A long-serving teacher at a Harrogate school is saying goodbye to the classroom after 43 years.
Mrs Gillian Furniss joined Belmont Grosvenor School in Birstwith in 1982 when it was Grosvenor House School - a boys boarding and day prep school.
And after more than four decades of teaching children across all year groups – and having eaten school lunches for almost her entire life - keen cyclist Mrs Furniss has finally decided to retire.
She said she is looking forward to spending more time with her family and on her electric bike.
Mrs Furniss said:
“Thank you to everybody I have met over the years for making my teaching career so special – pupils, parents and staff. I have made so many friends and have so many wonderful memories.
“I always wanted to be a teacher and I am so happy I have been able to be one for so many years.”
Originally from Bradford, Mrs Furniss completed her teacher training and took her first job at a school in Dorset back in 1979.
After three years living and working down south, and having married husband Lee who she met at teacher training college, Mrs Furniss moved back to Yorkshire to join the staff at Grosvenor House School, based at Swarcliffe Hall in Birstwith.
When she first joined the school in 1982, she worked in the Pre-Prep department teaching some of the youngest children.
Some of her happiest memories were taking part in the annual school trip to the Norfolk Broads, taking pupils to France and Holland on music and outdoor activity trips, climbing Scafell Pike when she was pregnant with daughter Holly and taking to the BGS stage on roller skates.
One of the many highlights of her teaching career was watching former BGS pupil and rower Andy Triggs-Hodge compete at the 2012 London Olympics and win gold – then meet him shortly after the race and hold his gold medal!
When Grosvenor House School merged with Belmont Birklands School in 2000, Mrs Furniss became Head of Girls Sport and Head of Art at Belmont Grosvenor School.
A keen sportswoman and cyclist, Mrs Furniss has been riding her electric bike the six miles from home to school each day for the past 10 years, come rain or shine – in her retirement she is looking forward to taking part in some big cycle trips with husband Lee.
She said:
“I am incredibly proud that during my long teaching career I have never met a past pupil who has not acknowledged me and come up to chat with me.
"I remember them all and I think that is a very lovely thing.”
Her ‘Big Art Attacks’ in the playground during the 1990s encouraged children to create huge images using whatever they could find including PE equipment and kit.
And in recent years she set up the BGS knitting club and introduced pupils to the joys of knitting and crocheting.
Mrs Furniss also started crafting groups to encourage the local community to enjoy her passion.
Each summer, Mrs Furniss and her Year 5 and 6 pupils create a giant quilt and enter an international quilting festival – they have taken top prize on many occasions.
An excellent maths teacher, Mrs Furniss’ daily one-minute maths test have become famous at BGS and over the years her pupils have enjoyed great success at local, national and international maths challenges thanks to her outstanding maths teaching.
In 2003 when she was diagnosed with cancer, the only time she took off work were for appointments for radiotherapy.
When she lost all her hair during chemotherapy, she was so worried that the change would scare the children that she wore a different bandana each day to make it fun - and even painted a Christmas tree on her head at Christmas.
Chair of the BGS Governors, Mrs Charlie Brooksbank, said:
“Mrs Furniss has been so much more than a teacher - she has been a guiding light, an inspiration, and a constant presence in a changing world.
“Her passion for learning, whether through the precision of Maths, the joy of Art, or the freedom of Sport has lit sparks in countless young minds.
“Her pride in their lives, her joy at their successes, and her commitment to helping them flourish, both within and beyond the classroom, have left a lasting mark. Mrs Furniss has shaped futures and touched lives in ways that numbers simply cannot measure.
“It is no exaggeration to say that her legacy at Belmont Grosvenor is immeasurable. Her resilience, kindness, sense of fun, and fierce belief in every child’s worth are woven into the very fabric of the school.”
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