Miss Pamela Badcock

Teaching Awards 2007 Winner

The Ted Wragg Award for Lifetime Achievement, sponsored by the Innovation Unit in South East of England

Chatham Grammar School for Girls, CHATHAM

Pamela is a teacher who has given devoted service to her school for an astonishing 46 years -- and so loves her job that she is still not ready to give up!

Last year she retired as deputy head at Chatham Grammar School for Girls, but still continues as a part-time teacher of mathematics, and this year even stood in as examinations officer when there was a vacancy due to maternity leave.

Her energy is legendary. She loves sports and is trained in PE so last year, aged 67, she volunteered to stand in for absent sports staff and even bought new trainers to do the job!

Pamela started teaching when Harold Macmillan was Prime Minister, and in 1969, at the heart of the Cold War, led a school trip to Russia. But she has always embraced new educational developments, and was at the centre of things when, in 1994, Chatham Grammar School for Girls’ school became the first girls’ grammar to become a specialist technology college. She has also been a cutting-edge user of new technology for training and management.

As head of the maths, design technology and science faculty, she achieved outstanding results. Many of her students have gone on to study maths at university, some to Oxbridge, and many have opted to become maths teachers themselves. Generations of students pay tribute to her meticulous planning, her willingness to give extra help, and the way she deals with problems quickly and fairly.

Colleagues are in awe of “her incredible mind” and her astonishing ability to hold school timetables in her head. In fact Pamela believes that a balanced timetable is at the heart of a good educational experience for students, and has often attended governors’ meetings to explain the intricacies of time-tabling and planning.

Everyone pays tribute to her calmness and fairness, and to her “old-fashioned values” of integrity, modesty and devoted duty. One colleague says: “When faced with a new challenge, I always ask myself what would Pam say and do in this situation?”

The Teaching Award judges said that Pamela was not just a school treasure, “but a national one”.

Message Board

Please leave a messsage for Miss Pamela Badcock

• Well deserved

  Congratulations for a well deserved recognition for your dedication to the job and the school. Threefold thanks form me as an education offcer in Medway, the husband of a member of the maths staff and the father of two former students, all of whom have benefitted from your work. Well done.

  Posted: June 26, 2007 at 13:06 PM | Author: Paul Relph

• The best one wins!

  Well done Miss Badcock! If anyone deserves this award you do. Ever since you have taught me, my understanding of maths has flourished. Thank you so much for teaching me and I am privaledged to have you as a teacher!

  Posted: June 26, 2007 at 17:06 PM | Author: Susie Younghusband

• Great Teacher

  Congrats! You deserve it. Sorry I missed the lesson where my maths class said well done! I'm better at maths now... I actually understand simultaneous equations! Well Done

  Posted: June 26, 2007 at 17:06 PM | Author: Rebecca Mole

• Wow!

  Very many congratulations Pam on this fabulous achievement - true recognition of your love and dedication to the job. We are all very proud of you.

  Posted: July 3, 2007 at 20:07 PM | Author: Louise, Simon, Samantha & Scott

• Congrats from Oz!

  Dear Pam, Louise alerted me to this thoroughly deserving achievement - congratulations from all of your Aussie relatives! I know that Mum would have been especially pleased for you. We wish you well for what remains of your remarkable teaching career.

  Posted: July 4, 2007 at 01:07 AM | Author: Susan Chandler

• Congratulations

  Well done Pam, good luck in the final!

  Posted: July 5, 2007 at 23:07 PM | Author: Neil Chatterton

• So appropriate! Well done

  Ever since we were in the same year 1 class at Grammar School (all those years ago!) I knew you were a high achiever. Your award says it all. You have devoted so much of your time, thought and energy to others and it is great to see it recognised in this special way. Keep smiling!

  Posted: July 7, 2007 at 10:07 AM | Author: Jill Tait (nee Francis)

• What an achievement!

  You obviously still have the same energy and dedermination that you had when I frist knew you in 1949, nearly 60 years ago. Well done and good luck in the final. Valerie

  Posted: July 7, 2007 at 14:07 PM | Author: Valerie Berry (née Lezemore)

• Well done

  Fantastic news! A life-time of hard work widely recognised. Many congratulations. Enjoy the winner's weekend. Best wishes. Ann.

  Posted: July 8, 2007 at 22:07 PM | Author: Ann Chandler

• congratulations Ms. Badcock!

  Well done Ms. Badcock! You have taught me and all four of my sisters through the generations so yes, very well deserved!! xx

  Posted: July 11, 2007 at 11:07 AM | Author: Ruma Islam

• Many Congratulations

  I never had the pleasure of being taught by you, but I was absolutely delighted to hear of your award. Many congratulations. I feel very priviledged to have been taught at CGSG, the teachers I had were very dedicated and I have very fond memories of my time there. Congratulations once again, it is a very well deserved award! Miss Brook next?! Lindsey

  Posted: July 11, 2007 at 19:07 PM | Author: Lindsey Burke (nee Monk)

• Well Done

  Well Done Miss Badcock! You didn't teach my but you taught my mum Janet Hollis. The award is very well deserved :-)

  Posted: July 12, 2007 at 18:07 PM | Author: Teresa Avgerou

• Oh wicked you so deserve this!!!

  Hey just wanted to say well done the 7 years i was at CGSG you were a legend and you really deserved this so congrats and well, well done!!!

  Posted: July 18, 2007 at 19:07 PM | Author: Hannah Burke

• Never was an award more deserved

  I firmly believe that Miss B's teaching style and ability helped me achieve a much higher standard than anyone else could have done, and certainly helped me in my career, which has ended up being more maths-based than language-based, as it might have been.There was no other maths teacher to compare, at CGSG or elsewhere, I imagine. Keep on as long as you can hold a piece of chalk, Miss B!

  Posted: July 30, 2007 at 11:07 AM | Author: Helen Robins (nee Daniels, 76-83)

• Congratulations and good luck!

  Fantastic to hear of your achievements -thanks to you my love of maths has never died (I became a maths consultant for the local council!!). You were always so patient as we queued up at the staff room door with queries!! Best of luck in the final!!

  Posted: August 6, 2007 at 19:08 PM | Author: Janet Smith (nee Bustard)

• Congratulations!!

  Well done on all your amazing achievements! You taught my mum since she was in "first year" and she has always talked of your great teaching and enthusiasm for maths and hockey/athletics! Although you never taught me personally, everyone always knew you were an amazing teacher. I will always remember your enthusiasm for singing the school hymn too! Best of luck for the future.

  Posted: August 12, 2007 at 21:08 PM | Author: Louise Counsell and Susan Counsell (nee Hayesmore)

• Congratulations

  You always were a great maths teacher and a lovely lady. So pleased to hear that you've won some recognition for all that hard work! Congratulations!

  Posted: September 21, 2007 at 17:09 PM | Author: Natasha Stevens nee Day

• Congratulations

  You probably don't remember me but I remember you. You taught me A level maths in 1981 - thank you

  Posted: January 17, 2008 at 00:01 AM | Author: Marian Nicholson

• Congratulations from Hong Kong

  Congratulations Miss Badcock on your fantastic achievements. You were always held in the highest regard by my friends and I as a teacher who knew her stuff!!! Best wishes for the future.

  Posted: February 24, 2008 at 04:02 AM | Author: Elizabeth Clark

• go ms badcock

  you really deserve this award. you are a great maths teacher in chatham grammar! thank you for everything ms badcock!

  Posted: May 26, 2008 at 18:05 PM | Author: Caitlin Enfield

• Unknown

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  Posted: June 19, 2008 at 14:06 PM | Author: feechka-gg

• Miss Badcock's legacy.

  At the end of year 7, I found out that I would have you for maths next year and naturally I was quite scared. I'd never been taught by you and as a year 7, I genuinely feared you. However, as the years progressed so did I. These 4 years of maths have actually been fantastic. You were an inspiration to me, as me and my classmates would sit there in lessons wowed by the split seconds it took you to calculate the cube route of a prime number, or recite pi to over 9 digits. There would be many lessons where my friends and I would just mess about and not pay attention but you didn't say a thing and just trusted us to find our way. I guess it worked because I came out of my GCSE's with an A* in maths and statistics. The next step for us is A levels and I hope you're proud because most of your maths class has taken A level maths and we're working very hard. Although we are disappointed that you're not teaching us, I'm glad that you gave us the courage to enjoy maths to the level that we're all continuing it and putting your lessons to great use. You're a mathematical marvel and I don't know where any of us students would be without your expertise in maths. You timetabled our lessons in your head years in advance. We think you're absolutely amazing and you truly do deserve this award and every other award you are nominated for. Thanks from all of us.

  Posted: October 2, 2008 at 18:10 PM | Author: Tulsi Patel