
Darryl Davies first arrived at St Bees School as a student in 1962. Part of Foundation House, he has seen the independent school go through many changes and generations.
But, after almost 50 years as a biology teacher, Darryl has decided it is time to hang up his lab coat for the last time.
Originally from Preston, Darryl moved to Windermere with his family in the 1960s before becoming a boarder at St Bees School. He said: “I was actually meant to go to Sedbergh.
“But my mother worked with one of the St Bees School governors at the time and so the decision was made to send me here instead – a decision I will always be thankful for.”
After passing all his exams, Darryl went on to study biology at Aston University in Birmingham and then went on to Loughborough to complete a post-graduate degree in sport and science.
Darryl has seen 10 headmasters during his time at St Bees, both as a student and a teacher. But it was Mr Lees (1963-1980) who appointed Darryl as a biology teacher in 1975 – just seven years after he had finished his studies at the school.
This isn’t the first time that Darryl has set his sights on retirement though, he retired from teaching at St Bees School after 32 years in 2007.
He said: “I just pottered around for a couple of years and then I ended up coming back to the school as a fundraiser before the school closed in 2015.”
But even when the school closed, Darryl still couldn’t sit still.
“When the school closed, I began giving private tuition and different bits and pieces, before finally coming back to St Bees when it reopened!”
There is no doubt that Darryl’s favourite part of teaching has been his students. He was a housemaster for Abbott’s Court, a role which he really enjoyed.
“I just loved being able to take students on trips at the weekends, it made being a teacher even more fun.
“There has always been variety, it’s never been a boring job.”
Darryl’s former students include the likes of Stuart Lancaster, who was the head coach of the English national rugby union team. He added: “I like to remind Stuart that I taught him everything he knows about rugby.”
Other students that make the list include top surgeons and engineers.
Speaking of the times he met possibly the most famous St Bees alumni, Rowan Atkinson, Darryl said: “I wasn’t a student at the same time as Rowan Atkinson, I left in the summer of 1968, and he arrived in the autumn.
“But during my time as a fundraiser for the school, I did meet him on a number of occasions.
“When Mr Capes was the headmaster, I wrote a letter to Rowan Atkinson asking if he would like to visit the school and help us to finance the Memorial Hall and turn it into a theatre.
“We even said we would rename it the Rowan Atkinson Theatre, but he wouldn’t let us do that, because the Memorial Hall is to remember all the people who died in the war.”
It goes without saying that there have been some huge changes in education since the 1960s.
He said: “There is a much bigger emphasis on health and safety and safeguarding – there wasn’t any of that really when I was a student, we were left to our own devices.
“But when I came back as a teacher, safeguarding was definitely coming in – I was made a child protection officer because I was a housemaster.”
Other changes Darryl has been witness to are the length and times of lessons, commenting that when he was a student, lessons were only 40 minutes long and even shorter at 35 minutes when he first became a teacher.
He said he would miss the students and added: “The work that I do with them is fantastic, I have a great team around me, and we all support each other to be the best we can be.
“I will miss the friendships with my colleagues, I have made many over the years – especially my lab technician Jenny who has been here almost as long as I have!”
Darryl leaves St Bees for the last time at the end of term next week, but says he still plans to do a small amount of private tutoring in his spare time but is most looking forward to being able to spend time with his family and watching his grandchildren grow up.