alumni
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Jason Housecroft
is moving on to pursue a business
in theatre coaching and to re-develop his interests in
directing and theatre production. He has the determina-
tion and drive to succeed and a real sense of excitement
about the theatre, with a wealth of experience that he has
been keen to impart. Whether it is mime; stage fighting;
Stanislavsky theory or lighting and set design, Jason has
been an inspiration to his students and DAPA has enabled
those who are fervent about performing arts to access the
equipment they need. SarahMcInally&SusieReeves-Sharp
we say goodbye to...
What the DAPA students said:
I’ve appreciated the extramile Jason
has gone, not only in our education
but also in the development of us as
people over the last two years.
Jason Housecroft .. an inspiration
to the next generation of theatre
practitioners.
You are genuinely one of the best
teachers I’ve ever had.
Kate Mason
Jonathan Mason
and I
started at KEVICC at the same
time and I have learnt so much
from him over the past ten years
at KEVICC. He is an incredibly
creative, kind, energetic and in-
novative drama teacher and his
passion for the importance and
value found within a rich Arts
education drives him totally and
has been the platform for so many successes at KEVICC,
including
Les Miserables
,
Hair
and
West Side Story
. The
department will miss him very much but he is moving on
to things that are exciting, challenging and totally right
for him. We wish him the very best of luck and will keep
the Arts light burning bright in his absence.
Jo Crook
NickMorgan
~ what the students said:
He's always there when you need him
and you do well because of him.
He has a great work ethic and is an ex-
cellent teacher.
He's more than willing to do extra hours
to help you.
All the students think really well of him.
Liam Franz
~ what the students said:
I liked answering the treasure hunt
questions because they helped me to
understand the maths.
He always listens to your questions and
helps you answer them for yourself.
I'm glad he was my teacher; he taught
me well.
Kate arrived here sixteen years ago as a KS3 Assistant
Principal, immediately making a big impact on the devel-
opments of the KS3 curriculum. She is a passionate advo-
cate of ‘inclusion’ which led to a partnership with Bidwell
Brook to enable students of all abilities to work together
– a legacy that still exists today. Over the years, this has
added a real richness to a students’ experience at KEVICC.
Moving to a Deputy Principal post in 2004, she had a wider
influence on the formation of whole College initiatives. An
important aspect to Kate’s approach was to recognise that
students learn in different ways, emphasising the impor-
tance of a vocational route for some. She also developed
a more robust model for self-evaluation at whole College
and Middle Leadership level, focussing on classroom prac-
tice and a more evidence-based approach. In recognition
of this work, and her absolute drive to achieve the very
best for students, she was appointed Principal in 2009.
The
Explore, Discover, Achieve
statement encapsulates her
approach to enquiry-basis learning, enabling students to
discover and develop their talents and to achieve at a level
where they can compete with the best on a national and
international level. Steering a steady, but often difficult,
course between a plethora of national initiatives, Kate has
maintained an admirable integrity, and her unwavering
commitment to what is right for students has led to her
making brave decisions, as well as creative ones.
The commitment to co-operative principles has led to
co-operative status for KEVICC, with an important part of
this being, for her, the development of Young Co-opera-
tives, encouraging young people to be creative; take ini-
tiative and work together using co-operative values, both
within the classroom and outside.
Kate has worked tirelessly to move KEVICC from Satisfac-
tory to the Good judgement earlier this year. The raising
of standards and expectation; the emphasis on rigour, as
well as the importance of celebrating the wonderful cre-
ativity of students, has characterised her leadership over
the last five years.
She is a wonderfully warm person, calm in a crisis as well
as outside of one; considered and principled. She will be
very much missed by staff and students and we all wish
her the best for whatever her future plans might be. She
will leave KEVICC in a wonderful place, ready to take on
the challenges of the future.
The Leadership Team
Kate seemed to handle every situation, however challeng-
ing, with self-control and confidence. Students loved her
and her presence in the classroom was almost discon-
certing at times to ordinary mortals. She would challenge
students and, in the process, enable them to discover
qualities in themselves they did not know they had.
Chris Killock, former Assistant Principal
