We are very pleased to be welcoming Mrs Debbie Wilkinson into our Surval family as the new Head of Boarding from August of 2019. Mrs Wilkinson is from Glasgow in Scotland, a city that she loves so much that she chose to stay on there for university, studying French and Spanish at the University of Strathclyde. Following her degree, Mrs Wilkinson lived in Dijon in France for a year, working as a Language Assistant at the University of Bourgogne, before undertaking her CELTA teaching qualification in Barcelona, Spain, where she then taught English as a Second Language for three years.
Mrs Wilkinson then moved back to the United Kingdom, and spent ten years teaching ESL at Bedford School in England, where, for nine years, she also ran the International Boarding House (Bedford School Study Centre). Mrs Wilkinson has been teaching French and Spanish to Key Stage 3 Level at St Edmund’s College in Hertfordshire for the past few years, and she is also Head of the Girls’ Boarding House there.
Mrs Wilkinson, who believes that strong communication skills are key to being part of a successful boarding team, is very excited to be moving to Switzerland: “The scenery is so beautiful and it really helps with the ethos of the house; the school feels so calm. The girls and staff have all been really friendly and welcoming on my visits here; I am so looking forward to becoming part of Surval life.”
In her spare time, Mrs Wilkinson loves crafting, in particular card-making and designing her own wrapping paper, and she is also a keen baker. She is looking forward to walking in the mountains around the school and trying out some new water-sports on the lake.
Mrs Woodhouse is delighted that Mrs Wilkinson is joining the Surval team: “Boarding is at the heart of Surval and our unique family atmosphere demands a special commitment and warmth from those charged with the care of the girls living here in their ‘second home’. We have been very fortunate to have found Mrs Wilkinson: she and Surval will be a really good match for each other, and I am looking forward to working with her and watching her leading and developing this vital area of school life.”