Frederick Bremer's Teachers

19 August 2014

 

Ms Smith, Head Teacher
Jenny Smith is new to the Head Teacher game, after being persuaded to apply for the role by Deputy Head and friend, Ms Hillman. Ms Smith joined Frederick Bremer two years ago and has a vision for Walthamstow’s teens. She wants the kids to aim higher and believe that they can achieve as much as anyone else.  Although she admits that having responsibility for the school’s 900 pupils can keep her awake at night, no one can deny she is a force to be reckoned with. Zipping round the corridors at great speed, students claim they can tell the difference between Ms Smith and Ms Hillman’s heel sounds – and prepare excuses for any messy uniforms accordingly.

Ms Hillman, Deputy Head
Deputy Head Emma Hillman is the disciplinarian of the school and when pupils see her waiting at the school gates in the morning the sprint is on to beat the bell and avoid a detention. Having cajoled her old friend, Ms Smith, into the headship at Frederick Bremer, Ms Hillman has set about tackling misbehaving students head on. Although renowned for her implementation of discipline amongst the students, the jury is still out on who the scariest teacher at Frederick Bremer is; Ms Hillman, or Assistant Head, Mr Palombo. Emma Hillman has taught at four previous schools in London and has been at Frederick Bremer for four years, soon after it opened.

Mr Palombo, Assistant Head
Alex Palombo has been Assistant Head at Frederick Bremer for two years and works closely with Ms Hillman to maintain order. Nothing escapes him, he scours the building for missing students and even goes as far as checking the pulses of students who deny they have been running in the corridors.  He would not say he is stubborn, he is just always right!  He is a man of his word, so when he sets boundaries and punishments, he follows through - which earns him grudging respect from even the naughtiest of kids.

Mr Bispham, English Teacher
Twenty-eight year-old Joe Bispham left a successful career in politics after realising that his lifelong ambition of helping people might be more directly fulfilled through teaching. He is now in his second year of a Teach First placement, joining Frederick Bremer’s English department to learn on the job. Becoming a new teacher brings many surprises, from tricky teenage girls in Year 9, to Year 11s locking him in the book cupboard with only his copies of Romeo and Juliet for company - in his first week on the job. Under pressure to impress in practical evaluations from Head Teacher Ms Smith, his year has been eventful to say the least.

Miss Winter, PE Teacher
Surrogate ‘mum’ and agony aunt to the girls of Frederick Bremer; Michelle Winter is a lot more than your average PE teacher. Before taking up teaching she was a fashion assistant but never felt comfortable so she swapped her stilettos for running shoes 17 years ago and has not looked back. She sees sport as a great way to keep disaffected kids in school and wants to see all her girls reach their full potential both on and off the sports field.

Mr Larkin, Deputy Head
After being educated in a struggling school, a stone’s throw from a chemical factory and a prison, Neil Larkin is determined that the pupils he teaches will have a better experience.  He wants the students at Frederick Bremer to be ambitious about their futures and likes to work in an environment that promotes that. Mr Larkin has been a teacher for 30 years, despite his first job reference opening with: “He has a northern accent but…” He joined Frederick Bremer as Deputy Head two years ago, and part of his job includes overseeing the Head Boy and Head Girl elections.

Mrs Austin, Home Support Worker
Empathy and patience are essential in Mrs Austin’s role as Home Support Worker at Frederick Bremer. Emma takes pride in being an always-available emotional crutch for the young people she works with and will try anything to break down the barriers to get to the root of a student’s problem. She has even tried rapping but admits that it isn’t her strongest asset.  With this year’s students presenting no-less complexity than any other, Mrs Austin will have to be steadfast in using whatever means are necessary to ensure her referrals are in school and on the right track.

Hazel Turner – Behaviour Monitor
An EastEnder born and bred, Hazel is warm and well-loved by the pupils.  Always keen to stress to the children that she is not a teacher, she is happy for the kids to call her by her first name. She is the first port of call when kids are sent out of the classroom and can be found patrolling the corridor, walkie-talkie in hand and notching up as many as five miles a day.