Mrs Uduwawala

Mrs R Uduwawala is the Head of Year 10, at Queen Elizabeth’s Boys’ School, Barnet. Having joined the school in 2013 as a French teacher, she has been an integral part of the Elizabethan community for a very long time, and has seen the school evolve in many ways over the years! It was a pleasure talking to her and getting to know her better, and we hope that you enjoy the outcomes of this interview as much as we did!

Giuseppe Mangiavacchi and Trishan Chanda- Founders of The Student Insight

Ok so I think we’ll begin just by asking a few questions about life in secondary school. What would you say your favourite subject was?

Well, probably not a surprise, but my favourite subject was French. I also liked Spanish and English literature.

So in high school, most of us experience problems to do with procrastination, laziness etc. Did you deal with such issues, and if so how did you strive to overcome them?

I think it was much easier for me, as we didn’t have social media, and computers weren’t used as much as today. Going on the internet used to take ages! If someone was on the phone, you couldn’t even use the internet! So I think such distractions didn’t really exist, so it was easier to focus. Of course, I am only human, so I did naturally struggle with some procrastination, though it did depend on the subject. For example, a subject like maths I would try my best to avoid, and I would try my best to leave it to last! To overcome this, I would try to work with my friend on maths, and try and do it together, and so this is something I would recommend trying to do. I think talking to people was how I got over these issues.

You mentioned previously that you liked to study French and English literature. Is that along the lines of what you studied at university? Can you tell us a bit more about what you studied and where?

I went to Warwick University, and I did French- a lot of French language but also a lot of literature, which is why I chose not to study English literature as the skills were covered with my French degree. I did my PGCE through ‘Teach First’ at Manchester, and I did my masters in educational leadership at Manchester University as well.

You have clearly had a lot of experience with university life, but how would you describe a normal day at university?

Well, it’s funny as when you first look at the timetable, you may only have a few hours of lesson time a week! But, your time really does get filled up by independent work. For instance, you would have 2/3 books to get through a week, and that was quite difficult to keep yourself motivated. But, it was also really fun, as Warwick in particular has lots and lots of clubs and societies, and are much cheaper to join than other universities. I was part of lots of different groups, such as the Warwick big band, and I did some dancing and netball. You even had Friday night film events, so it was definitely a very social place to be.

So would you say there is a good ‘work-life’ balance?

There is a lot of work at Warwick. I knew some school friends who went to other universities who went out a lot more, and we did have a lot of work, particularly in the final year. It was quite intense, but it was really fun: there was a good mix of socialising activities. It was definitely quite nice to be surrounded by well-driven people from all different walks of life!

After you finished university, did you immediately know that you wanted to go into teaching?

I was never too sure of what I wanted to do, to be honest! As I said, I really disliked maths, and that’s something I found very difficult, and what I found in my final year is that a lot of companies wanted a maths test to work there, and this put me off a bit. I had a friend who was doing the ‘Teach First’ undergraduate programme, and he suggested I consider it. So I applied, and luckily I received a place, and I guess that launched my teaching career!

When did you join QE, and why did you ultimately choose this school?

Well, I was in Manchester, and I wanted a change. At the time, one of my friends from university was in fact teaching here, and he told me about a job opening here! He told me this school was very different from where I taught at the time, so I did decide to apply. I think that was 2013, 2014?

I imagine you went into French, and the languages department in general. How would you say this department, or more specifically French, has evolved while you have been working here?

I think there is more interest from the students to do languages now than there was right at the start of my time: people seem really enthusiastic to take part in competitions, and we get involved in more national competitions, but also internal ones, that are always really fun, and boys like entering them. I think people have started combining their choices for university with a language. So if someone wants to do engineering or economics, they often combine it with a language such as French or German, while before not many people did this. In the 6th form, we see a lot of boys opting to do a language for their fourth A-level, which I think is really nice.

Regarding that aspect, why do you think the popularity of languages has increased over the past few years?

I think we offer something that’s completely different to other subjects. I don’t know for sure of course, but I think in A-level in particular our class sizes are much smaller, and so we know the boys really well, as individuals. They often say that the lessons are ‘dynamic’ and they enjoy the range of activities. We study a lot of what’s going on in the world around us, but through the ‘French Speaking Lens’. I think the fact that we just cover so many different areas really attracts boys.

Of course, you are now our Head of Year, and you’ve been in this position for a while now. What challenges do you think have been associated with a senior role like this, and how have you responded to them?

I would say time: always short of time! Sometimes that is really hard to manage, as you may feel you’re not giving your all-in lessons as sometimes you might have to duck out. After all, there is only one of me, and 192 boys in a year group, so you have to be very organised with your time.

In light of the school’s 450th anniversary, if there was one thing you would change, what would it be and why?

Wow, that is a really good question! I am definitely so proud of this school, as I have been here a long time already and I am very happy here. We do already do so much, so it is quite difficult to pick up just one thing I would change. I would like more curriculum time to teach French, as it is something I really do love doing. I think generally small things, like faster internet, or more technology to dedicate to teaching! I guess the smaller and almost ‘silly’ things would have a great impact.

Finally, as a teacher, you have a lot of experience with students. What would be a key bit of advice you would give to students and teenagers in general?

I would say to stay true to yourself, and keep following your passions. I think sometimes pressure from peers or from family can take people off their right path, so always try to be clear on who you are and what makes you really happy. I guess just follow your heart!