A FORMER British Army officer has taken charge of a thriving sixth form.
Ex-Corps of Royal Engineers captain Rachel Johns has been appointed director of sixth form at Barnard Castle School.
She trained to be a teacher after serving in the forces for eight years, including a variety of operational deployments. She first taught at Benenden School, Kent, where Princess Anne attended, and then Gordonstoun School, in Moray, Scotland, where King Charles and his father the Duke of Edinburgh were educated.
“There is a strong pastoral element in the army,” said Rachel, who was brought up in Yorkshire. “You have to get to know the guys inside out; what makes them tick, how they respond when they face challenges. It’s the same in teaching and that is what inspired me to retrain.” Rachel has run a boarding house for 11 years, as well as teaching psychology and establishing a CCF alongside managing the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme.
She moved to Barnard Castle School with her daughter Maeve, four, and partner Barry, a housemaster and maths teacher at the school.
It was during her post at Winchester’s Junior Soldier Foundation College that Rachel realised her passion for teaching and pastoral care which prompted her to complete her PGCE to open up a route into teaching.
“Watching and being a part of the transformation and journey of each of those junior soldiers through their phase one training programme was a real privilege,” she said “It was something I wanted to continue to be engaged with. As a boarding housemistress at both Benenden and Gordonstoun I always enjoyed the opportunities to support the growth of the older students in particular, in their preparation for their journey beyond school.”
“So as director of sixth form at Barney, I hope to inspire every student to realise the best version of themselves; in their academic endeavours and ambitions and in their personal growth as a whole.”
Barnard Castle School sixth form offers a variety of courses including A Levels, BTECs and Cambridge Technical qualifications. In September it will launch new courses including BTEC animal management.
The sixth form also offers an extensive personal development programme and a range of supra-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities.
“From my first day at Barnard Castle School I experienced a wonderful energy about the place,” she said. “The students are full of character and arrive at school each day with a real enthusiasm and engagement; it is a very happy place to be. A lot of schools claim to have a strong sense of community but Barney absolutely does. It’s a hallmark of the school, apparent from the moment you walk through the door.”