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For such a gifted, passionate and dedicated
mathematician, Richard has had a full and far-reaching career, involved in a vast array of activities in and out of the academic world. This can only be a summary; we need a book, not a page!
Richard was always destined for a rewarding and dedicated life in education. He followed his degree and PGCE from Bristol University with periods at King’s School Canterbury and Bedford School, where colleagues recognised his superb mastery of his subject and his all-round commitment to wider boarding school life. In 1980 he married Liz, who has loyally supported him throughout his career.
Since joining Oundle as Head of Mathematics in 1991, we were fortunate to have this talented academic in our midst, with an absolute passion for Mathematics, but equally importantly, with a passion for the teaching and learning of Mathematics. In the classroom he set the highest standards, motivating pupils with his enthusiasm and brilliance, but also warmly encouraging the less able.
He always inspired his colleagues with his subject knowledge and, as Head of Department for 17 years until 2008, he led the Oundle department through the hugely successful years in the old Scott Block. A levels were becoming modular, which Richard embraced, believing that the graded syllabus presented in more manageable chunks made higher-level Maths more accessible. Numbers and results of those taking Maths increased rapidly under his reign.
Some might say his style was ‘old school’, but insisting that pupils learned formulae and laid their work out correctly was always because it was his conscientiously considered belief that that was how they would do best. He demanded meticulously high standards of himself too, which often found him marking into the early hours and commenting individually on every piece of work.
Richard forged new methods and programmes of teaching, making Oundle amongst the first schools to include Autograph, the computer programme developed by Douglas Butler, as a key teaching tool. Never afraid to think more creatively when he saw a need, Richard persuaded Edexcel that Oundle should be allowed to take the newly available and more interesting IGCSE course, moving pupils and teachers away from the burden of uninspiring syllabus coursework in the previous GCSE syllabus. Eton and Harrow moved to IGCSE the following year and got all the publicity – but we
were the first!
In a school that had
recently accepted girls in all years, Richard quickly became aware that their confidence was often more fragile than the boys’ and looked for ways to encourage all pupils to reach their potential. Recruiting the first female Maths teacher was one of his earliest successful missions, after which David McMurray declared: “You’ve got your woman!” She had the privilege of being Richard’s Head of Department for a few years a couple of decades later! He continued to offer sage and expert advice even as the roles reversed.
Encouraging all-comers, he offered
a champagne prize for anyone who
could beat his score in the UK Mathematics Trust Challenge. Most
of Oundle’s top mathematicians were inspired and nurtured by him, and
Michael Ching, now Associate
Professor of Maths at Amherst
College, MA, USA, is amongst his prodigies. Mentoring this pupil led
Richard to be involved in the
International Maths Olympiad,
through which he travelled
extensively to Taiwan, Romania,
South Korea, Hungary and Cyprus amongst others. During the latter trip
he made his film debut for a BBC documentary entitled Beautiful
Young Minds. Since then his
intellectual ability and organisational
skills have been recognised by his extensive involvement with the UK Mathematics Trust as Chair of the
British Mathematical Olympiad
Setting Committee, setting and
marking Olympiad papers, running National Mathematics Summer
Schools and standing in several www
STAFF FAREWELLS
Richard Atkins
Mathematics teacher
THE OLD OUNDELIAN 2017 –2018
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