Hi John, we can see you are busy washing the School car! Thank you for letting us interview you today.

Lets begin………..

How long have you worked at Philpots Manor?

39 years give or take a month or two.

Wow that is a long time! What were your first impressions?

Its friendliness, beauty of the surrounding countryside, its care to the children.

What does your role currently entail?

I am the schools caretaker / Health and Safety Coordinator. In a nutshell I do early morning round
(7am) checking lights are working, boilers have fired up (especially the winter months) no fire alarm
faults have occurred over night. On call during the day for any unexpected surprise. However while
on call I also carry out Health and Safety checks, write and process risk assessments and many other
Health and Safety duties. At the end of the day I check that the site is locked and all non-essentials
are switched off.

What do you enjoy the most about your role?

To work in an environment where I can see changes have been made and feel that I have made a
small contribution towards that change.

What is your favourite memory of working at Philpots?

Many years ago (25 plus) I managed the schools farm and loved the time of the potato
harvest. I would spin the potatoes out of the ground while the whole school would collect and
bag the produce which gave the school about 8 months’ worth of potatoes.

Do you have any hobbies?

I like walking and I have recently taken up astrophotography.