Hugh PEARMAN (retired 2001)

Picture the scene, it is the late seventies or early eighties, a perfect summer's day early in July, the atmosphere is balmy and the sky a cloudless blue. The top cricket square at Elstree is still green and lush, barely dried out from the traditional cold and wet start to the cricket season, and there are the usual clusters of spectators at the pavilion and perched on picnic chairs in front of Aldenham House. The game in progress is the annual clash between the first eleven and a staff team; the friendly match which is, of course, anything but friendly. The stocky man at the crease plays the ball to the leg-side, the stroke seems easy and relaxed, almost lazy, but the ball is moving very fast through a gap in the field near the square-leg umpire. The roll of the batsman's wrists has kept the ball low; there is no hint of a chance for the fielder as the ball races to the boundary.

The batsman is Hugh Pearman and, for me, this moment captures the man and the seemingly effortless, graceful manner of his achievements at Haberdashers'. Hugh belongs to an elite group of schoolmasters who combine first-rate academic credentials with outstanding sporting achievements. Such men were unusual in the 1960s and 1970s and have become a real rarity today. Hugh is retiring from teaching this year after thirty-one years, twenty-seven of which have been dedicated, in every sense, to Haberdashers'.

Hugh studied Chemistry at the University of St Andrew's and took his Post-Graduate Certificate in Education at Cambridge University. After completing his P.G.C.E. he took up a post at Queen's School in Bushey, quickly rising to Head of Department. This was in the early 1970s when Margaret Thatcher was Secretary of State for Education and the drive to complete the comprehensive school revolution was at its height. In 1974 Hugh took the decision to relinquish his administrative responsibilities and join the Chemistry Department at Haberdashers'.

Those were innocent days: staff wore safety goggles on rare occasions of great danger (the boys never did), all manner of solutions were pipetted by mouth and an 'O' Level Chemistry paper barely covered two sides of A4 paper. Hugh quickly established himself as an excellent teacher. His secure command of the subject and relaxed but firm control of a class made him genuinely popular among the boys. His enthusiasm for Chemistry is, as with many things, understated but real and very deep and he has a genuine knack for simplifying complex ideas. To be in Mr Pearman's set was to be assured of a happy and successful year.

In a school which has always had more than its fair share of gifted boys, Hugh also found ways of supporting and encouraging the strugglers and making them feel cared for and valued. One former pupil still remembers Mr Pearman's optimistic encouragement after a disastrous first year exam; the boy never did make much sense of Chemistry but warmly appreciated the kindness. Hugh became a kind of sheet anchor for the Chemistry Department, the proverbial 'safe pair of hands' who could be confidently entrusted with classes of all age and abilities.

Hugh was much in demand as a form tutor; he was relaxed and approachable but, at the same time, a stickler for ensuring that the basic routines of the form were completed. Hugh's pastoral work was mainly with the sixth form and he proved adept at steering boys through this vital transition stage from schoolboy to independent student. He created a warm, accepting atmosphere in his forms and' gave advice with tact and wisdom to young men who were on the verge of adulthood but who, so often, needed guidance, understanding and a sense of direction from a respected adult figure.

Hugh's trademark facility for completing tasks with maximum efficiency and minimum fuss also brought welcome relief to his head of department. He completed those vital tasks like drafting examination papers and organising the large-scale printing of teaching materials with exemplary skill. As time went by Hugh became a key figure in easing the introduction of new colleagues into the department's way of working and offering all the wisdom and expertise of an outstanding teacher to a novice, while never labouring his seniority. Long before the terms 'mentor' and 'induction' became buzzwords for aspiring educational managers, Hugh was mentoring and inducting young teachers into the Chemistry Department.

Hugh is always good company. He is a sympathetic listener with a shrewd insight into human nature; he views life in general and the vagaries of life at Elstree in particular with compassion and a wry sense of humour. A not so high-flying member of one of Hugh's academically more challenged sixth form groups remarked that the top science set of their year contained the academic cream of the country. He concluded, with impeccable logic, that this put him and the rest of his set, 'just below the cream'. In the Chemistry Department this memorable phrase became an enduring euphemism for those boys who, whatever their other talents and gifts, were always going to find the subject a bit of a puzzle.

Hugh's greatest contribution outside the classroom at Haberdashers' has been to school sport. Hugh is a sporting natural, but such is his natural modesty that few of the boys he coaches are aware of his achievements. Hugh was a promising junior tennis player; he was selected to join the L.T.A. Junior Coaching Scheme and won the Middlesex and South of England under 15 championships. While at university Hugh played football for St. Andrews and the Scottish Universities and much later he carved out a new winter sports career, playing hockey for St. Albans.

All this would be more than enough sporting achievement for most people but for Hugh, tennis, football and hockey take second place to cricket. Hugh is a marvellously gifted cricketer. After a distinguished career as a junior, he played for St. Andrews and the Scottish Universities and was awarded a blue during his year at Cambridge, also playing for the combined Oxford and Cambridge XI against the West Indian tourists. From 1964 to 1972 Hugh played for Middlesex, mainly for their 2nd XI but turning out on a number of occasions for the 1st XI.

For the last quarter of a century Hugh has given generously of his time and energy to coaching cricket and hockey at Haberdashers'. Like everything Hugh does his coaching is a model of calm professionalism. Boys are taught not just skills, tactics and strategies but also the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship and school sport is placed in its proper educational context. Team practices are frequent, regular and meticulously organised and the long hours umpiring after school during the week or on Saturdays are accepted as an integral part of the job. Hugh has travelled with two cricket tours of the Far East and both benefited enormously from his presence as both sporting expert and antidote to the more volatile members of the touring party.

Outside school Hugh is a devoted family man and a keen gardener. He has the proverbial green fingers and plants thrive under his attention; all who visit his home pay tribute to his skill. There are . great affinities between cultivating plants and educating children. Both require expert knowledge, skill, patience and the confidence to allow things to develop in their own time. Hugh possesses all these qualities and his achievements reflect this.

Hugh will be a great loss to teaching but he will not be lost entirely to Haberdashers'. He is taking the unusual step of starting a new career as a Chemistry technician, so next year we will continue to see Hugh in his new role working in the Chemistry Department. It is even possible that he will continue to offer his services to the cricket and hockey clubs at School.