Janette Ratcliffe our fantastic Foundation Archivist for the past four and a half years has moved on to pastures new. Janette left us last week for a full-time post at De Montfort University as an Information Governance Officer

Janette has been with the Foundation since August 2017 during which time she has dealt with a vast range of internal and external archive enquiries from past pupils, teachers and people associated with all of the Foundation schools. She was instrumental in setting up Epexio, the Foundation’s online catalogue of archive resources and digitising parts of the collection to enable much wider access for the community.

Her outreach work included work for the 70th Anniversary of the Crescent School, Heritage Open Days (including building a pandemic lockdown new virtual tour), St Mary’s Priory reunions, virtual reunions with former pupils in the USA and North America, Hong Kong and the Far East and Spanish pupils and the upcoming 75th Anniversary Open House at Crackley Hall. Janette has worked with a number of departments - Outdoor Education, History and RS - supporting teaching and learning through the Archives and her input and support for Development and Marketing has been most valuable.

But perhaps what Janette will be remembered best for, is her Twitter feed, @PFdn_Archives, fascinating, absorbing, engaging, always full of interest and surprise. Many of us have enjoyed her wonderful forays into the photos, artefacts and history of the Foundation’s schools. Her Twitter ramblings have engaged and encouraged interest in the archives for us all.

We are enormously grateful to Janette for all the work she has done for us and wish her all the very best for the future and in her new role. She will be much missed but as with all who leave us, she now joins our alumni community and we look forward to engaging with her in new ways over the coming years. 

As for her Twitter feed well we plan to keep that going so do follow @PFdn_Archives for insights into the Foundation's past!