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PEOPLE
Susan Norton
Nick Coram-Wright
Susan carried out a number of roles at
St Edward’s from 2004 to 2015 and was
a greatly valued member of the Common
Room. Below, Nick Coram-Wright, who
worked with Susan for many years in the
Modern Languages Department, reflects
on her time at the School.
Housemistress, Head of German, Tutor in
Segar’s and Sing’s, Community Service
Coordinator, Queen Proper and Calamity
Jane; these were just some of the roles that
Susan Norton played during her 11 years
at St Edward’s.
Susan was appointed to the post of
Housemistress of Corfe in 2004. She rightly
made demands of the girls but at the same
time was humane, tolerant, motherly and
empathetic but in no way a soft touch.
Parents and their daughters appreciated her
combination of common sense, experience
and wisdom. David Corran, former
Housemaster of Sing’s, has fond memories
of Susan as a fellow HM. She was “one of
the most perceptive and emotionally literate
people I know. She used her skill in this
professionally – I know so many girls in
Corfe who valued her understanding,
intelligent sympathy and ability to make life
better for them as a result”. After five years
in Corfe Susan became a tutor in Sing’s with
David and then moved to Segar’s. Here she
was admired as a wise guide, someone who
was principled and whose moral compass
was set firm.
Susan established a reputation in the
Modern Languages Department as a versatile
colleague who was as happy teaching French
and German to Shell beginners as to IB
native speakers. In 2013 she took over from
Rachel Grange as Head of German,
determined to ensure the survival of German
in the curriculum.
As those of us who teach MFL know,
lessons can at times feel like one 40-minute
cabaret after another with bouts of wild
gesticulation, exaggerated gesture and endless
repetition – all in front of boys and girls with
looks on their faces ranging from mild
bemusement to complete incomprehension.
It therefore came as no surprise that Susan
was very much at home during the biennial
Staff Panto. Here the mask of respectability
was allowed to slip for just a few days,
revealing a drama queen par excellence.
Susan has left St Edward’s in order to
focus her energies on establishing a language
school in the south of France. There she is
offering courses that not only develop the
language skills of children of all ages but
include cookery and fine dining alongside
local culture and traditions.