the order of the day.

As a member of the History Department, I’ve been on quite a few trips to the battlefields of World Wars I & II and I have visited St Petersburg, Moscow, Berlin and Krakow. I feel lucky indeed to have had such opportunities, and such great colleagues past and present.

As a keen student of History, I find it fascinating to think that so many young people have attended this school and so many teachers taught here since the reign of Good Queen Bess. The school has witnessed great change and has stood through good times and bad times. I can’t help wondering, for example, where the staff and pupils were on that day in May 1649 when three soldiers were executed in the churchyard just next door. Did they go out to watch, or did the shots momentarily disrupt their lessons?

There have been some significant changes during my time at the school; new buildings have gone up and the school population has increased. However, the essential character of the school has not changed. The school has a great ethos, one which has evolved over centuries and it is a privilege to be a part of this institution.

Finally, if I had to choose three words to describe the school, I would say that it is inclusive, welcoming and caring and you can’t get much better than that.