Tutor
Angela Potter
My teaching career has spanned forty years, and the enjoyment of working with children has never waned.
I am very much drawn to small primary schools and all the wonderful opportunities they have to offer, so it’s no surprise that most of my career has been spent in such schools. I trained at King Alfred’s Teacher Training College in Winchester, specialising in the education of Primary-aged children with music as my main subject.
On qualifying, I moved to Devon for my first teaching post in a small Primary School where I taught a mixed-age Key Stage 1 class. Three years later, I returned to Hampshire to teach in a larger Primary school on the outskirts of Farnham. I taught a Year 1 & 2 class and was in charge of music, for a further three years. Special Educational Needs became an important focus of mine.
A family move brought me back to East Devon where I spent several years as a supply teacher at various schools while my two children were young. In this role, I gained expertise in teaching across all primary age groups. Subsequently, I secured a permanent post in a village primary school with responsibility for music, P.E and Special Educational Needs. I remained there for ten years before my appointment as the Teaching Head of another small Church of England Primary School, also in East Devon.
I continued to teach throughout the school with a job share in Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Years 3 & 4. Special Educational Needs continued to be high on my agenda, and in 2009 I qualified as a Level 3 Forest Schools leader. This enabled me to set up a site within the school grounds, which allowed all children, not only those who found the classroom environment challenging, to access learning in natural surroundings. I remained in this post for fifteen years before opting for early retirement.
Outside work, I enjoy walking and cycling in the beautiful countryside which we are so lucky to have on our doorstep. I also enjoy spending time with my family and looking after my three year old twin grandsons, who are enchanting, full of life and expectation, and a joy to be with. I enjoy travelling in Europe and further afield: especially to Australia where my daughter now lives. I still love my music and sing in a local choir.
"Everything we do as teachers must ensure that the child’s inherent desire to learn is kept alive [R J Meehan]"
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