Ms. Gillies is one of the best staff members remaining at the school that has the compassion, care and willingness to constantly put students’ needs before hers. I purposefully say 'staff member' rather than teacher because I believe that a large part of the work Ms. Gillies has done in the school for past and present students is out of her job role, of a brilliant P.E. teacher. She is the person you would go and talk to in complete confidence if you just fell out with your best mate, you’ve just found out someone close to you has cancer, or perhaps if your parents are mid-divorce.

Ms. Gillies is one of those few teachers that will never lose faith in any student of
any background, behaviour and ability. For example, when my brother (an ex-Chatsmore student) was possibly going down the wrong path, some teachers told him that he was going to fail his exams and would probably not make it very far in life. Ms. Gillies always kept my mum in faith that he'd pull through and make it in the end. He is now studying a Biochemistry Degree at a Russell Group University. This is just an example personal to me, but I have no doubt there have been many similar cases in which past students have received this kind of support from Ms. Gillies when others have told them they’d never make it.

Forcing Ms. Gillies out of that school may save Chatsmore a relatively small amount of money on staff budgets, but they would be losing an irreplaceable asset which may not directly affect teachers there, but I can safely say it will have a catastrophic effect on future students who will have no one they can approach asking for advice, support, or just someone to talk to that genuinely cares as much as Ms. Gillies would have.

So we, past and present students that have experienced Ms. Gillies support and guidance, have to get the message across to the teachers, Mr. Madden and the Governors that making Ms. Gillies redundant will be one of the biggest mistake the school has made, and if they go through with it they will soon see the effects on students who have no one to go to in confidence if they have problems at home or school.

Help Ms. Gillies to continue the job that she loves doing, and that the students need!