Schools chief is honoured for helping pupils flourish

There's something quietly poetic about a journey that begins on the playing fields of a Bath school and culminates in the gilded halls of Buckingham Palace.

- Lewis Clarke

For Peter Thomas, former Deputy Head Boy of Beechen Cliff School, that journey has spanned four decades of unwavering dedication to state education and it was recently recognised with the awarding of an OBE in the King's Birthday Honours List for Services to Education.

But accolades weren't on Peter's radar when he left school in 1982. Back then, his compass wasn't pointing towards classrooms, leadership roles or national accolades. In fact, like many 18-year-olds, he wasn't entirely sure where it was pointing at all.

Growing up in the Odd Down area of Bath, Peter's childhood wasn't without its challenges.

Diagnosed with Perthes' disease at a very young age, he spent six months in hospital and a further year reliant on a caliper. Yet this early adversity seemed only to strengthen his bond with sport, once he was well enough to play.

"Once I got better, I was straight out playing with mates," he recalls. "I loved football and cricket. I joined Hampset Cricket Club when I was eight, and honestly, like many others, I owe a great deal to John Bell. He gave us the chance to play cricket every day during the summer holidays."

Sport, it seems, wasn't just a pastime it was a training ground for life. At Beechen Cliff School, Peter found himself encouraged to embrace the full breadth of what the school had to offer. He represented the school in multiple sports and found support in teachers who shaped his outlook and values.

"Tony Lawdham was always caring, supportive and enthusiastic - he made you feel good about yourself," Peter says. "I'm still in touch with him. Pete McKissock and Pat Colbourne also really challenged me to be better."

Despite becoming Deputy Head Boy, Peter doesn't romanticise his academic focus during those years.

"I wasn't particularly studious or ambitious," he says with a laugh. "I enjoyed sport and the social life. I had no idea what I wanted to do."