Mr Brown is one of our students’ favourite teachers. Famous for his enthusiastic contributions to leavers’ videos, always central to the Sixth Form Entertainment productions and owner of the most creative classroom displays, we decided to find out more about James Brown, and about what makes him such a fantastic teacher.

An academic through and through, James always loved English and Art during his school days. He was torn between studying English Literature or Fine Art at university, and ended up achieving a 1st in English Literature from the University of Sheffield, followed by a Masters in Literature at St Andrews. He never lost his passion for Art though, and is a successful illustrator of children’s books, as well as a published author of children’s literature. If you’ve never seen any of James’ pieces, have a look at his beautiful Instagram account @jamesbrownillustrates.

 

 

But for now, let’s get back to James’ love for academia and literature.

James is passionate about all forms of literature, and as part of his undergraduate degree, visited Stockholm University on the Erasmus Scheme, where he also developed a taste for creative writing. He went on to become the youngest of just six poets from an inspiring range of diverse backgrounds chosen to take part in the MLitt in Creative Writing at the University of St Andrews. He was taught by Douglas Dunn, the Scottish Poet Laureate, and his dedication to exploring different points of view and scoping out different choices, gave James a thirst for teaching. He was determined to help others discover the wonders of critical thinking, creativity and academia.

 

 

James’ next step brought him back to his home town of Nottingham where he studied for his PGCE at the University. His placements included teaching at the Beckett School in West Bridgford, where he quickly learnt to teach A Level – one of the most demanding of courses. Then at Chellaston School in Derby, where he was asked to lead the top set as well as their A Level students. His placement at Chellaston School was particularly memorable for James – one of his pupils appeared in the newspaper for achieving the highest GCSE English Literature score in the country!

We feel extremely lucky to have James as part of the NGHS family. He joined us in 2007 as a Teacher of English and since then has led the English Department as Head of English and Head of Faculty. He has more recently become our Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning. When we asked what James loves so much about NGHS, he explained that he has a tremendous amount of respect for the pupils, who impress him with their creativity and passion, and he is extremely proud of their ability to speak up with  care and confidence. He also enjoys teaching across multiple year groups, from inspiring our Tots Have Fun visitors who are aged 2 and 3, to our intellectually astounding A Level students. He believes that the skills they learn during their English studies here set them up for life. They are able to think critically, be creative in their problem solving, understand nuance, decipher challenging issues and benefit from a genuine love for reading and for learning.

 

 

As Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning, James’ vision is to ensure that students never underestimate what they can achieve. He believes that NGHS girls should aim for the very highest levels, and that with the support of their great teachers, coupled with the empowering all-girls environment, they will achieve all of their dreams and more. In order to help girls achieve the highest grades, James has become an expert in linear learning. He is adept at building students’ learning through stages, demonstrating what they need to do at each stage, and ensuring they learn how to exceed in exams through regular low stakes assessments. He is also an exemplar in tailoring learning to the individual. He is passionate about accessibility and providing a learning environment that benefits every single person in his lessons.

The NGHS Digital Strategy also forms part of James’ remit as the teaching and learning lead. He knows that technology is a key enabler to meaningful and engaging learning. This commitment ensured that our pupils excelled through the last few years’ disruption due to Covid-19 and our digital fluency has gone from strength to strength in recent times.

 

 

It would be remiss not to share a little bit about James’ illustration and writing career alongside his incredible teaching accomplishments. James is very humble about his achievements, which he puts down to ten years of striving, with many near misses to his “big break”. He was eventually spotted on Twitter and went on to win the 2019 Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators competition. During their Evening of Showcase, he was offered two book deals, representation by five agents, and the publication of his first five books. The rest is history. James is now working on his 23rd children’s book, having worked with some of the biggest names in publishing, from Macmillan to Five Quills.  

James loves to chat and always finds the time to engage with parents and students, so when you’re next in school, why not say hello and find out what creative magic he has brewing!