Fortunately, Bobbie Cornish hasn’t left Barrow, or her home in Beaumont Road, but she has retired from Hall Orchard School where she worked as a learning support assistant (LSA) for many years. Now, she plans to enjoy her retirement, as her husband Ron has also retired, and they can do what they want whenever they want. How delightful!
It was a real pleasure interviewing Bobbie as I learnt so much about her work, the school and how it had changed over the years. Bobbie’s connection with the school actually began in 1991, as an unpaid volunteer helping out on odd days as her own children, Hayley and Melanie, both attended. This led to her becoming a midday supervisor, helping with lunches and overseeing the playground. In 1993 changes occurred as Bob Morley, the headmaster at the time, asked Bobbie to help in the classrooms and so she became an LSA. There were no interviews for this job in those days – you just got the nod if the head thought you capable.
Bobbie was capable, loved the work and stayed for thirty years! In the early 1990s she went to evening classes in Loughborough to take the City and Guilds LSA course. Here, she was encouraged to take further training and become a teacher but decided against it as she liked to stay free of evenings spent lesson planning. Bobbie continued as an LSA for the rest of her career working with countless children over that time which she told me had been very satisfying.
The changes Bobbie has seen over the last thirty years are many. There has been a massive increase in the size of the school, she has seen nine new classrooms built and the hall doubled in size. An outside area called the Forest School has been developed where children can explore nature, cook on a camp fire, climb trees and discover pond life. There’s a section where vegetables are grown too. Although actual class sizes haven’t changed over the last thirty years ‘form entry’ has. For example, where there was one class in the 1990s, now there are two or three classes per year group. All this has meant that there are a lot more teachers and support staff and over the years she has witnessed a complete turnover of staff members.
As for the children, Bobbie thinks the vast majority of Hall Orchard kids are super. Of course, it’s a more multicultural school these days. Bobbie has known four different head teachers Mr Jeffries, Mr Morley, Mrs McKay and Mr Dunn and noticed that the atmosphere of the school today is more relaxed than in the stricter days of the 90s.
“Well, you evidently loved Hall Orchard, Bobbie. Have you any regrets about leaving the school?” I asked. The answer to this related to the people Bobbie no longer met on a daily basis; the friendship and banter from special friends like Sally Fox and Debbie North; the comradeship and fun shared by all the staff; and the craziness they had dressing-up for special occasions such as Red Nose, Children in Need and World Book Days. Bobbie also remembers with gratitude the generous lunches from the kitchen staff that greeted her after cold winter’s days supervising the playground. Bobbie would also like to thank everyone at the school for her wonderful leaving collection. Bobbie and Ron have thoughts of Scotland in the autumn, perhaps touring in a campervan – certainly plenty for haggis once there!
Gaynor Barton