SATURDAY PITSTOP WITH ESSEX FORD BILLERICAY – 19.7.8

SATURDAY PITSTOP WITH ESSEX FORD BILLERICAY – 19.7.8

Back from my own pitstop elsewhere last week – at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Sussex.  You may have heard of Glorious Goodwood in reference to its horseracing.  Its annual Festival of Speed hill climb in front of Goodwood House attracts 150,000 spectators of Formula 1, rally cars, supercars and heritage vehicles on a 1.2-mile course up the Downs (see www.goodwood.co.uk/Site/Content/FestivalOfSpeed).

Goodbye Linda

This week's guest was Linda Bamford, who leaves as head teacher of Mayflower High School in Billericay on Wednesday.  Linda's led the 1,500-pupil secondary school for 12 years and moves on to the National College of School Leadership.

The college network supports schools' and head teachers' efforts, especially in deprived areas.  Linda moves from Billericay to dividing her time between college headquarters in Nottingham and the Black Country.

She described the Mayflower School ethos as one of courtesy and respect.  In her 12 years there, the partnership between pupils,. the 200 teachers and staff and parents has improved.  Pupils are as much encouraged in pursuing non-academic goals as exam results.

Linda herself marked the millennium with a personal triumph by climbing Kilimanjiro.  Pupil sponsorship and support from Rotary Club of Billericay Mayflower helped send over £7,000 to another Mayflower School in India already helped by the Billericay Rotarians.

Linda's music choice was:

M People:  Search for the Hero
Do you hear the people sing from Les Miserables musical
Johann Pachelbel:  Canon
Beach Boys:  California Girls

Her successor at Mayflower High is Lee Brumby, who moves down from Newcastle having previously taught in Essex and London.

From Essex Ford Billericay
The motor industry decamps to ExCel in E London to unveil its latest models from Wednesday.  The British International Motor Show runs from July 23 to August 3 just 20 miles from Brentwood and Billericay.

See displays by 60 manufacturers at an easy to get to venue – via Stratford on the DLR.  More at www.britishmotorshow.co.uk