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I started at Bede as vice principal when Howard Clarke was principal.  He left a year later and I became acting principal then principal at age 32 – the youngest ever in a sixth form college at the time and one of the very few women amongst about 120 men.

Most people told me Bede was too small to survive but Brian Yeo, who was the head of post-16 in Cleveland, told me the college would survive – and he was right.

Everything was different then. There was no IT for administration.  A message went by post (or possibly telephone) and we waited for a reply about a week later.  If we needed anything urgently we tackled the fax machine. It was all much slower.

Lunchtime wasn’t spent planning lessons or preparing for the afternoon, a group of staff met in the staffroom to play bridge, others read or knitted or just enjoyed the break.

At one point there were six married couples on the staff - one third of the total staff.

Classes were small and A level results were noted as better or worse than last year but there was no national comparison.  Syllabuses were mostly outlines, so teachers had a lot of autonomy as to what to teach.  Most students were expected to go to university – and the majority did.

The teachers and support staff were amazing.  It was not unusual for students and staff to be given national awards. A former biology teacher, was a finalist in the first award of the Global Teacher Prize, one student went on to be the commander of RAF Leeming and another was (and possibly still is) on the list of those prepared to be the first humans to travel to Mars.

Of the thousands of students there are people all over the world who studied at Bede.

Now there are grandparents and parents whose children and grandchildren have the privilege of learning in a fantastic new building which is still thriving and looking towards its next 50 years.

Join Bede Sixth Form as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.  Bede Fest takes place on Saturday April 22 from 12 noon to 3pm.  A day of celebration, entertainment and reminiscing, admission is free and all are welcome.

Miriam Stanton Miriam Stanton 2008 Bede Staff June 1999
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