Directors of Teaching & Learning
Paul Spiring
Since childhood, I have been fascinated by the variety of organisms with which we share our world. It was therefore of very little surprise to all that knew me when I elected to study Biology at university. Upon completing my degree, I followed in the footsteps of many relatives by joining the police service in Bristol. However, after several years of pounding the beat, I yearned for a more proactive involvement with young people and decided to retrain as a Science Teacher.
I began my teaching career in 1994 and since then I have held various positions of responsibility in both state and private schools. In 2000, I left England and taught in The Netherlands for three years before being seconded by the Department for Education to the European School of Karlsruhe in Germany. In 2012, I returned to England and joined the staff at the European School of Culham and latterly ESUK where I have taught Biology ever since.
As my students will attest, my hero is Sir David Attenborough because like him I understand that the key to success in life is diversity. Perhaps it is for this reason, that I love the atmosphere and ethos of our school and why I resolve to continue teaching here until I retire. In my spare time I write books on the local history of Devon where I live with my partner and two adult sons. I am both a Chartered Biologist and Chartered Physicist and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.