Nigel Jepson has spent his career as an Art Teacher, and retired from Norwich High School for Girls at the end of the summer term in July 2024. Nigel comes from a family of teachers with his grandmother, mother and father and many aunts and uncles all in the profession. On completing a Foundation Course at Bradford College of Art, and a BA and MA in Fine Arts at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, Nigel completed his art teaching certificate at Brighton.

He said: “Art was always a subject I enjoyed and I had some great teachers at school in Leeds who made a strong impression on me. Realistic still life drawing was always my speciality, but having gone into teaching, I haven’t done any serious artwork for myself in a lifetime until recently on starting to plan for my retirement.”

Nigel first taught in co-ed schools in Norfolk and Bath, and has been in the Art Department at Norwich High School for Girls since 2000.

Nigel continued: “Despite having seen huge cultural change over the years, it is still like paradise being here. There is tremendous benefit and reward to my job; the positive attitude of the students and the sheer quality of the work they produce is astonishing. Good work comes from great relationships and rapport with teachers and students so they try their best for you: that is what you are trying to build first and foremost. That they really engage with what you’re doing but that you also have their respect and trust so they can accept criticism, improve and go on to produce wonderful work. I have tried to make the Art Room a place of happiness for as many students as I possibly can. The joy and pleasure of that is great.

“I remember a year back in 2010 when I was teaching 36 students GCSE Art, and 31 achieved A* grades, with my A Level class that year all achieving As at A Level. We have had students go on to Camrbiudge to study Art, studying Art and Design at University and two students were OCR Exam A Level winners nationally. Norwich High has been my life and my home. You wouldn’t be able to quantify how many hours I’ve spent teaching here. It has felt exhilarating at times.”

“All I’ve done is be a conscientious teacher, and to teach knowing every student is different and individual. When you see a child struggling you see how important it is to take time to help a child engage by being patient and kind. You try your best. You try to get onto the wavelength of each individual student and engage with them in a way that will help them to improve. The department is important and friendships in school too so temperamentally it’s correct. At Norwich High, there are the support mechanisms and such brilliant staff – from the sports department to the caretakers and kitchen team – they would do anything for you. That’s built on respect too.

“It’s going to be refreshing to start drawing again – I am building a studio especially and the goal is to be there drawing once it is ready.”