'Inspirational' Newbury teacher retires after 42 years

A WELL-known and respected teacher who has guided generations of Newbury children retired last week.
Maria Pratico started educating young people in Newbury 42 years ago as a geography teacher at Newbury college before moving to religious studies at St Bartholomew’s School.
Mrs Pratico said: “I have taught generations in this town. I know the parents at parents evenings because I taught them too. It’s quite an achievement and quite emotional.”
While at Newbury College, Mrs Pratico founded the geography department and set up an access course for mature students, along with a nursery for their children.
She said: “I was very proud of that as people who had missed out had a second chance. It worked and got loads and loads into university. Education changed their lives for the better.”
After being made redundant at Newbury College, Mrs Pratico handed in an application to Park House School.
But she said the headteacher passed on her CV to St Bartholomew’s School, who gave her a job teaching religious studies following an interview the same day.
She said: “I had a job, but I had to learn on the move and I did really have to pack in a lot of hours and effort. Now two thirds of GCSE pupils get an AS or A in religious studies, and to get students into Oxford to read philosophy, I feel proud of them.”
Indeed, her lesson plans were so good that other schools were ‘stealing’ them and she was also nominated by her pupils for a Radio 4 award for being an inspirational teacher.
One of her many happy memories included when a group of Buddhist monks came to St Bartholomew’s School. “They filled the school with sound. That was the most amazing day I have ever had at the school,” she said.
Staff and pupils past and present gave Mrs Pratico an “absolutely lovely” send off at St Bartholomew’s School.
She said: “It was a mixture of excitement and sentiment. You’re leaving a world you have been in for so long. You age, but the students stay the same age; you have this eternal youth and there’s something about youth that’s energetic. “It’s a pleasure to teach young people. When you come to the end of a career and you know you’ve made a difference you can say: ‘That’s it now. I’ve done my bit.”