Meet our new acting head of boarding

Our acting assistant head (boarding), Mrs Tania Davidson, lives in Johnson House. With 20 years of boarding experience across both the state and independent sectors, Tania brings a wealth of experience to ensure the pupils who board at Ripon Grammar School can truly thrive. She tells us more about why she entered teaching, what drew her to Ripon Grammar School and the values that make a strong, cohesive and respectful boarding house

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: I was born in Ripon, with my dad being based at Claro barracks. We moved away when I was three years old. I have moved all over the country and even spent some time living in New Zealand in my mid-twenties. Coming to work and live at RGS really feels like coming home.

Q: What was your first job?

A: I worked at a supermarket when I was 16 – I stacked biscuits and hated it. I promised myself I would work hard at school, college and then university to ensure I did a job that I love.

Q: What made you decide to become a teacher? 

A: I remember the moment. I was 16 and I doing GCSE community theatre – we had to run a drama workshop with primary aged pupils, and I really enjoyed helping them understand the characters and explore the complexities of the plot. I knew I wanted to be a drama teacher at that moment.

Q: What do you love about the job?

A: Supporting and watching young people grow, mature and become the very best version of themselves is a privilege.

Q: Where did you teach prior to arriving at Ripon Grammar School and what have your roles been?

A: I was deputy head (pastoral) and safeguarding lead at Queen Margaret's School for eight years, prior to this I was director of boarding at The Wellington Academy, a state boarding school in Wiltshire.

Q: In what ways do you feel schools with boarding differ from day schools?

A: Schools with boarding provide boarding pupils with support and enrichment throughout the evening and weekends, allowing pupils to really extend their own experiences and education. Creating an environment where pupils thrive and support each other is the core business of a strong and successful boarding house. Boarding pupils in the main school bring a deep sense of diversity, richness and intercultural depth to the whole school community.

Q: Tell us about your family

A: My husband is also a teacher and is currently working in Reading, although he is looking to move back to to North Yorkshire. I have two adult children. My eldest, Charlotte, is 22 and graduated from the University of Liverpool last year; she studies architecture. She is working as a residential graduate assistant at Badminton School in Bristol – having grown up in boarding houses, the boarding environment is familiar to her. My youngest child is 19 and is in their second year studying filmmaking at Leeds Beckett, they have just returned from spending three months in Massachusetts having done Camp America, where they taught children how to make movies.

Q: What is your favourite band?

A: My current favourite band/singer has to be Chappell Roan – an absolutely fantastic performance at Leeds Fest (although I saw it on TV).  My long established favourite bands are Alanis Morrisette, U2, and lots of 90s Indie Brit pop.

Q: How do you relax outside work?

A: I can be found most school holidays walking in the Yorkshire Dales, or in the Alps. I enjoy visiting English Heritage and National Trust sites – so the proximity to Fountains Abbey is fantastic.