He's the latest addition to Welsh House as their new Housemaster and today Mr Bob Jones is in the limelight for this week's 'A Conversation With...'. From his passion for outdoor activities, to Welsh's singing competition entries, Mr Jones discusses all in this week's staff feature.
What is your role and how long have you been at Shiplake?
I am the Housemaster in Welsh House, teacher of maths, and I also deliver a variety of outdoor activities. I started here at Shiplake at the beginning of the Spring Term.
What were you doing before joining Shiplake?
I worked at Wellington College for seven years, where I was Assistant Housemaster in the Talbot house for six of those. I was also Head of ‘Adventure and Expeditions’ (which is all things DofE and Outdoor Education) and Head of Swimming. In addition to that, I taught maths. Before Wellington, I was at Caterham School in Surrey, similarly splitting my time between maths, boarding, and outdoor education.
What inspired you to pursue a career in education?
For several years, I worked at a summer school in Ascot delivering and running the activities program. I then got the opportunity to do a PGCE in maths and outdoor activities in Bangor with an inspirational course leader and, as they say, the rest is history.
What is a day in the life for you?
It is usually an early start for me, courtesy of my three-month-old son! Then it's time for wake up in the boarding house, followed by registration which is currently dominated by house singing practice! I then teach a few (inspirational!) lessons, which is interspersed by spending time ensuring the boys in Welsh haven’t burned the place down. I then organise and run a climbing or mountain biking session, before spending a bit more time in Welsh chatting to the boys and schooling them in chess. Then I'm home for some time with the family, before locking up the boarding house.
Are you going to drop any hints on Welsh's entries for the upcoming House Singing Competition...?
It’s got 'sun' in the title and for the solo and ensemble entries, you'll have to wait and see...
How have you found life at the College as a new member of staff?
All of the staff, both teaching and support, have been extremely friendly. The boys in Welsh House have also welcomed me, which is great as I know how much teenagers hate change and I feel like I am starting to get the hang of things here!
What do you do away from work?
At the moment, a large percentage of my ‘free’ time is taken up by entertaining a toddler and a baby but hopefully soon I’ll be able to get back out on the road bike and explore some routes around the Chiltern Hills. I used to be a keen kayaker and so I am looking forward to introducing my daughter, Savannah, to paddlesports on the Thames - hopefully when the weather warms up and the river returns to inside its banks rather than occupying the Riverside rugby pitches!
What does the future hold for you?
We had a busy 2022 with new jobs, house moves and a baby, so this year I am looking forward to being more settled and comfortable in my new role and home with my family. Away from Shiplake, both Lauren (my wife) and I have grandmothers turning 100 this year so there are a couple of big family get-togethers on the horizon, as well as a few camping holidays planned.
