Page 5 - Summer 2020 Echo final draft lower res

A heart Felt Farewell

Since I first started Ivybridge Community College 24 years ago as an Assistant Principal,
one of the first of many roles I was given, was as the Press Officer and editor of the
College newspaper and every year it has been my responsibility to write a fond
farewell report about the staff who are leaving. Therefore, I find myself in the unique
position of having to write my own farewell account, as I will be retiring from the
College at the of this term. This has been a date I have been dreading and has been
exacerbated because lockdown has made it impossible to say my goodbyes to the
students and staff alike. The College has always been a very special place to learn
and work, with students creating a sense of energy, fun and quest for learning that I
will miss terribly. I have loved teaching history and being a Deputy Principal, for over
20 years and shall greatly miss both aspects.

I have lots of plans for the future, seeing my family who live in the North and travelling, having never done so
outside of europe. Whilst I am going to learn Spanish and continue with my studies – as l enjoy the academic
challenge. Not working to a daily routine will be particularly strange, as I have always worked since I was 16,
starting on the ‘Pick and Mix’ counter at Woolworths on a Saturday! If you see me out and about, please
come and chat to me to tell me how you are getting on.

Miss you all,
Mrs Taylor,
Deputy Principal

News 3

University of exeter ‘Ted Wragg Award for
excellence’ Awarded to former Student

Former student. Charlie Briant, has graduated from his Teach South West Teacher
Training PgCe at the College and has been selected to receive the prestigious
University of exeter Ted Wragg Award.
Charlie explained his journey into teaching, saying, “I knew from a young age that I
wanted to have a career in sport and I was definitely inspired by my Pe teachers
during my time as a student at the College. Pe was my favourite subject and I got
involved in every extra-curricular club possible!
Three years ago, after completing my degree in Sport and exercise Science, I
returned to the College as a member of staff, starting as a Teaching Assistant and
over 2 years held a variety of roles across the College. This allowed me to gain some
extremely valuable school experience, learning from some fantastic teachers which
has really supported me in the progress I have made during my teacher training this
year.
I started my Schools Direct Programme in September 2019 with Teach South West and
the University of exeter, and I have now completed my PgCe and achieved Qualified Teacher Status. The year
involved a combination of University taught sessions, a placement at Ivybridge Community College and a
placement at Kingsbridge Community College, which was sadly cut short by COVID-19 and replaced with
online work. My training year was fantastic, and I felt extremely well supported by the University, my placement
schools and especially by Amy Pearce. I am very proud to receive the Ted Wragg Award for the Schools Direct
cohort of trainees. each year, the award is given to one or two students in each subject who have shown
excellence in their training year and who have also supported their fellow trainees. I am delighted to have won
the award, particularly as I have been lucky enough to work with so many fantastic trainees over the course of
the year.
This year has really shown me how hard teachers work, and so managing the workload has certainly been a
challenge. however, the workload is definitely worth it, as it is such a rewarding job.”

Providing Mutual Aid to our Community

“As a Coastguard Rescue Officer I am 'on call' 24/7 to respond to coastal
emergencies but additionally as a Category 1 emergency Service, we are able
to provide Mutual Aid at the request of the local Resilience Forum that has been
set up during the Covid-19 lockdown. We are assisting Devon and Cornwall
Police in undertaking patrols around the coast to ensure people are not
gathering in groups. Credit has to be given to the people of our area for
observing the current guidelines.”
gillian garlick – Design and Technology Resource Technician.