English Department
Sarah - Head of English
I have always loved stories and the different ways they can be told. In my early twenties I worked in two theatres in the West End and was lucky enough to see many plays and musicals during my time in London. I love to read, so a degree in English Literature was the perfect choice for me.
I have been an English Teacher for 12 years. I trained at Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School and then moved on to The Priory Academy LSST. Before this I worked as a Teaching Assistant at Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School, where I taught small literacy withdrawal groups. I loved my work as a TA, and working in a supportive capacity with small groups was something I missed when I moved to teaching whole classes. When the opportunity arose to teach at Pilgrim, I jumped at the chance. I have been at Pilgrim since 2020, and I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else! The students and staff are the most inspiring group of people I have ever met, and I feel lucky to work here. 2023-24 will be my first as Head of English and I am excited to work with the team to make English fun and accessible for every student.
Claire
I am an English teacher here at Pilgrim and I love my job! I work at Lincoln and Baumber Bases and particularly like teaching Shakespeare and Poetry.
Students here seem to make such progress with us both socially and academically; I find this one of the most rewarding parts of my job.
In my free time I enjoy cycling regularly and taking long walks across the Lincolnshire Wolds with our dog, a 2 year old Weimaraner called Otto.
Harriet
I have been at The Pilgrim School since 2020 and it is here that I have trained and developed my passion for teaching English. I count it a privilege to teach here!
It is a cliche but my love for stories, reading and writing them, led me to study English Literature at Bishop Grosseteste University. After completing my degree, I worked for a few years in administration at Lincolnshire County Council before embarking on a career in education.
Hope
My name is Hope and I am (now) a trainee English Teacher. I have worked at Pilgrim for almost 10 years, in a variety of roles, my most recent being a Training and Development Adviser delivering education-related training internally and to schools and teaching alliances throughout Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
I have been in the education field for about 25 years. Prior to moving to Lincoln many years ago, I worked in Berkshire for an educational charity, working in a number roles supporting young people, my last post being a SEND Adviser.
I'm good at spelling and remembering random but useless facts.
Yvonne
I am Yvonne. I first came to work at The Pilgrim School in 1987. In those days I was a youngish teacher who had studied BA Hons in political history and sociology, a PGCE in literature and humanities and had experienced a couple of years teaching on supply in various primary and secondary schools while working for the home education service which was in its infancy.
In 1987 we taught children at their bedsides and in a room on the children’s ward at Boston Pilgrim Hospital. Children were in hospital for longer periods then; one week for tonsilitis, three for appendix and up to 18 for irritable hip, plus head injuries and other physical traumas. Children from reception to age 16 were taught together in one room. We offered a range of core curriculum and craft lessons and went with the flow, more or less of what interested the pupils on the day. It meant acquiring skills to be very versatile, flexible, creative and independent. I have consequently seen the school grow from the days of one teacher and teaching head at Boston, one teacher at Grantham and Lincoln hospitals and a ‘secretary’ with a manual typewriter who came into Pilgrim School office three times a week to what it is now. I have lived and taught through the introduction of The National Curriculum, Computers, internet, timetables, BTECS and assessment.
In the early years I combined working for Pilgrim with spells in mainstream then finally came to work full time at Pilgrim in the 1990s. I have over the years taught English, literature, history, geography, biology, RE, PSHE, childcare, health and social care, business, travel and tourism and vocational studies but now I focus on just teaching PSHE, Careers, BTECs and literature. I am Head Of Applied Learning, and the school’s Quality Nominee with responsibility for all BTEC marking and admin and co-ordinator for PSHE and careers across the school.
Out of school I love sipping cocktails at tropical beach resorts, reading in my garden and doing whatever I can for conservation, animals and wildlife habitats.