Meet the teacher - Miss Gregson, ICT & Computing

Miss Gregson is a former Priory pupil and now is a teacher here, looking to transform lives as Mr Watters changed hers!

Miss Gregson was part of Class of 1998 and acknowledges that Priory’s transformation from then to now is unrecognisable. She said she was definitely a student who had a lot going on outside of school but Mr Watters, her Head of Year and long-serving Geography teacher who retired last summer, had a big say in changing her life.

Miss Gregson said: “Mr Watters told me that I wasn’t leaving school without any GCSEs! I have never forgotten him saying ‘no one knocks on your door and gives you a good life, you have to go out and get it’. I didn’t particularly enjoy the time spent catching up on coursework, but had no idea at the time the impact of having GCSEs would have on my life.” 

After leaving Priory, Miss Gregson has had a varied career. “Initially I trained as a secretary at Runshaw College and did office work for over a decade, working in Children’s Services, amongst other places. 

“I did a degree in Computer Science while working full-time and actually completed my dissertation in Australia where I was travelling at the time”.  

She said, “Taking myself out of my comfort zone has definitely been a common theme in my life and one that I hope to share with students at Priory.

“I came back to the UK and, while working in Children’s Services, took the opportunity of volunteering at two youth groups. I loved it and went on to complete my PGCE at Edge Hill University.

“I met my partner whilst I was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean and have never looked back. We now have two beautiful boys who definitely keep us busy. Being a mum helps me provide a healthy work-life balance.

“I knew we needed to be closer to my support network in Preston towards the end of my second maternity leave, as I had been teaching down in Somerset. My best friend sent me the job advert for Priory, that they were looking for a Computing, Business and IT teacher - and I applied. To be back at Priory as a teacher just blows my mind! 

“As a young person, it is really easy to say the things you are going to do in life. As an adult, you realise that opportunities come your way and it is your choice whether you take them. As it turns out, Mr Watters’ advice all those years ago, has actually been very relevant in my life.

“There are some fantastic opportunities on offer for young people today, especially women. Mrs Qadri and I are both so excited about the new ventures we are working on for our pupils. We both want to inspire them to get involved with STEM-related careers and we thrive on providing an environment where they can explore this.”