aN INTERVIEW WITH MRS AYLIFFE

As Mrs Ayliffe retires from teaching after almost 40 years in the profession, we thought it was a great time to find out more about her. We invited teachers to ask their class for questions for Mrs Ayliffe and we've used as many of those as we could - thank you for taking the time to come up with these questions! And a huge thank you to Mrs Ayliffe for agreeing to be interviewed. We hope you enjoy finding out more about our fantastic Co Head.

A Teaching life

How long have you been at Mayfield?

This is my 20th year of teaching at Mayfield. I started off as a parent helper in Reception when Dr Linklater was the Reception teacher. Then I was a PPA teacher for three years, doing PE - Mrs Redman was my appraiser at that stage, so there’s been some role reversal over the years! Then Reception teacher and Foundation Stage/Year One team leader for eight years. Then I became Assistant Head and then Co Head. So, yes, this is my 20th year at Mayfield, but sort of 21 if you include my Parent Helper role while my children were here. Plus with living in the community, Mayfield has always sort of been in my life.

And were you a teacher before that?

Yes. Before that I was Head of Chemistry at Sawston Village College, I started there in 1986. I did a chemistry degree, taught Chemistry then I had seven years out of teaching, being with the kids at home and doing some GCSE Chemistry tutoring. So over 40 years across Secondary and Primary. Primary and Secondary aren’t as different as you’d think - they still can't share when they're 16, you know! There are lots of common threads, so it's not that different.

How has teaching changed over the years?

Oh, it's completely different in terms of the expectations of what we as teachers are expected to do. We're expected to be everything, now. We have to support parents, be social workers almost. It's not just teaching the knowledge, it's about teaching the whole child and also being part of a community as well.

When I first started, I was only responsible for teaching chemistry. I wasn't responsible for the pastoral care of children. That was somebody else's job. But now you're much more involved with the whole family and the whole community and you're expected to do that. In fact, the buck stops with you in many respects because there's nowhere else necessarily for people to go. We are the sort of permanent feature in people's lives.

What's the best piece of advice that you've ever been given as a teacher?

The best piece of advice I've ever been given as a teacher was actually when I was a parent helper in Reception class here. I was starting to think that Reception was somewhere I wanted to be. I’d been given a job to do which was cutting up stars or something, and I was just looking out of the window and watching the children - watching them interacting with each other, watching them learning who they were as individuals.

Anyway, when the teacher came in I said “Oh, sorry, I haven't cut the stars out. I've just been watching the children” and she said, “Never apologise for observing the children because that's what you're supposed to do. That's how you get to know them.”

That is probably the best advice I've ever been given. And that is why we do spirals of inquiry and ask those spirals questions because we want teachers to get to know the children as individuals and have good relationships with them.

Are there any embarrassing teaching moments you're willing to share?

Oh, yes, I can remember one. I was on a German trip when I was teaching at Sawston. I was a year seven tutor and we went to the Rhineland. All of the kids in group went to buy ice creams. And then they said the teachers could come up and have a free ice cream. So I went up to get my free ice cream and they said, “No, no, no, you are a student! You can't get your free ice cream”.

A similar story, also at Sawston Village College, was when the Head of Middle School saw me in the office and said “Come in here! Why aren't you in the correct uniform?” And the office staff member was going, “No, no, she's staff, she's staff”. So this was very early on in my career. But that was very embarrassing. I was like, “But I'm a teacher. I don't have to wear a school uniform”.

Mrs Ayliffe in her Sawston Village College days

Co Heads Mrs Ayliffe and Mrs Stepney, dressed up for World Book Day

Mrs Ayliffe's time at Mayfield

You've changed a lot of things here at Mayfield over the years with Mrs Stepney and with Mrs Hill before that. But what accomplishments are you most proud of?

The fact that we don't just teach English and Maths, that we have a broad curriculum that we use. We've got praised for that in the last of inspection. So, you know, we'll take that.

We're really interested in the children here, their families and trying to have a vision of of what education should be like, what schools should be like in the future. You know, the structure of schools is still like it was in the 18th/19th centuries: form groups for instance are based on stuff that came from the industrial revolution. So actually we need to look forward. We need to think about our children now coming into school, they're going to be in the workplace in 20 years time: we need to think what it's going to be like for them then. And we need to prepare them for that unknown. That's what we're trying to do here. And that's what I think I'm most proud of.

Also the fact that people come and look at us and talk to us from outside and ask us why and how we're doing the things we do. Other schools feel trapped by government legislation, and actually you've got to put that to one side and think about what's best for the children and you've just got to go for it.

Being in a Co Headship has enabled us to make braver and more secure decisions. And that is now starting to be recognised and valued. We have each other's back and have more space to think more deeply and more broadly, developing both of our skills. We have got opposite personalities that dovetail. Well, I've just finished writing about it in a thesis and, I'll be doing further work about that in the future.

So you're not putting your feet up?

No, no, no, no, no. This retirement for me is more retirement from Headship. As many people know, my husband died three years ago and I haven't really given myself space and time to process that properly. So I needed to stop the Headship. I think definitely, if he was still around, I'd be still doing it for at least another three years. But I needed for myself to stop. But doesn't mean to say that I'll be sitting in a rocking chair with a dog and a cat. I do not want a cat, or a dog, or a rocking chair! I'm excited about the future because I've still got enough energy to do things. So that's what I'm gonna be doing. The next phase.

A question from 1R now, can you tell us something fun about Mayfield?

Oh, well, so many things. It's a fun place to be. The people are fun to be with, the kids are fun to be with. The community is fun. We, Mrs Stepney and I, behind closed doors, we have a lot of laughs - it's partly to cope with the job, but it's been a lot of fun.

I enjoyed doing the pantomimes, which we did a few years back. Mrs Stepney and I were the fairy godmothers. All teachers, teaching assistants and admin staff were involved. We did Cinderella and Aladdin (I think) - it was great fun!

And what about the baddest thing about Mayfield?

Well bad yes, but definitely sad - it was very sad when it burnt down. I stood at the bottom of my garden and watched 40 ft flames roaring up into the sky and the big crack as the building collapsed. So that was very sad. I suppose it was bad. But it did give us an opportunity to redesign the school and it really brought the staff and community together. But it was many, many years before Mrs Hill could say that good came out of it because it was devastating. She was the Head at the time and it was devastating for her personally and for the school staff and for everybody at the time.

I can't think of anything other than that which was bad. I mean, you know, we might be a bit tidier from time to time. Some of us, some of us can be a bit cheeky to the adults, from time to time, which is sad. But that’s also part of learning how to be grown ups isn’t it?

And what's about the happiest thing at Mayfield?

The happiest thing at Mayfield is that people genuinely care about each other. There's a lot of joy in what they do. So when the children do a production or something, they're really proud of it. The coming together in assemblies, and singing together. There's a lot of joy and there's a lot of respect at that point. You know, we're proud, proud of being Mayfield.

What's the best piece of advice you can give Mayfield pupils?

What's the best piece of advice? Be kind to each other, be kind to each other. Look after each other. You know, you're good at doing that. So don't stop doing it. Yes. Keep looking out for each other. Be kind.

This one is from 4D, how do you remember all of the students names?

I suppose over the years, that's a skill that you develop. I've always been able to remember people's names. I can't remember telephone numbers or anything useful like that, but it is good to be able to know people's names. I just think it's a skill I've been given.

Is there a Mayfield activity that you're particularly going to miss watching?

Nativity plays - yes, definitely that. I have loved doing nativity plays over the years. It’s so lovely seeing the children come out on stage and seeing the audience and listening to the beautiful songs that they've been singing. Also the Key Stage 2 Christmas concert which we've had at Saint Matthew's Church in the last two or three years. I will miss that. And Sports Day too and teaching swimming to years one and two.

There are things I won't miss, you know, difficult meetings. I won't miss things that are imposed upon us from outside that we don't necessarily agree with because we don't think it's right for the school. I won't miss having to battle those things.

I hear you're going to Overstrand for the Year 6 Residential.

Yeah, I am. Yes. At Overstrand. My last week at Mayfield Primary School is with Year Six at Overstrand - who would have thought it?

If you could take the students on a field trip to anywhere in the world, where would you take them?

Well, I spent three weeks this summer in Australia and had the most amazing time. So I think if I could, I would take them on the boat that I took with my friend from Port Douglas in Queensland out to the Great Barrier Reef. We'd all wear masks and snorkels and we would, I wouldn't say dive off the boat because I didn't dive off the boat, but we would gently push off the boat into the water and be snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. It was just phenomenal, you know, reef sharks, clown fish, little Dories and Nemos. And then a special, special moment was when a turtle came. It was just the most magical moment which, you know, is a once in a lifetime experience. So yes, I'd take them to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Or just some beautiful countryside in this country. There are so many beautiful places in the British Isles to visit. So, somewhere out being in nature somewhere. I do a lot of walking so when I retire here on the 20th, I am going for a week in the Yorkshire Dales with Mrs Stepney and Mrs Mountford and we are walking for a week.

Was it the three of you who walked to fund the outdoor shelter?

Yes, we are the three walkers! That definitely continue.

A question from 2E now - have you had fun being a Head at Mayfield?

I have to say that being a Head with Mrs Stepney has been fun and I didn't ever want to be a head teacher. It wasn't my plan at all. And the only way I would do it would be as a Co Head and then I had a term in the summer as Head on my own and I realised how hard it is to be head on your own. Very, very different because the buck stops with you and there's nobody to offload to. So you need to look after Mrs Stepney is what my message would be to the world - be kind to her.

And what was one of your funnest Mayfield moments?

My funnest moment of being ahead at Mayfield. Well, I probably shouldn't admit this because they might get me to do it again. But I quite liked leading exercises before the Santa run. That was fun and watching all the kids join in. I didn't want to do it, but actually it was fun, and I was dressed as a reindeer, of course.

Mrs Ayliffe as a Fairy Godmother in Cinderella

Mrs Ayliffe and children enjoying the Y6 residential to Overstrand

What Co Headship looked like during Covid lockdowns

Mrs Ayliffe at Westminster Abbey celebrating ArtScapers with Cambridge Curiosity & Imagination

Reindeer ready for the Santa run warm-up

personal life

So a bit about personal life. Question from 1R - When do you play? And what do you play?

When do I play? Oh, that's a good question. When do I play? Well, I like going for a long walk on a Saturday. So that's sort of like play, isn't it? Maybe just enjoying the outside, you know, I do that with a friend and it's just lovely. It's what's kept me going really, over the last three or four years. I like having a laugh and joke around and going out and doing things with friends. I like going on holiday. So that's all fun stuff.

And I hear you're good at dodging lightning?

Oh, my word. So there was a huge lightning bolt that split a tree over in the KS2 playground and bounced off the tree: broke the tree in half and bounced off the playground. Then I was walking home down Windsor Road and a bolt of lightning was literally a yard or so in front of me on the ground, in front of me! Smoke was coming up from the ground. I didn't dodge anything. It was just in front of me. But, yeah, that was definitely a moment - I could have had a lightning scar, like Harry Potter.

Are you a music fan? What's your favourite type of music?

I don't know the lyrics to any songs, apart from nursery rhymes probably. I listen to a lot of Christian music. I do like jazz and big band music as well. I like a whole range of things. I like listening to somebody called Lou Fellingham who's a Christian artist. Her music became very important to me when my husband died. He was listening to one of her tracks as he died. So we used that at his funeral. I have a lot of music in the background but I couldn't tell you any of the words or anything like that. I don't sing along to them. I listen to them.

I used to play the alto saxophone and woodwind instruments. I still have a saxophone. It's in storage at the moment. Maybe I'll pick it up again once I have less to do here.

So, we're hosting a tea party for you next week...

So I gather!

What would be your go-to cake or bake?

Well, I do like a fridge cake. Crumbled digestive biscuits with a Cadbury's milk chocolate top (it's got to be Dairy Milk!) with a few cherries in, that sort of thing. Fridge cake is my favourite. I like brownies but I'm allergic to walnuts. A good old Victoria sponge as well. A bit of lemon drizzle. Now don't get me started because I'm now feeling hungry.

And I’m a big cheese fan. My mother used to say I should have been a mouse because I eat so much cheese. A good old cheese scone is not bad.

Do you have any hidden talents?

Oh, I don't think so. A lot of my friends are good at things like cooking and knitting and crocheting and needle work and all that sort of stuff and they enjoy it. I'm hopeless at any of that sort of thing. I like to do a jigsaw from time to time. Give me a spreadsheet to design!

Maybe I need to develop some hobbies. I might take up golf. I used to do a lot of tennis and hockey and skiing in the past.

So you said a hidden talent? Well, I used to be a Wimbledon umpire many years ago. I mostly did line judging. I got Hana Mandlíková fined: I can't remember how many dollars now, something like $500, because she told me I was blind. Hana Mandlíková was a tennis player in the 1980s. People won't even know who she is because I'm that old. Another time I was being a far line judge at Centre Court at Wimbledon and this person was sat the side going "she's going to miss it. She's gonna miss it. She's gonna miss this one". I didn't miss any of them - called all the lines correctly. I turned around and it was a Daley Thompson who was a Decathlon gold medalist in the Olympics in the eighties.

What's your dream holiday?

Oh, definitely involves walking with friends, in a beautiful part of either this countryside or somewhere else in the world. I'd quite like to do the Scottish Isles, somewhere where there aren't many people, where I can walk and slow down. That would be my ideal vacation. I don't think I do people very well now. Yeah, crowds. I'm not really into crowds. I like space.

I think it's quite funny because we would all say that you do people quite well...

Well, I know, but I do like to go to quiet places and just slow down, read books.

Do you have a favourite author or favourite style of book?

I'm looking forward to having a favourite style of book. My brain is so full of stuff that it takes a long time for me to be able to read a book. Although when I was in Queensland this summer I did read A Town like Alice by Nevil Shute, which was amazing because I was actually in the place where it was happening. So that would be a favourite book that I've read recently. But I'm looking forward to reading more.

If you were stranded on a desert island, do you have a book or a film that you would want to take with you?

Jane Eyre was always a favourite, and A Tale of Two Cities. If you're on a Desert Island Discs you get the Bible anyway. So I'd have that.

Films? Well, on the plane this summer I saw A Man called Otto. I haven't read the book of nearly the same name. That was a great film. The ones we watch with the kids are always special - The Railway Children. The Secret Garden, The Little Princess.

The Mayfield KS2 Christmas concert at St Matthew's, Mrs Ayliffe's church

It's got to be Dairy Milk for Mrs Ayliffe's ideal no-bake bake

Mrs Ayliffe with Mrs Mountford and Mrs Stepney walking the South Downs Way

Leading the crown parade at the Coronation Tea Party

The future

And looking at the future, we've sort of touched on this a bit, but we have to ask what are you going to do, what does retirement from teaching look like?

What am I going to do? Well, actually that's a very good question. I don't entirely know what I'm going to do. I am going to be doing some work with Leeds Beckett University. So there will be something there next year probably, looking at education and working with either current teachers or teachers in training. I’ll be doing a little bit more research into Headships and how to make them sustainable. I'm also going to be making some Podcasts, and I've been commissioned to write two chapters in two different books. So I've actually got quite a lot to do!

Hopefully I'll be working a little bit with Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination in the future. And I'm also going to be working volunteering one day a week at Saint Matthew's Church where I go on a Sunday. Not sure exactly what that's going to look like, but probably working with women. All to be decided.

Will you be around Mayfield?

I'm sure I will be around Mayfield from time to time. I've already been asked to go on next year's Year 6 residential so it looks like I'll be doing that as well. So, yes I'm sure I will.

And a final question from 1R, and this one is a tearjerker - can you stay?

I will pop in and I'll just be around the corner, but no I cannot stay. And I will definitely hear you because my garden backs onto the school field. So I won't be very far away.

But yes, it's time to go. It's time to do something different. I'm still young enough to have enough energy to do other things. So, that's what I'm going to do. I had a very funny moment, the other day, when I overheard two children chatting with one say to the other “I thought she was retiring?” and the other one said “Yeah. Yeah, she is. What age do you have to be when you retire?” And the other person just looked at them and said, “Well, she won't see 50 again!”, and then walked off, I just thought it was hilarious because I won't see 50 again. And, you know, I'm just about to be 60. So, yeah, that's it. That's it from Mayfield in terms of being employed here.

I think it's good to be able to leave a place where maybe you could have stayed longer. But for me, I know it's right, it's the right time to go.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with the families of Mayfield?

Thank you for your support over the years. It's been a joint effort I think. I appreciate going into the shops and you see children and parents from the past and they come up to talk to you - please don't stop doing that!

I feel that Mayfield is in a good place to launch further into the future. It's been recognised as a centre of excellence and that's the legacy of not just me but others before me. So, I think I'm leaving it in a good place.

Keep looking after each other, keep looking after the place, keep supporting it. And thank you for the support you've shown me over the years.

A huge thank you to Mrs Ayliffe for everything she has done for Mayfield, not least helping encourage KS1 pupils through the gate when needed

If you would like to contribute to Mrs Ayliffe's leaving collection, you can do so here

Join us to celebrate Mrs Ayliffe's contribution to Mayfield Primary School at our Tea Party on Friday 13th October from 3.15pm.

Find out more on our Events page.

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