Mr Candlin started his career as a professional rugby player before making the move to teaching PE. During his time at SWA, as Head of PE, he was instrumental in taking the department to new levels by employing a profession rugby player as the new rugby coach. As Associate Principal he line managed several departments and lead the academy on areas such as BTECs, transport and working with students from disadvantaged backgrounds. He played a crucial role during lockdown, driving across the county, often hand delivering free school meals to families who were isolating due to Covid. He is leaving us after 15 years to work for The Chiltern Trust in Kempston, where he will be working on school culture, vision and behaviour for learning. We wish him well in his new role and thank him for everything he has done for the academy.

Dr Hood started her time at SWA as a student and was taught by teachers such as Mr Goode and Mr Butler, who was her Head of Year. She trained here as a teacher and never left, officially joining our teaching staff in September 2007. During her time at the Academy, she has been a music teacher, Head of Music, Head of Arts, Head of Year and Assistant Principal. In her latest role, as head of behaviour she has had a massive impact on the Academy and introduced numerous new policies and procedures including a new behaviour ladder and behaviour policy. Research is something that has always been close to heart and whilst teaching at SWA, she also gained her PhD from Cambridge University. She is leaving us to take up a well-deserved role of Vice Principal at Sharnbrook Academy and we wish her luck in her new school.

Mr Johnson started at Samuel Whitbread in 2011 working closely with the PE department as the high performance cricket coach. After settling into the department, he really pushed on with Whitbread cricket and in recent times has led the whole of Bedfordshire schools cricket. A big role ensuring that students across Bedfordshire are having the opportunity to play competitively. Having had much success, he realised a passion for working with young people and so pursued a career as a teacher.

Mr Johnson joined the sociology department and completed his teacher training. He very quickly became a popular member of the department due to his engaging delivery, passion for the subject and overall care for his students. However, he never left sport far behind and has often been found teaching whilst holding a bat! Mr Johnson has been an exceptional member of the department and will be missed by both students and staff alike.

Mr Johnson has also taught in the History department for the last few years with great success. He quickly gained an excellent level of knowledge of History and inspired his students to succeed.

Mr Johnson started up and ran the school newsletter, and when he handed over the role he stilled continued to be a massive help.

More recently, Mr Johnson joined the pastoral team as Head of Year 10. He took to the role brilliantly and his calm nature under pressure and his ability to problem-solve some very challenging situations has ensured his success. His liaison (and tenacity) with outside agencies has been impressive, whilst always having students wishes at heart. We are very sad to say goodbye to Mr Johnson as he takes up another leadership role in another school. We wish him every success for the future.

Mrs Wilkinson has worked at Samuel Whitbread for the past ten plus years. She started as a Learning Supervisor and then became a permanent member of the teaching staff in the Design department. Mrs Wilkinson can put her hand to any of the subjects within the department. A key member of the Food, BTEC Engineering and, Design and Engineering. She will be missed very much by the department and the students; nothing has never ever been too much trouble and your dedication to the job has been great. Thank you!

Mr Gibson, for the short time he’s been a part of the Design department, has become a part of the team. He did amazingly well to achieve his teacher training during lockdown and then he became a permanent member of the Food Technology department. Good luck in your new job and thank you for your hard work and dedication. Thank you!

Mrs Burgoyne has been with us for 19 years both teaching and leading our amazing Art department. She has brought a calm serenity to that department and has inspired countless students in their creative journeys through life. The quality of the art, textiles and graphic design work produced by our students is a testament to her leadership and talent. She leaves us this year to begin a new chapter in her life with a new venture both designing and creating beautiful gardens, and we are fortunate to have some of her highly prized work in the academy’s Sensory and Memory gardens. We will miss her, but she moves on knowing that she has left a strong legacy of Art and wider creativity in our community.

Mrs Blake has worked with us for six years in the Art department and been instrumental in developing our textiles curriculum into the popular choice that it is today. As an Art teacher she is creative, experimental and not afraid to be a little bit different. Like the whole Art department, she has been an inspiration to many who have gone on to pursue careers in industry, and beyond that providing a space for students to express their creativity and succeed. She has given hours of her own time to designing and painting the most amazing sets for our Drama, Dance and Music productions and we have been fortunate to work with an artist of her calibre. We wish her well as she moves on to the next, perhaps more relaxing, stage of her life.

The Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) department would like to wish Miss Gaskin the very best of luck as she moves into her new role as Head of MFL in a secondary school. Miss Gaskin has been an inspiring teacher who has encouraged all of her students to find their love and passion for French. She has been an amazing and supportive colleague – she has made us laugh and smile over the years. She has been a wonderful tutor and we know her students will miss her greatly. It has been a real honour watching her teaching develop and grow and we wish her all the very best as her career progresses.

The Modern Foreign Language (MFL) department would like to wish Mrs Thomas the very best of luck as she moves into her new role as Head of MFL in a secondary school in Hertfordshire. Ashleigh has grown the subject of Spanish at Samuel Whitbread and led with unbridled passion and enthusiasm. She has demonstrated effective leadership skills during the pandemic and has done a great job sharing the role of Head of Department. She has been an enthusiastic and supportive House Leader for Rashford, and has always pushed her house to be the best it can be. She will be dearly missed by staff and students and we wish her all the best of luck going forward.

Miss Trip joined us three years ago as a High Performance Netball Coach and then later on as Director of Netball. After starting her role at Samuel Whitbread (SWA) she instantly raised the standards and expectations of all girls involved in netball, and saw a great rise in the standard of netball being played. Since the pandemic, this has been seen on the court with SWA experiencing great success in local tournaments as well as regional competitions. Sher has developed great relationships with the netball girls and will be sorely missed. Miss Trip will now take up her position as Head Coach of Severn Stars netball in the super league. We wish her every success!

Mr Hetherington has been at Samuel Whitbread since 2011 and will leave as the longest serving member of the department. He has been a committed and beloved teacher and colleague, and will not be easily replaced. As Head of Key Stage Five English, he has done a brilliant job of recruiting huge numbers of students onto our A Level courses and driving a love of the subject across all the year groups. He will leave us in July to begin his next adventures as Head of English at Houstone School and we wish him all the best for his exciting new challenges. Good luck!

Mrs Montague has been with Samuel Whitbread since 2017 and is leaving us in July to take on a new challenge at Houstone School in September. She has been a wonderful colleague and asset to the English department, not least due to being named after one of the feuding families in Romeo and Juliet. She has also been a mentor to our trainee teachers, some of whom have continued their careers with us, as well as Subject Leader for SCITT. She will leave a big gap in the department when she leaves but we know she will enjoy all of her new adventures and the opportunities they give her. Good luck!

Mr Cochrane has been with Samuel Whitbread since 2016 and we are very sad to see him go, as he embarks on his new adventures at Lincroft Academy in September. He has been a fantastic asset to the English department and has also been responsible for mentoring several of our Scitt trainees as they begin their teaching careers. We will miss Mr Cochrane when we return in September and wish him every success in his new school. Good luck!

Mr Beckett has been teaching maths for over 30 years, and has taught at Samuel Whitbread since 2014. Throughout his time at the academy he has been an outstanding maths teacher and also an excellent Head of KS5 Maths. As a Lead Teacher in maths for the Trust, he has led training for teachers on how to engage and motivate students in lower, middle and upper schools. He is also a fine table tennis player and has taken master classes for students in PE. He is retiring this year and finally putting his calculator away, for a well deserved rest. We wish him well in his retirement.

Miss Compton joined the Psychology Department in September 2020 in the midst of a pandemic and in extremely challenging working conditions where during her first year she had to teach in around 12 different classrooms! Miss Compton has been an exemplary tutor where her care and dedication to her tutees has shone through and they will miss her immensely. The relationships Miss Compton built with Year 13 students in her 2 years inspired many to fantastic results and a potential future career in psychology. Miss Compton has been a fantastic mentor to both a trainee teacher and an ECT in the last year and both are incredibly grateful for the commitment she showed them during this time. We wish Miss Compton the very best in her new role, she will be missed by many.

Mrs Murphy has been a valued member of our Learning Supervisor team since 2011. She has provided cover for absent teachers across the academy in all subject areas. As an unqualified teacher, Rebecca has taught her own Business lessons becoming a valued member of the business department who I know will also miss her. So we wish Rebecca luck in whatever she decides to do next, although her three children will keep her busy!

It is time for the science prep room to say farewell to Miss Dunham, although she isn’t going far as she will be completing her teacher training here at SWA next year. She has been an integral part of the prep room team for five years and her professionalism, knowledge and enthusiasm will be greatly missed. She has contributed massively to the ideas and successes of the prep room over the years and we will all miss her advice and innovative ideas on eco-friendly matters and her useful gardening tips! We are sure she will make an excellent science teacher and wish her every success with her new career.