For 17 years, Honor McPhillips has been one of the first faces to welcome pupils, parents and visitors through the doors of Dame Allan’s Schools.
Whether offering reassurance to a new family, helping a pupil, organising transport for school trips or keeping the busy school day running smoothly, Honor has become a much-loved member of the Dame Allan’s community.
As she retires this summer, she will be remembered for her warmth, kindness and dedicated care.
She says: “It’s never really felt like work. I wouldn’t quite call it a hobby, but it’s close enough! I’ve been paid to do something I absolutely adore.”
Originally from County Waterford in Ireland, Honor and her husband, Tony, moved to the North East from London to raise their family. When looking for the right school for their two sons, Patrick and Johnny, they wanted an environment that would nurture the whole child. Their eldest son, Patrick, had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of six, making a safe and supportive environment a priority.
“We looked at lots of schools,” Honor recalls. “What stood out about Dame Allan’s was how caring and down-to-earth it felt. It was academically ambitious, but the focus was on developing the whole person. That was exactly what we wanted for our boys.”
Both sons flourished. Patrick went all the way through to the Sixth Form and now enjoys a successful career with Deloitte in London. Meanwhile, Johnny’s early passion for rugby—fostered on the school pitches—propelled him into a professional sporting career. Having played in both England and France, he has just signed for the Kintetsu Liners in Osaka, Japan.
Honor’s own staff journey began a few years after becoming a Dame Allan’s parent, when a friend spotted a newspaper advert for a receptionist.
“I hadn’t really been thinking about going back to work,” she says. “But my friend said, ‘You should go for that.’ I did, and I was absolutely thrilled when I got the job.”
In doing so, Honor became one of the very first parents to be taken on as a member of the support staff team. Joining in April 2009 as a Front of House receptionist, her role naturally evolved over nearly two decades into Office Administrator. She took on vital responsibilities for attendance, morning registration, and trip transport—becoming an indispensable part of the school’s daily operations. Yet, for Honor, it was always the people who made the job what it was.
“I’ve got the best job in the world,” she says. “Every day is completely different. You spend your time solving problems, reassuring people and working alongside fantastic colleagues.”
Over the years, Honor has become as fond of the North East as the community has of her. She laughs as she remembers her first week on the desk, when she gently tried to correct a pupil’s grammar, only to be politely informed it was a standard Geordie expression.
“I’ve loved learning all the local sayings,” she says. “Though my sisters back in Ireland now tell me that I sound like a Geordie!”
Honor says the greatest privilege has been safeguarding the school’s close-knit family ethos.
“You build real relationships with families over the years. Sometimes parents just need a bit of reassurance, especially when they’re brand new to the school environment,” she says. “Being able to tell them that we’re here for their children, and that they can always just pick up the phone, has meant the world to me.”
While she is looking forward to a very active retirement—with Spanish lessons, joining a choir, learning the piano, playing golf and tennis, and spending weekends at their place in the Lake District—saying goodbye will be bittersweet.
“I’ll miss the people most of all,” she confesses. “I’ll miss the laughter, the vibrant busyness and that wonderful feeling of everyone pulling together as a team.
“I’ve just been incredibly lucky. I’d like to thank everyone who has made my time here so fulfilling—the staff, the parents, and the pupils. They’ve all been so kind, so patient and so welcoming.”