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ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE
Tony Darby
What will your role be atTeddies?
I take over as Sub-Warden in September.
Where are you currently working and what do you do
there?
I am currently at Rugby School where I am the Senior Housemaster.
As well as running a House I teach Economics and Business Studies
and get involved in coaching various sports such as football, cricket,
hockey and fives.
Where else have you worked?
After university, I never really planned to become a teacher, but did
a Gap year teaching English in a school in the Czech Republic. The
Velvet Revolution had just happened and it was a wonderful time to
be in Eastern Europe. I had a period of time with the accounting firm
PWC afterwards, but decided to move into teaching, so I studied for
a PGCE and then became Head of Economics and Politics at Queen’s
College in the West Country.
What has been the best moment of your career so far?
There have been lots of memorable moments, but taking a Politics
trip to Belfast soon after the Good Friday Agreement was right up
there as a highlight.
Where did you go to university and what did you study?
I studied Politics and Economics at Durham University.
Why did you apply toTeddies?
I have brought visiting sports teams to Teddies for a number of years,
and always enjoyed the hospitality and how the School felt. It always
seemed to me that the pupils I encountered were happy, competitive
and also played in the right spirit, so it was an easy decision to apply.
What are you looking forward to about living in Oxford?
I am really looking forward to moving back to living in a city,
particularly one that is so vibrant. If I wasn’t a teacher I think I would
have liked to have been a food critic, so sampling all the delights of
Oxford restaurants is definitely on the to do list.
Tell us about your family.
I’m married to Leah and we have two children: Bella, 11, and Lewis,
9. We are big fans of being outdoors and holidays are filled with lots
of walking, cycling, and, if possible, bodyboarding and beach cricket,
particularly around the North Devon coast.
What do you do in your spare time?
I play fives whenever I can and a real treat for me is to go and watch
West Brom play football with Lewis, although he is still insisting on
supporting another premiership team at the moment!
Did you enjoy school?
I did although it was a very different school to Teddies. There were
some fantastic teachers who inspired me and gave me the confidence
to apply to university.
What was the naughtiest thing you did at school?
I am embarrassed to say that through sheer jealousy, I stole Joseph’s
clothes just before he was due to go on stage in the school nativity
play when I was in primary school.