Meet Mrs Lucy Turton, Teacher of English and Junior Girls’ Games
Where do you hail from and where did you train?
I grew up in Suffolk, and studied English and Education (BA Hons) at the University of Brighton. I completed my PGCE at the University of Sussex.
What extra-curricular input will you have at school?
Drama! I love getting involved in drama, and putting on plays. You really can’t keep me away from a production, whether I’m acting in it, directing it or doing costumes, make up or the sound effects! I’m really so looking forward to offering lots of extra drama at Sompting Abbotts.
Tell us all about your career experience.
For the nine years before joining Sompting Abbotts, I taught English and Drama at Lewes Old Grammar School. I always wanted to become a teacher, so I also volunteered in primary schools and special schools in my teens and early twenties. I worked with children’s summer holiday camps and forest schools and also as assistant teacher at a contemporary dance company for dancers with special needs.
Please tell us a little about your interests.
I’ve always loved the arts. I am a keen musician, and can play the piano and guitar, though I’’m mostly a singer. I’ve been in a lot of different bands and have composed music for events too.
I also play a lot of unusual instruments! They include the accordion, melodica and the musical saw. I’m also really involved in my local community choir. I have lots of other passions including drawing and acting in plays.
What convinced you to become a teacher?
That’s easy. I’ve wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. I was always getting in trouble as a child for sneaking out of bed to set up my ‘classroom’ for my teddies! I’ve always had a big imagination, and this goes hand-in-hand with a love for reading and writing stories, and devising drama.
“I love working with children, and can’t think of anything more rewarding than inspiring children, and helping them achieve their best.”
My husband, Sam, and I live in Worthing. He’s an English teacher too! We have three children aged 14, five and three. My youngest two are also looking forward to joining Sompting Abbotts this term. (As a family, we’re National Trust members so we love exploring the countryside and old stately homes.)
Why have you chosen to work in the independent sector now?
I hadn’t initially ‘planned’ to teach in the independent sector. Originally, my intention was to teach in special schools and I even learned British Sign Language to aid this pursuit. However, when it came to apply for a teaching course, I realised that teaching English and Drama would be a better fit for me, and I have been teaching in the independent sector since qualifying in 2012.
“I was privately educated myself. I went to a school which also valued small class sizes and cultivated a love for the outdoors. I was so delighted when a post became available at Sompting Abbotts! It so closely resembles the small school where I spent a happy childhood.”
What appealed to you about working at Sompting Abbotts given the point of your professional career at which you find yourself right now?
Since having young children of my own, I’ve felt that I would enjoy teaching younger pupils. I think that the time spent teaching my children at home during the Covid-19 pandemic gave me the impetus to pursue this move from secondary school to prep school.
I really craved the imagination and creativity that cramming for GCSEs does not always allow time for. I wanted to be able to really get to know a class of children for who they are, and design their lessons just for them – not for an exam board.
I don’t think anyone could visit Sompting Abbotts and fail to be dazzled.
I’ve honestly never seen a more beautiful place. But more than this, the children all seem so happy and confident. You can tell straight away that the school has a big heart, and that the staff and pupils alike are more like a family than an institution. I love that the children here have the space and time to grow as individuals and develop their curiosity and imagination.
Tell us something we don't know about you or that might surprise us!
I used to train in aerial acrobatics! I’d love to get back into it now that my children are starting school. I’ve also sung on stage with a number of pop stars that none of our pupils will ever have heard of! (Cliff Richard, Gabrielle and Boney M, anyone?)
What child doesn’t love to collect handfuls of glossy brown conkers? At Sompting Abbotts, they don't just fill their pockets — even socks become makeshift pouches. And so, at this time of the year, we send the children out into our school grounds to look for shiny conkers (not that they need any persuading).