And she is off…We want to thank Mrs Tyson from the bottom of our hearts for all her hard work here at St Peter’s Prep School. She has been a stalwart character of the school. Whilst serving here at St Peter’s, Emma has fulfilled many roles. Here are to name but a few:
- Trips & visits co-ordinator
- Tour organiser
- Residentials expert
- Co-curricular whizz, with progressive approach to change and redesigning how activities can work at St Peter’s Prep school.
- Head of Creative Arts Faculty, designing and planning an innovative and engaging curriculum. A key supporter and contributor to the St Peter’s School Baccalaureate®. Hunter of Cross-Curricular links and new fresh ideas for Creative Art studies.
- Tutor to many, many pupils.
- Director of Studies, moving the Academic focus in the school light years ahead.
- Assessment Co-ordinator, implementing robust assessment and tracking procedures in time of volatile changes in assessment in education.
- Next schools, supporting hundreds of pupils find their ideal next school.
- Scholarships, guiding realms of children and their families through the scholarship process, again just as this was in a state of flux and change.
- Timetable designer extraordinaire!
- Cover supervisor of great talent (although her most loathed role to date)!
- Operation Christmas Child and significant other charity awareness.
- Forest school instigator and first member of staff to tackle the (back then) relatively unknown subject.
- Outdoor education enthusiast and true believer in what the prep world can offer children in their arguably most tender years of development.
As one of her longest serving colleagues (they started on the same day, don’t you know), Mr Chris Ball, says why he will so fondly remember her:
“She wants deeply for the children in her care to know the importance of giving. Charity assemblies stand out as one of Emma’s passions. She wants all our pupils to understand and feel the joy of giving to others who are less fortunate. Emma is one of those people who you want on your team. She is so good at organisation and spotting the minutiae of detail that is required. Nothing is ever missed and any eventuality is catered for. What a star Emma Tyson is. Thoughtful to a fault.”
“Emma is such a thoughtful person. I shall never forget having a chat with her and telling her how amazed I was by her wooden reindeer creations…to find she’d made and given one to us as a Christmas treat only weeks later. We still put it up at home every Christmas! She has a brilliant sense of humour and can always be relied upon. She will be hugely missed.”
“It is unusual to have a head of department who is so genuinely passionate about their subject. Her interest in all that is creative, all that is Art, in and out of school, is truly inspiring! I think of Emma as someone who will say what other people might be thinking…she knows what she believes in and is confident in achieving what she set out to achieve. I’ve really enjoyed working with Emma and wish her lots of love and luck with her new adventures.”
“Barcelona tour 2015. Wibbly Wobblies… say no more!
A wonderful and caring person who always had time to listen to others, no matter what. She will be sorely missed around here by both staff and pupils. YNWA”
“It has been a great privilege to share a staffroom with Emma over the past 18 years. She has developed a fantastic department and has really challenged the children to produce work of which they did not think they were capable. The results have been quite stunning and it is wonderful to see various creations and testaments to her abilities in the classroom and the talents of our pupils. She is incredibly conscientious and leaves no stone unturned in her pursuit of excellence. She has contributed to so many facets of school life and provided so many opportunities for St Peter’s children, be they as part of the Exmoor Challenge, leading trips to Rome and Barcelona, art experiences…too many to list here. She has many talents that she has shared with the children and the smells coming from the kitchen after activities on a Friday afternoon have been far too tempting. From jam/chutney making to assembly of scenery for productions, this is one talented lady who will be sorely missed.”
“As both a parent and a member of staff, I know Emma in several guises: an uber-organised designer and organiser of the most amazing trips, visits and enrichment events; a very caring and ‘on it’ tutor who appreciates every pupil’s individuality; an artistic talent who draws out creativity in every child she teaches; a wonderfully visionary force who can turn the blandest spaces into ‘wow’ galleries … the list is endless and the void that Emma leaves behind is huge. I will miss her very much.”
“Emma is a great support and friend and has always been the first to stand up for what she believes in. She is kind and creative; the new venture into following her passions and supporting the arts has been inspirational to see over the last few years. I will miss her greatly and wish her all the best in this new and exciting chapter of her career.”
“Emma has been a fantastic colleague and friend over the years. She has shared many wise words about parenting and teaching your own children! She has an amazing ability to see opportunities both creative and logistical. She has such a sharp eye for detail and solving problems. I’ve always been in awe of her ability to juggle the many elements of her job so well! She will leave a huge gap at St Peter’s but I am pleased that she and Alan will soon be embarking on a new adventure!”
Emma Tyson, we wish you and your wonderful husband, Alan, all the best! Thank you for everything.
