Three generations a real class act at school
IT isn’t unheard of for pupils to go to the same school that their parents and grandparents attended.
But one Bristol school is in a class of its own for briefly having had three generations of the same family work as staff members at the same time.
Cathy Lambert, 66; her daughter Louise Charlton, 43; and granddaughter Jade Charlton, 18, have all been working at Fair Furlong Primary School.
Mother of three Cathy joined the school in Withywood in 1992 but is now retiring.
But even though she is leaving, Cathy leaves her daughter and granddaughter at the school where they both work.
Louise has been a family link worker at Fair Furlong Primary for 10 years.
And Jade joined the school at the start of this term as a teaching assistant.
Cathy celebrated her final day working at the school last week as she retired after almost three decades of service.
She said it has been “lovely” seeing Jade, her eldest of 10 grandchildren, begin her teaching career at the school over the past seven weeks.
Cathy said: “It’s a bit of a unique situation. We’re the first family of three generations to work at the school.
“There have been a few situations in the past where two generations of the same family have worked here at the same time, but never three generations.
“It’s only been half a term where all three of us have been working here at the same time, as my granddaughter just started in September.
“But it’s been really lovely to see how well she is interacting with the children, and seeing her confidence grow and how much she is loving it.
“It’s a bit strange for me because, as her grandmother, I see her around the school and think, how did this happen? How is she so grown-up now?
“But I’m really proud that I’ve been able to see how well she’s getting on.”
Cathy began her career as a legal secretary, before taking a 10-year career break to raise her three children, and then working for a short while at a secondary school.
She said: “It’s been really nice getting to know so many children and parents over the years as they’ve come through the school.
“By tradition, office jobs are quite good to balance with having a family, so that was good for me when I started here.
“That’s also why I was pleased when my daughter started working here 10 years ago. I was happy she had found a job that tied in with raising her three young children.
“And 10 years on, she seems to still really like her role.”
Cathy added that she has “mixed feelings” about retiring from the school. She said: “It’s been lovely to be part of such an amazing school, and to have shared my journey with the amazing staff here for the past 28 years.
“I feel really privileged to have been in this job for so long, in a role that I have genuinely enjoyed every day. But I’m excited about the next chapter. The time is right for me to move on.”
Louise said she is sad to see her mum leave but “really pleased” Cathy will be able to enjoy some well-earned time to herself.
Louise works as a family link worker at the school, providing any extra support needed between home and school.
She said: “We’re a really close family, so it’s been really lovely having both my mum and now my daughter working at the school.
“We’re all in quite different roles, so our paths don’t cross that much at school. But it’s been lovely being able to car-share with my daughter coming into work, and hearing about how much she’s enjoying it.”
Louise, who also has three children, said that she is “really proud” of her daughter, Jade.
The teenager is on a year’s placement at the school as a teaching assistant, before taking up a place at Portsmouth University next year to study primary education.
She said: “Jade is really enjoying it, and she’s really enthusiastic to come to work. She had always wanted to do a placement before going to university.”
Head teacher Lucy Lang said: “We are like a family here so it does not seem unusual to us to have three generations of the same family with us. They are all great in their roles and we’re extremely grateful for their dedication, but in particular for the 28 years Cathy has given to the school.”