Meet TheSchoolRun teachers and contributors
All TheSchoolRun's resources are prepared and written by qualified primary-school teachers. Our information articles are written by journalists.
Meet some of our fantastic contributors below!
Matt Revill – primary school headteacher with over 20 years experience of working in schools.
Matt has worked in a range of settings and currently works within a multi-academy trust of 14 schools. In his free time, he enjoys reading, computing, holidaying and spending time with his family and friends. Matt has a son who is currently working his way through A-levels at college.
Elena Dalrymple – Editorial Director (2011-2021) and mum to Kate, Tom and Emily
Who was your favourite teacher (and why)?
Miss Dean – incredibly inspirational and passionate about words and books. I can still remember confessing to her that I really wanted to write a book (something I definitely don't want to do now!) and her encouragement.
Sports Day – loved it or loathed it?
Absolutely loathed it – my worst day of the school year. (School swimming lessons came a very close second. The PE teacher had to jump in and rescue me once.)
What's your most embarrassing memory of primary school?
Apparently my Reception teacher left the classroom for a moment and came back to find me, aged 4, keeping the other children in check by 'reading' to them, having shepherded them onto the carpet and instructed them to be quiet. My mum loves telling this story as proof that I've always been bossy!
Are you still in touch with primary school friends?
I met Isabel aged 3 and we still see each other regularly; we've got five kids between us now.
Lucy Dimbylow – Features writer and editor and mum to Tom and Katie
What was your favourite subject at primary school?
I loved topic work rather than any particular subject, and have fond memories of making rain gauges, ice lollies and balsa wood vehicles with real working lights.
What's your best memory of primary school?
Endless summer playtimes doing roly-polies down the hill on the playing field, sitting under the hawthorn bushes collecting caterpillars and learning to balance on the back of the life-size concrete dragon that lived in our school playground.
Sports Day – loved it or loathed it?
I hated PE but loved Sports Day. We used to do an amazing obstacle course which involved carrying a plastic cup of orange squash across a variety of apparatus – and we got to drink anything that was left at the end.
What's your most embarrassing memory of primary school?
Accidentally knocking over an enormous framed print in the headmaster’s office during recorder club. It came crashing down, smashing the glass and the beautiful wooden model carousel that it landed on. I was made to clear up the wreckage as a punishment, but never did pluck up the courage to tell my teacher why I was so late back to class.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I changed my mind on a weekly basis, but it was all very girlie – teacher, vet, nurse, ballerina…
Alice Hart worked in schools in London for 7 years, teaching mainly Year 5 and Year 3 as well as lots of supply teaching covering ages 3-11. Alice is mum to Jack.
What was your favourite subject at primary school?
English
What's your best memory of primary school?
Playing with friends in the sun on our school playing field.
What's your most embarrassing memory of primary school?
Wetting myself in the library!
What is your favourite subject / topic to teach now (and why)?
Maths because there is usually only one answer!
What is the best gift you've ever received from a pupil?
A big chocolate square iced with a personalised message.
What's your favourite year group to teach, and why?
Year 3 because they are still young enough to have easy access to their imaginations, but old enough to be a bit independent.
Best and worst things about teaching?
Best: creating relationships with children, seeing them do funny things and seeing them get better and more confident at things. Worst: observations, performance management, Ofsted and all the paperwork and constant changes.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
An actress.
Angela Smith trained to teach in Lancashire and taught there for 10 years; she now lives and teaches in Ripon, North Yorkshire. She has taught every year group, including nursery! Her own children are Jake and Ben.
Art
What's your best memory of primary school?
Drawing an octopus and everyone in the class copying it because it was so good!
What's your most embarrassing memory of primary school?
Trying to throw myself over the high jump and kicking my teacher in the face.
What is your favourite subject / topic to teach now (and why)?
English because children’s amazing imaginations never cease to amaze me.
What is the best gift you've ever received from a pupil?
It was a book, made by my Y6 class with a message from each of them about something they had learned with me… made me cry!
What's your favourite year group to teach, and why?
All of them, they’re all amazing in different ways.
Best and worst things about teaching?
Best thing is seeing a child move on and develop and know you’ve played a part in it. Worst thing would have to be all the paperwork.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A librarian.
What was your favourite subject at primary school?
Geography.
What's your best memory of primary school?
Getting to spend my 11th birthday on a residential visit with all of my friends.
What's your most embarrassing memory of primary school?
Muddling up my lines in a school play in front of the entire school and lots of parents.
What is your favourite topic to teach now?
I love teaching my 'Crime and Punishment' topic where we look at crime and punishment throughout history. The children in my class are always enthused and we get lots of good writing work out of it.
What is the best gift you've ever received from a pupil?
A pair of Superman socks! I wear them if I know it's going to be a tough day.
What's your favourite year group to teach, and why?
Year 6. I like teaching the more advanced skills to get them ready for high school. It's also great when past pupils come back to tell you how they're doing.
Best and worst things about teaching?
Best thing: no two days are ever the same. You can never be bored! Worst thing: early mornings and late nights.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I've always wanted to be a writer – I'd love to have a book published.
What was your favourite subject at primary school?
I always loved history.
What's your best memory of primary school?
My best memory was a really wild thunder storm at school when everyone hid under the tables (except for me!).
What's your most embarrassing memory of primary school?
My PE skirt falling off during the wheelbarrow race on Sports Day.
What is your favourite topic to teach now?
I love to teach science, especially subjects connected to the outdoors such as living things and changes in nature.
What is the best gift you've ever received from a pupil?
An olive tree.
What's your favourite year group to teach, and why?
I love teaching Reception because children are so excited to learn and have wonderful imaginations.
Best and worst things about teaching?
Best thing: the excitement that children share when they grasp a new concept. Worst: having to buy a wardrobe that is muscous coloured to match children's bodily excretions!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A youth worker.
What was your favourite subject at primary school?
Art! I loved anything to do with painting, drawing, pastels etc. I remember making marbled paper to cover our books one year. I also loved writing stories.
What is your best memory of primary school?
I really liked our supply teacher Mrs. Hawkins; she used to tell us stories and poems using voices. One day she brought a rug into school and whilst we were sat on it she told us a story about a magic flying carpet.
What’s your most embarrassing memory of primary school?
When my mum came into school one day to check I was wearing pants because she had found some in the tumble drier and thought I had forgotten to put them on!
Sports Day – loved it or loathed it?
Hated PE but enjoyed Sports Day, I was quite good at the skipping race and our ‘house’ always won!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A teacher! When I was in Year 4 I remember writing about it and drawing a picture of myself as a teacher in a colourful stripy dress behind a desk.