The lovely Helen Watson, Primary Office Manager at our Kensington campus, is to retire after 26 years at Southbank and will leave us in the summer.

Helen has made a significant contribution to our school and has been the ‘engine’ of our Kensington campus, supporting new and existing families in every way to make them feel welcome and have a sense of belonging to our community. Underpinning her daily tasks, is a person whose values mirror those of our school: inclusivity, positivity, and ‘treating every individual with fairness and respect’. Helen is a ‘true Southbanker’ in that she embodies action and care for others.

We will sorely miss Helen and wish her a wonderful retirement. We asked Helen about her time at Southbank and what she will  miss the most, and this is what she said:

“I began working at Southbank in February 1998 (last century!) I started off as the Assistant Manager of Admissions and I was based at Kensington, our only campus at the time. There was a very small primary section of the school with the rest of the school mainly made up of Middle and High school students.

My earliest Southbank memory is of the very crowded hall for Town Meeting – there were so many very large adolescents in such a confined space! My favourite Southbank memory is of the first pantomime, where all the teachers (including Milton, our founder, and Nigel Hughes, the school’s Principal at the time) were very silly and revelling in their ridiculous characters!

My favourite thing about Southbank is the happiness and joy the children bring as they enter the door each school day. If I had to describe Southbank in 3 words, I would say it’s quirky, accepting and unique. The sense of being part of a family, with all its foibles, unexpected surprises and its unwavering support is what has kept me at Southbank for so long.

The annual cycle of hellos and goodbyes – children, parents and staff alike, is what I’ll most when I leave.

To anyone about to start their journey at Southbank, be it staff or student, I would say just be yourself! Authenticity is prized above everything else at Southbank.”

Helen Watson

Primary Office Manager, Kensington campus

So long Helen, we wish you the very best. Once a Southbanker, always a Southbanker!