16
Recollections of a
Lunchtime Supervisor
The other day someone said to me
‘You are leaving school on Friday’ and
thinking about it I suppose I am! After
all working at Sir William Borlase has
been quite an education! Believe it or
not when I first came to work at the school nine years one
month and about one week ago I was probably as nervous
as you were when you walked through the school gate as a
Year 7. I had never worked in a school before and suddenly
there were an awful lot of people to get to know, both staff
and pupils. I will admit it has proved slightly embarrassing
getting student names muddled up. However I hope you
will forgive me and remember that there is only one of me
and so many more of you all!
So what do I remember about my time at SWB? The
number of times I have had conversations about whether
I am a Lunchtime Supervisor or a Dinner Lady. The answer
is definitely Lunchtime Supervisor! Do I have a favourite
year group? No, there are a lot of amazing people in all
the year groups. Also many who should be very proud of
their achievements throughout their Borlase career. That
young people have a whole new vocabulary. I still have
not worked out how ‘sick’ can mean good! Wondering
if some students thought I would believe them when
they would say, ‘Who me, Miss?, Not me Miss!’ when that
sandwich, cake or half eaten apple gets pushed hastily in
the pocket when you are out on the field! I think I have lost
count of the number of times I have heard ‘last goal wins’!
Oh and running very fast across the field on those horrible
wet days does not mean we did not know who you were!
Seeing Year 11s leave and come back after the Summer
holidays really looking like young adults turned out in
their smart suits. As much as I should not be amazed, it
also fascinates me you grow so much over the holidays!
Inducing mild panic when I have called a student by name
(I do not always get it wrong!) It was not always because
they might have done something naughty but because I
have also worked in other areas of the school. On that note
I have really enjoyed working with Matron too. Being able
to talk with someone if they were a little bit sad and send
them away with a smile on their face is special. Having a
laugh and a joke if someone has a bit of a silly injury. Set
square jammed on a wrist springs to mind! Yes it really did
happen.
It has been very special to share in so many of your
achievements and now I am going to wish you all success
in the future. Goodbye and good luck.
Mrs Farrington
Mrs Mumbray-Williams
Mrs Mumbray-Wiliams left the library earlier this year after
fourteen years at Borlase. During her time here, she saw
many changes – including changes of venue as the library
moved from the site of the dance studio to the sixth form
common room before settling into its current site.
Mrs Mumbray-Williams has enjoyed developing the
school library. She says it has been her goal to ‘provide
an eclectic mix of fiction to fire young imaginations and
to ensure that the non-fiction collection meets not just
the needs of the syllabuses but of the individual passions
of young readers be they baseball, breeding pet rats or
ballet (all of which I’ve been asked for recently)’. She will
particularly miss the students of Borlase, talking with the
younger students about their reading and helping the
older pupils to develop independent study skills as they
complete A level studies, EPQs and prepare for University.
She made many great and enduring friendships whilst
here, and particularly enjoyed working closely with the
Modern Foreign Languages department, along with Mr
Robson ‘a true bibliophile’, and Miss Brooke in the English
department.
Mrs Mumbray Williams said she looks forward to a busy
life after leaving Borlase, and recent communications with
her prove this has been the case! She is pictured here
with her new grand daughter, Ophelia (full name Ophelia
Clementine LenoreWilliams) whowas born on 17thMarch.
Mrs Mumbray Williams spends as much time as she can
with her, when not working as a tutor of English and Maths
and keeping up with her interests, art and photography.
She doesn’t miss the early starts at Borlase – but she’s still
missing the students and staff.
