UP CLOSE: Paul Reddick, head teacher of Crispin School in Street

Street Nub News aims to be supportive to every element of the community from business and shops to people and charities and clubs and sports organisations.

Everyone is finding it tough at the moment and is desperate to get back to normal.

We are profiling some of these local businesses and groups regularly over coming weeks in a feature called UP CLOSE IN STREET in the hope that we can be a supportive springboard for their full return to business as usual.

Today we talk to Paul Reddick, head teacher of Crispin School, Street, who shares some of his personal history and thoughts on what school has been like during the coronavirus crisis.

During an in-depth Q and A session he also talks of what changes he thinks need to be done in the education system.

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Tell us about your career leading up to being head teacher of Crispin, and what were the key considerations about taking on the role?

My undergraduate degree was in Modern History and Politics and I have postgraduate degrees in British History and Education. I trained to teach in Yorkshire and subsequently taught in several local authorities but for most of the last 20 years I have worked in Somerset.

I have been at Crispin since January 2016. As for the key considerations in applying for the headship at Crispin, I suppose a post comes up in the right place at the right time.

The school probably ticked quite a few boxes for me (the area, fully comprehensive, mixed, decent size) and I must have ticked enough boxes for the school.

Tell us a bit about your personal background Paul and how you ended up being a teacher?

I probably became a teacher because of my thirst for knowledge and my love of learning. It might sound trite but it's true.

My decision to teach was largely a function of my love for Modern History and Politics and a desire to do a job that was worthwhile. I feel privileged to have had the chance to teach so many students over the years.

To teach areas like Germany 1918-45, Civil Rights in the USA 1865-1980 and Twentieth Century British History has been a privilege.

In terms of personal background I live in Somerset with my wife and we have three daughters. My main interests are following Brentford FC, cinema, the theatre, music, history and politics.

I love to travel and have been to all sorts of places from Australia to the USA from Iceland to Japan.

What do you like about Street? How are you involved in the local community?

I certainly think I am involved in the local community by working at the secondary school in Street. However, I live some way from Street and I spend little time in the village outside of my role at school.

I cannot believe anyone is thinking "I like Street but it is a shame Crispin's head teacher is not omnipresent in the village".

I like Somerset generally and the people are pretty friendly, decent and unpretentious. You've got a theatre/cinema and a football club so that's two big plus points for me.

The coronavirus pandemic has been difficult for schools - how has it had an impact on Crispin?

Many students were not at school for months and life at any school is not the same as it was with greater restrictions around movement. However, all the subjects are being followed across the curriculum and there are more than 1,000 students on site each day.

I am conscious colleagues, students and the families of both have faced, and continue to face, considerable pressures.

What businesses do you like and use in Street?

I wholeheartedly believe in supporting local businesses, but I largely support those near to where I live rather than in Street.

Students get enough of me five days a week, 40 weeks a year without having to see me when they are walking around Street. Strode Theatre has got a few quid out of me over the years.

The lockdown has been very difficult for many people - how do you think that Street as a village has coped?

I am probably not best placed to answer that except what I see through school. I think the sense of community in Street probably puts it in as good a position as many places to come through the situation. However, there is no one who has not been affected by Covid-19 in one form or another.

If there was one thing in Street you would change, what would it be?

Move it 20 minutes nearer to where I live to save me time commuting. When I first came to Crispin a colleague said that pretty much everything you need is within walking distance. Not many places outside of cities and large towns can say that.

You have been a teacher for many years - how has the role changed over the years? What is the most important thing the government could do to improve education for secondary school students?

Some changes in teaching are easy to identify. There are some clear differences around the use of ICT, school organisation and the examination system.

For senior colleagues, and many others, the "social work" element of the role has increased markedly. Covid-19 showed how schools have many functions which are important to society.

I would not point to any one thing that the Government could improve. More generally, I feel the whole system of education in this country needs to be fundamentally re-evaluated, ideally this would be on a non-partisan basis.

If you could choose one famous person to play you in a movie about your life, who would it be and why?

I wouldn't want a film of my life. I love films but two hours of someone playing me watching Brentford, listening to podcasts and going "rabbit hunting" with my two youngest daughters (looking for them rather than trying to shoot them) is hardly The Shawshank Redemption is it?

Go to the Crispin School website:

Check out the Crispin School website here

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Check out our previous Up Close profiles:

Gay Puddy of Puddy's cafe and bakery

Chris Davis, centre director of Clarks Village