Brentwood Preparatory School Magazine

Brentwood School Preparatory Holly Challis Having grown up in Essex, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join Brentwood and begin the next phase of my teaching career. I have always enjoyed caring for others so after completing my studies my career naturally progressed into teaching. I began my teaching career in Upminster where I undertook a number of activities including forest school, the netball team and training in Elklan speech and language. My interest in languages stemmed into running a French club which I will continue to teach at Brentwood, extending the language down to Nursery and Reception. Outside of the classroom, I have a keen interest in sport and the outdoors although I can be just as happy at home with a good book! With an interest in travel and culture, I have a long wish list of places to visit, and although I have made a good start there are still many more places to go. Salute 10 Rachael Doran 2016 was a very exciting year for me starting at Brentwood School. Having been born and brought up in this area, it was excellent to start a job in a place I knew so well. Being a teacher had always been the end goal for me, growing up with two brothers meant my ability to be in charge and take control came naturally! After finishing a diploma I headed off to Birmingham for a new adventure in my life to study Early Years Education. I experienced the joys of living in student halls and moving house four times in four years! Throughout my time in Birmingham I had a part time job in a nursery working with children from a range of social and economic environments which brought new daily challenges but I loved every minute of it. Once the fun of student life was over I moved back home and began work in an Independent School in Upminster where I trained to become a teacher of a delightful reception class. A few of the highlights there were being given a blank canvas to turn into my very own classroom and of course the fun of sports day (where the parents were definitely more competitive than the children!). As my career progressed I have now realised that is the case at ALL sports days in ALL schools! When an opportunity came up to work in a partnering school in Ilford I grabbed it with both hands… why not? It was a great new experience and my last big move before the responsibility of becoming a mum arrived! James was born in July 2015 when I decided to take a step down from teaching for a while to put the best into both my job as a teaching assistant and a mum. I was delighted to start working at Brentwood Prep and excited about the years to come. Rebecca Gill I qualified as a nurse at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London. After a few years I specialised in Oncology and quickly progressed to Sister level. During the fifteen years I was there I worked for the Royal Family’s surgeon and was also a trained counsellor which I found very rewarding. After bringing up my children, who were pupils at this school and are now teenagers, I joined Brentwood School and worked there for six happy and memorable years as a full time carer for two wonderful children. Outside of school, music is a passion of mine. My favourite artists are Pink Floyd, Bowie, Dylan and Avenged Sevenfold. I am also involved in costume design, designing and making the costumes for theatre productions. Sewing is a hobby of mine and I love to incorporate that with my other hobby of interior design. I can whip up a pair of curtains in no time! My two favourite places are Stonehenge and Glastonbury town, where I hope to live one day. I look forward to getting to know every pupil and to continue to make Brentwood Prep school a happy and healthy school! Staff