Mr Justin Foster-Gandey

Before Sackville

After leaving university (where I studied Geology and Philosophy) I worked at the Natural History Museum in London for a year. I then joined an environmental project and spent 15 months in Kenya/Tanzania looking at the tourist impact on the coral reefs along the coast.( mainly scuba diving all day) Money and family brought me back to the UK where I decided to set up a catering business and I then spent every waking hour in corporate entertainment planning other peoples parties, weddings, menus, etc. After 15 year I finally had enough of this and wanted a life so I sold the company and decided to go into teaching. I started in outdoor education with the Sussex Wildlife Trust and, as well as teaching forest skills, built up their GCSE and A level field trips. I enjoyed this so much I decided to “go professional” and train fully as a mature teacher. My second teaching job found me at Sackville School and the rest, as they say, is history (and geography, philosophy, etc).

Why I enjoy my subject

I am one of life questioners, always wanting to know why things happen, what happened before and how they might change in the future? I love seeking knowledge and finding out new things. Teaching humanities give the ultimate buzz as having the fresh perspective of young minds also seeking knowledge makes me learn something every day too. You can never get enough of the humanities as something new and wonderful is always just around the corner waiting to be discovered.

Why I enjoy Sackville?

The family atmosphere, I can really get to know all the students well and find out what makes them tick.

My favourite Lesson?

Not being in the classroom! Humanities is about the world around us and taking students out to see a volcano in Sicily, the battle field of Ypres, the concentration camp at Auschwitz or a glacial landscape on the Isle of Arran is the best lesson in all – the lesson in building memories.

Other roles

In my role as Head of year 10 I make sure students are all fully prepared to take on the challenges and responsibilities of GCSE’s as well as act as role models for the lower years in school. As Head of Humanities and Social Sciences I have responsibility for all the geography, history, religious education, law, psychology, sociology and philosophy taught in school.

Passions

My life is busy and varied.  Top of the list comes my family (a very understanding wife, three teenagers and an eight-totally–teenager). I scuba dive when I can, breed chickens for fun (it can be fun!), walk the dog and am full time taxi service to my children. On my days off I like to plan the next travelling adventure holiday to some exotic dive locations….