Hilary Tyreman - Head Teacher

Hilary has recently retired as the headteacher of St Mary’s C of E school in Penzance, a role which she has held since 2010. In 2017, she was asked by the Local Authority to help at Madron school and since 2019, the two schools have been in a federation with her in the lead.

Her teaching journey has taken her to many places, from volunteering with UNIPAL in the Gaza Strip to teaching in Croydon and Inner London before settling in Cornwall in 1988. She has taught in and around Penzance since 1998.

In her spare time, Hilary is involved in a number of local music groups. Having studied music at university, it remains her passion, and she loves to see children flourishing musically.

1.     What do you consider your greatest achievement?

As a Head Teacher, finding and giving opportunities to children  and staff alike and seeing them grasp it with both hands and run with it. Concertedly, working collaboratively with Rev Sian Yates of Penlee Cluster to establish holiday club provision and family worker support as part of our core school offer putting children and families at the centre of our work.

2.     What motivates you to do what you do?

A passion to ensure that every child has equal opportunity in life, no matter their background, and to give them a community that can support them in doing so.

I think our aspirations and how we approach them are shaped from a young age, and I always aimed to make sure that children have the start they need not just in life but day-to-day. This includes universal breakfast provision, strong early language support, and promoting values and respect to one another.

In Penzance, levels of poverty have sadly increased in recent years.  But it is also an area of great creativity and community. I am really proud of the partnership with Rev Sian Yates of St Mary’s Church in the establishment of The Rainbow project providing holiday club provision and also now has two family workers to help support families in the area.

As a Head Teacher, I have been privileged to be able to create a world shaped by strong values within the walls of a school. I hope that these values continue to be ones that the children bring with them into the world outside.

3.     What do you owe your mother?

My mother was 22 at the start of the Second World War and this had a huge impact on her political views. The post-war Labour government was about rebuilding a different Britain that allowed all to be aspirational. My mum was fully committed to these ideals, about making things more equal and making things better for ordinary people. I owe her my political beliefs, my strong desire to make a difference and, importantly, of sticking to my convictions.

4.     Which women inspire you and why?

I owe all my success in life to inspirational women who were around me from my mother and sisters, to those who inspired me in school and helped me on my journey as a teacher, to those whose words inspired me from afar.

The first woman that inspired me was my primary school music teacher, Ruth Fielding. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think I would have ever picked up the violin. She had a way of recognising, encouraging and supporting children to reach their potential, and as I studied music and later began my journey as a teacher she was someone I always looked back to as an example of how I wanted to be.

Further afield, Hilary Clinton inspired me, and not just because we share a name! Her book ‘It Takes A Village’ articulated a strong vision of how we should truly work together to ensure that our society values children and we recognise how women are crucial in collectively making a difference across the world.

5.     What are you reading?

I find it difficult to keep up with reading during term time, so I tend to rely on short stories and poetry, which I can fit in around education journals and children’s books I read. Now that I’ve retired I’m looking forward to picking up new books and catching up on what I have missed.

At the moment I’m reading A Poem for Every Winter Day, edited by Ali Esiri, and Letters from Klara by Tove Jansson. I often find myself coming back to Tove Jansson – I find her very economical in how she gets complex ideas across in a few words and I admire her creativity across a range of art forms.

6.     What gender barriers have you had to hurdle?

In primary schools, even though a lot of teachers are women, when it comes to leadership roles, there is still a disproportionate amount of men in these positions.

This is a twofold problem. Firstly, as a woman early on in my career, I faced sexist remarks from men in leadership, commenting on clothing, making you feel generally uncomfortable, and playing power games.

Secondly, a lot of the models of leadership in teaching are written by men. As a woman I very much favour collaborative models, which some men and even some women have certainly struggled with.

In my experience, a lot of the barriers I have faced have not been overt, but a by-product of the patriarchy and the assumptions that men make about women as they pursue their goals.

7.     How can the world be made a better place for women?

I think more recognition, respect and celebration of all women and of the skills women can bring to situations to ensure things can be solved truly collaboratively with an emphasis on forming connections between people and getting away from power games and creating divisions. And for sure we still need young people to see examples of women taking on roles in all areas of life.

8.     Describe your perfect day?

My perfect day would have to include walking. I always enjoyed walking with my mum along the coast in the South East of England where I grew up. Since moving to Cornwall, I have always tried to make time on my weekend to walk the Cornish coast path.

I’d also have to include some sort of music-making in my perfect day. For me, no day is really complete without music, which is why I always put an emphasis on it in my work with children at the schools I have taught at, and in my personal life too.

If I still have time on this perfect day, I’d find time to read and discover some new vegetarian food. And of course, I would have to end the day the perfect way, too: with a cat on my lap!

9.     We've noticed there really aren't many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you like to see remembered?

There are many women that could be celebrated in West Penwith; Maria Branwell, mother of the Brontes, Cornish suffragettes, composers and artists. We have so much talent in Cornwall;. Barbara Hepworth, Laura Knight, Judith Bailey to name a few. There should be a whole book recognising women’s creativity in Cornwall. Might set this as a retirement project!

10.  Give us a tip?

Believe in yourself. Be kind to yourself and others. Be courageous and try to make a small difference each day and never underestimate the difference you can make.