brought up by the pupils in front of her. Indeed, she was one of those teachers willing to respond to subjects her classes happened to be discussing, or just felt passionate about, frequently making them think differently by the time they left – many boys will have had their first encounter with feminism via Denise’s wry, sometimes forceful, interventions. Denise’s proudest moment in teaching may not necessarily have been when the examination board chose one of her essays on Evelyn Waugh’s A Handful Of Dust as an example of best practice, but this stands as a well-deserved accolade to the skill with which she elicited such lucid, elegant writing from those she taught. Her service to the department’s programme of theatre visits also needs to be recognised, with many sixth-formers benefiting from the long hours Denise spent on the phone to the National Theatre box office. Before the theatre visiting, though, came theatre directing. The first of Denise’s ventures was her East Is East , a far cry from the average Dulwich production with its humorous and gritty evocation of multicultural 1970s Salford and talented, predominantly Asian, cast. Equally impressive was the breaking work the department has undertaken to ensure that all boys who require support with their learning have been identified and receive it. Kate was the driving force behind the electronic revolution in the Learning Support Department. On her arrival all reports and information on boys was handwritten but Kate quickly saw the benefit of moving to an electronic system. This approach has enabled information not only to be recorded more easily, but also to be shared amongst colleagues so that they can adapt their teaching according to the needs of the boys in their class. In 2006 Kate joined the Lower School as a Form Tutor. She was outstanding in this capacity, offering support to the fresh-faced new boys,
fact that Raji James, a personal friend of hers, was in the cast of the feature film, and she persuaded him to come in and talk about the play, which she was also teaching. The dark school-set satire Unman, Wittering And Zigo , with a cast of real pupils and teachers, came after, followed by a waspishly witty version of Sheridan’s School For Scandal , co-directed with her Head of Department, Richard Sutton. In addition to her many contributions to English at the College, Denise was also, for a period, in charge of the assembly rota. But assemblies are ephemeral and, with rare exceptions, easily forgotten; Denise’s warmth and support for her colleagues, on the other hand, is not. The characteristic of valuing those she works alongside has been particularly true of her, and while it is lovely to feel recognised and valued by one’s peers, Denise’s praise is certainly worth having. With yoga undoubtedly coming increasingly to replace teaching in her priorities, Denise leaves us to return to Chester and her northern roots (who would have guessed?). We will think of her fondly as she curls up on the sofa with a good novel while we mark more GCSE coursework. as well as to their parents. Her caring nature made her a hit with both boys and their parents, not to mention the rest of the tutor team. She fondly remembers trips to Wales with Ali Henderson and Will Keat as she started the process of bonding with her young charges. Kate’s trips to Wales have not been the only ones she has enjoyed. She has accompanied boys to Vic-sur-Cere, Florence and Tubingen as well and has happy memories of these times. Kate was also the driving force behind the introduction of Spanish as an alternative to French in the Lower School. This certainly benefitted a number of boys on the Learning Support Register who found French more challenging. Today more boys study Spanish in the Lower School than
Rory Fisher DENISE CRONIN D enise leaves us having spent just under two decades in the English department – it is a mark of how much has changed in that time that for a long period she was one of its only two women. Having started by teaching English as an Additional Language, Denise took on some classroom English teaching in years 7, 8 and 9, and then became Head of Lower School English, writing entrance exam papers and coordinating the department’s displays at open mornings. While her important work in the EAL Department continued, her English lessons became defined by her shrewdly empathetic, but certainly no-nonsense, approach. She was willing to tackle any topic that arose from a text, whether these were generated intentionally by her imaginative, original choices – Ivy Compton’s A House And Its Head being one example of a novel rarely chosen for adolescent boys – or were KATE JOHNSTONE K ate Johnstone started teaching at the College in September 2001, a couple of years after her son, Matthew, had left. She had been so impressed with the way Matthew had been supported through his time as an Alleynian that she did not hesitate to accept the offer to join the Learning Support Department. Kate recalls that at the time there were probably 150 boys on the Learning Support Register and now that number has increased to over 800. This represents the ground- Iain Scarisbrick
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