For the first ‘conversation with...’ of 2020, we sat down for a chat with Mr Andrew Dix, Assistant Head, Staff Development and Community Outreach. Mr Dix has been with Shiplake for nearly 19 years and through the various roles he has had, has seen and been instrumental in driving forward positive change for the College. In addition to his current role, he is heavily involved in sport at Shiplake and teaches Mathematics.
Please confirm the year you joined and any roles you have held previously and currently…
I joined Shiplake in 2001 as the College’s Director of Rugby and Cricket and taught some GCSE Mathematics. A couple years later I became Head of PE. Since then I have had various roles including; Assistant Housemaster for Orchard House, Skipwith Housemaster, and Burr Housemaster (during which I held the position of Senior Housemaster).
I am now Shiplake’s Assistant Head, Staff Development and Community Outreach, which means I am responsible for teacher appraisals and their professional development, ensuring that our staff are the best they can be in the field. I also look after Shiplake’s community outreach, working with staff across the College on initiatives and events that encourage the local community to get involved with what’s going on at the school, and also taking Shiplake out into the community and local area. This can involve anything from running workshops in primary schools, to charity work and providing facilities and resources to schools and local sports, music and scout groups.
I also currently teach Year 9, GCSE and A Level Maths. This term I am coaching Lower School hockey; last term I coached the 2nd XV rugby team and will be coaching cricket in the summer.
What does your normal day entail?
In the morning after arriving to school. I check emails, have a cup of tea, catch up with my colleagues and go through my lesson plans for the day. I will then usually take a maths lesson, sometimes observe another lesson, and may have appraisal meetings.
Later on I would usually do some hockey, rugby or cricket coaching depending on the season, and then it is home to my wife and three children. I lived on site at Shiplake for 12 years, but I now live at Reddam House (formally Bearwood College) where my wife teaches Physics.
What has changed most at the College since you joined Shiplake?
It has been fantastic to see the popularity of the school increase over the years. I would say the most significant change is the number of students attending Shiplake. Back in 2001 we had around 300 students, two thirds of which boarded. We now have around 470 students, with a larger percentage of day students.
Another positive change for me has been about us becoming more serious about what we are about, we have more structure, more academic rigour. I feel we also have a better balance with our co-curricular activities. There is now more on offer than ever before and it is not just all about sport.
However, I love the things that have stayed the same. The ethos, people’s attitudes, the common room friendliness, the small community feel and the fantastic boarding atmosphere.
If you had to choose just one sport to coach, play and watch from now on, which would it be?
Definitely rugby. OK, maybe just touch rugby if I am playing! I love watching and coaching though.
So what is your sporting history?
I’m a bit of an all round sports man but rugby is my favourite sport. I played scrum-half for Loughborough University during my time there, and after that for Bracknell Rugby Club and county rugby for Berkshire.
As well as coaching at Shiplake, I coach Reading Abbey’s under 11s on Sunday mornings.
I also like to get involved in staff rugby, football and cricket matches at Shiplake, and I do like playing a bit of golf too.
Who is your sporting hero and do you have a favourite historical sporting moment?
I gave this a lot of thought and there were lots of contenders but I kept coming back to Daley Thompson. Why? Because he was a brilliant all round athlete, the best in the world, and he was just a pretty cool guy.
More recently I think Ben Stokes is a bit of a legend. Watching him help win the cricket world cup and then draw the Ashes in the summer was amazing.
I also think the England World Cup Team from 2003 are all heroes and watching England beat New Zealand in this year’s rugby world cup semi-final is one of my favourite sporting moments.
Give us an interesting example of how mathematics can be used in everyday life...
I always love teaching compound interest in mathematics as I can relate this to banking and finance, which gets the students really interested. It’s relatable to everyday life and it always raises lots of interesting questions.
Another great example is depreciation, If I have car enthusiasts in the room, it’s a great real life example for them.
What does the future hold for Mr Dix?
Making sure my family is happy and my children are brought up well. I also have two cats and 20 chickens that need constant looking after.
I’d like to do more Maths A Level teaching in the future, as well as continue to make inroads with my staff development and outreach work for Shiplake.
