Trees have been planted in memory of two deputy heads of William Parker School who died last year. Family members of Brian Doble and Malcolm Pratt gathered last weekend (2 and 3 November), spades-in-hand, to plant two Rowan trees alongside staff members who had worked with them. The chosen site faces the Parkstone Road Hall of the William Parker Campus at Ark Alexandra Academy in Hastings.
Brian Doble retired as deputy head in 1990, having been in charge of the Park Avenue site when it was built to accommodate the enlarged comprehensive intake after 1978. He had begun his career at Hastings Grammar School in 1957, fulfilling various roles over the years, such as housemaster and editor of the school magazine. His long career enabled him to teach two generations of many families and several students who later became his colleagues. Brian was also a keen Hastings Ramblers member and a countryside enthusiast.
Malcolm Pratt moved from Priory Road Secondary Boys' School, where he had been Head of English, as it combined with the grammar school. He took over the annual creation of the timetable – a task calling for creative genius, negotiating skills and attention to detail, which he had managed for a decade. After Brian retired, he, too, served as Head of the Park Avenue buildings before retiring two years later. An avid and subtle badminton player, he was a long-serving Chairman of the Sussex Schools' Badminton Association. For many years, he served as Town Clerk of Winchelsea and, in retirement, set about creating a two-volume history of the town. In 2010, he was awarded an MBE for his service and scholarship.
Headteacher of William Parker Campus, Alex Birks-Agnew, said, "I am proud that we have been able to remember two previous deputy heads at the school and commemorate their contribution to school life and the education and care of young people in Hastings."
Roger Mitchell, headmaster at the time of their retirement, attended the planting ceremonies and said, "Both Brian and Malcolm were colleagues on whom I could rely totally. They set standards of leadership, scholarly teaching and integrity as key members of the outstanding staff I inherited from George Henshall in 1981. Both had an unparalleled understanding of teenage boys' educational and social needs. They are and will continue to be widely remembered with affection, respect and gratitude by pupils and colleagues.".
