Executive

Jan Scarrow

Headmistress, Badminton School

Jan Scarrow’s Polish father was sent to a Nazi hard labour camp when he was 17 years old and his schooling was cut short and his future ambitions wrecked.  Robbed of his education, he set high standards for his two daughters and Jan, the eldest, became the first in the family to go to university.

She is now the Headmistress of one of the top performing schools in the country - Badminton in Bristol.

Raised in a small Yorkshire town near Sheffield, where her father married and settled after the war, Jan was one of the many children of the sixties to benefit from a grammar school education.  Always a bright student, she took her O Levels when she was 14 and her A Levels two years later, shortly before her 17^th birthday.

Whilst studying History at Manchester University, she gave extra Latin tuition to fellow students and soon found she could teach.

“I hadn’t planned to go into teaching, it wasn’t a burning vocation” says Jan.  “I discovered I was a natural teacher by accident and I found it incredibly rewarding.”

Though her role is largely outside the classroom nowadays, she still takes an occasional lesson as an ‘indulgence’.  “I still love teaching – even after 30 years!  It gives me such a buzz and it helps you to get your fingers on the heart beat of the school.  It’s the best way to find out what makes the girls tick.”

Married to an engineer, Jan lives alongside the school, which was founded in 1858.  Former pupils include Iris Murdoch, Indira Gandhi and more recently, Rosamund Pike seen in James Bond and alongside Kiera Knightly in Pride and Prejudice.

Jan began her teaching career in 1974 at a large comprehensive school in Dinnington, South Yorkshire with 2,000 pupils, before moving to Stonar School in Wiltshire where she was Head of Sixth Form before becoming Deputy Head and then Acting Head.  As a Deputy Head, Jan served on SHA (now ASCL) Council from 1991-1994 and was SHA Area President from 1994-97.

She joined Badminton as Head in 1997 and is keen to instil self-belief and commitment to succeed in her pupils.  “I am a firm believer in single sex education,” she says forcefully.  “Girls at a girls’ school take their future rights for granted, they do not face any discrimination; they regard all options as open to them.  I think their self-confidence and self-esteem are firmly grounded.  Girls are usually more mature than boys and, in mixed classes, the boys often demand time and attention.  We give our girls plenty of opportunities and have very few rules at Badminton.  It’s all about responsibilities, courtesy and expectations.”

Jan has also worked for both JMB and Oxford and Cambridge Boards as an A Level Examiner for History and is a Governor for two independent preparatory schools.  Last year, she chaired the Boarding Committee of GSA and this year joins BSA as the Chair of the Boarding Schools Association.  Outside of school she enjoys travel, theatre and music.

Hilary Moriarty, BA (Hons) MA PGCFE

BSA National Director

It is a great pleasure to be the National Director of the Boarding Schools' Association. I am very much enjoying the range and variety of conversations with colleagues in member schools and with the national organisations with which BSA has contact.

Since starting, I have been involved in meetings at the DCSF and with CSCI, and with a focus group examining public perceptions of both organisations. I also had the pleasure of addressing a large audience at the Heathfield St, Mary's Conference on 'The Boarding Community'.
I am delighted to see the number of applicants for the Association's training courses and conferences, which seem to be more popular than ever this year.

I look forward to meeting you should you be attending any of these, and to talking to you should you have occasion to call the office.
Meanwhile, I wish all members a happy, productive and successful year.

Alex Thomson OBE

BSA Director of Training

Alex Thomson read Geography at the University of Edinburgh before completing his PGCE at the University of Leeds.  After five years teaching Geography and Mathematics in schools in Wiltshire, he joined the Educational & Training Branch of the Army.  His twenty six years of service included roles as Director of Adult Education for the Army in Northern Ireland, Chief Examinations Officer for the Army’s Junior Officer Education and Training Scheme, Senior Educational Adviser to the Officer Selection Board in Westbury, and most recently, he was the Children’s Services Director for British Forces in Germany.

He is a traditional Army ‘schoolie’ having maintained his links with children’s education throughout his military career.  He served as the single military officer in the HQ of Service Children Education in Germany, where he was responsible for coordinating inspections, resourcing and SEN support, worked on the closure of Service schools in Berlin, and has acted as the Chair of a number of School Advisory Committees.  In his most recent appointment, he continued to develop his knowledge of children’s and adult education, and has represented the military on joint DCSF/OfSTED/LA/MOD committees concerned with the ECM agenda.

In addition to promoting education and training within the MOD, he has also practised what he preached as he has completed a Diploma in Education at the University of Wales, Cardiff, is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and a Member of the Institute for Learning.

Alex was made OBE in the 2009 New Year Honours List in recognition of his service to Armed Forces children and families in Germany.

Deputies Committee 2010/2011