Pastoral Co-ordinator Jacquie Berard-Spiers B.A. (Hons) French, B.A. (Hons), (Psychology). (Univ of S.Africa, Pretoria)

Jacquie was born in the UK of French and Irish parentage. She was educated in South Africa, Switzerland and France and obtained her Honours degrees in French and Psychology from Wits University and the University of South Africa respectively. She also furthered her studies in France and won a bursary to study at I.S.I.T. (Institut Supérieur d’Interprétariat et de Traduction) in Paris and study a further year of commercial French.
She has taught mainly at the secondary school level and has lectured by invitation at the teachers’ center of the University of the Witwatersrand as well as heading up French in the prestigious Stars School at the University. Over the years Jacquie has played a number of roles in education. At Redhill, where she spent the greater part of her teaching career before coming to England, she headed the pastoral care programme, specializing in young girls with eating disorders, as well as being responsible for the parents' forum for adolescents; she was a member of the team which spear-headed the extension and acceleration learning programme at Redhill, working closely with the gifted child programme at the Scherembeck institute under the aegis of Wits University.
As HOD French Jacquie was an examiner, moderator and conference convener for the IEB (South African Independent Board of Examiners) for many years, as well as being instrumental in helping to establish links with neighbouring French and non-French speaking African countries and in this capacity has been as far afield as Gabon to attend conferences.
Jacquie’s first love is for young people from very little people to the more recalcitrant teenager! In her spare time, however, she loves to read, listen to music, walk in the beautiful English countryside or go tracking animals on foot in the bush in Africa. She also loves to dive in tropical waters, travel to exotic places and especially to meet new people, but perhaps her greatest joy comes from spending time with family and friends around a table chatting and laughing whilst enjoying a bottle of Bordeaux wine and good French cuisine!