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For over three decades, Ms Broome has been a constant presence in our school community — first joining the school in September 1989 and now teaching, in some cases, the children of former pupils she once taught herself.

Her commitment, care, and passion for Food and Nutrition have shaped the experiences of generations of young people, and this week she shared a reflection on what continues to make the profession so meaningful after all these years.

"There have been many changes to the teaching of food since I first started. Many will remember it as Home Economics — that’s me, a Home Economist — before it became Food Technology, and is now, thankfully, Food Preparation and Nutrition.

Yet despite all the changes in name, one thing has always remained constant: the love young people have for working with food.

Not a day goes by that I don’t stand back and reflect on how lucky I am to have this job — working with young people, developing a love of food, ingredients, and knowledge that will stay with them long after they leave school.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a tough old game. There is endless planning, testing, checking, being on your feet all day, roasting in a hot room, health and safety, adapting to new technologies, coursework, and constantly updating our understanding around health and nutrition.

But all of that is part of the work we do as teachers to ensure pupils get the very best from their time with us.

Some years ago, an ex-pupil came back to speak to our Year 11s before heading off to Cambridge to study Law. Afterwards, she came to find me and spoke about still remembering the practical lessons we had done together — and how she still made some of those recipes at home.

Only recently, I was explaining to a Year 8 pupil why we couldn’t add cream to a hot Swiss roll when a Year 10 standing nearby immediately recalled all the rules for making it — something he had learnt nearly two years earlier.

Moments like that stay with you. Some days are hard, but we shake ourselves down and start again. Seeing pupils leave the classroom smiling, thanking you, or becoming excited about the next challenge makes every bit of hard work worthwhile.

After all these years, that is still what quietly matters most."