Calling All Former Students!

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You can contact us directly through our dedicated Alumni email address: alumni@southmoormat.co.uk

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• Justine Sless

  Justine Sless What was your favourite memory of school? Memories from school are so clear, friends, teachers, the school building, the change rooms, the pool the all-weather pitch. That time in my life was seminal and seared into my memory bank! There are many great memories – and mainly to do with friends rather than learning! My favourite year was upper 6th form – it felt like we were in another place, there was so much fun in the sixth form common room! The best thing for me was that we were all friends and the boy girl thing seemed to disappear, though of course there were lots of people who were boyfriends and girlfriends. So much time and energy was spent making each other laugh. It was a time that felt golden. Some of us had Saturday jobs, I worked at Chalkie’s Fruit shop in Grangetown. Some I suppose worried about what would come next – but for me it was a time where the friendship group felt so strong and that was all that mattered. Being part of the school plays Joseph and His Technicolor Dream Coat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Beowulf was great too. It was just so good to be out of the classroom and I loved the performance aspect too. What job did you want to do when you were at school? I wanted to be a funny poet, like Roger McGough or John Cooper Clarke. What was your ‘pathway’ after leaving Southmoor Academy? I went to Monkwearmouth College, because I failed 6th form. I failed again at Monkwearmouth. Then I travelled in Europe for two years – that was a pretty hedonistic period of my life and I’m really pleased that there wasn’t any social media to record my shenanigans! From Europe I ended up in Australia, because I had family there. I planned always to go back home to Sunderland – but life got in the way. I got married – then I became a chef, had a child and went to University as a mature age student at 30. I got a bachelor of Community Development and went on to manage community organisations and run events and festivals in the non-profit sector. When I was 38 I started doing stand-up comedy – just to have an alternative to being at home with the kids – I had two by then. I’ve done a lot with comedy, shows, MC work, festivals, performed in some amazing places and also failed a lot – as a comedian that comes with the territory! What skills do you think are most important in the world of work? A sense of fun and a sense of humour. The ability to get on with people and be non-judgmental, and always be willing to share what you know with others. What subject at school would you say was most important in getting your job? That’s a tough one, probably English –  I’d say that reading as much as you can on a wide a variety of topics and not just online –  I mean reading novels, literary magazines, news articles, journal articles everything you can get your hands on is a must. What advice would you give to your younger self? You’re really smart, so hold that knowledge close and you will soar. You can write well and you can do maths! Being the joker in class will prepare you for your life as a stand-up comedian, but there is only a certain amount of luck that can get you there – the rest is just hard work. Enjoy life rather than holding on to the idea that you are a failure.

• David Field

  David Field What have you been up to since you left Southmoor Academy? I left school in 2004 and went to Sixth Form where I studied Maths, Physics and IT, with the intention of progressing to University. In sixth form my path took a U-turn and I decided I wanted to progress into full time work instead. During my time at sixth form I had a part time job working for a mail order call centre, where I did agent, training and team manager roles, securing my first role as a leader at the age of 20.  I went to work for Barclays in 2010 after a short career in the rail industry too, and I was with Barclays until 2015, undertaking many roles in agent, branch banking, performance development and project management. In 2015, I was head hunted on LinkedIn by a previous manager to go and work for Virgin Trains as their Contact Centre Quality and Standards Manager. I joined the company on a fixed term contract and then rapidly progressed to the Contact Centre Contract Manager within a year. After this, I managed our 120 seat contact centre site until April 2018 where I moved into a role as Duty Service Delivery Manager. I now in the role of Business Continuity Manager for LNER ensuring that our business continues to run and remains stable during times of disruption and perturbed working or during threats such as the current Covid-19 Pandemic. When have you had to show resilience, or overcome something difficult, on your career journey? It can be really tough when deadlines are fast approaching. I have to remain focussed and determined, and to do this I keep open channels of communication with the team around me, try to keep a work-life balance whilst also making sure I asked for support when it was needed. What is your favourite memory of being at school? Spending time with my friends, doing all of the creative stuff at Christmas and just enjoying learning new things. What advice would you give to your younger self? Every challenge or obstacle should always present you with an opportunity to do something different or better – don’t let it bring you down!

• Phillip Meek

  Phillip Meek What have you been up to since you left Southmoor Academy? I left school in 1988 and have worked in the housing industry for the main part of my career. Working at the area’s biggest social landlord, Gentoo, has been very interesting and built a career that I have really enjoyed. I’m currently Neighbourhood Operations Manager, and part of this role means that we look after people in their homes; this includes helping to care for customer rent and property, as well as sorting out any issues that they may be facing. When have you had to show resilience, or overcome something difficult, on your career journey? At the beginning of my working career I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. When I was feeling this way, I decided to go back to college where I gained a diploma which helped me into employment. What is your favourite memory of being at school? A school trip to Germany to play football. There were some great pupils and staff on the trip and I still see the trip leader sometimes, and even now we talk about it. What advice would you give to your younger self? Work harder at school and make the most of the time there!