PUBLISHED 11 January 2024
Warm tributes have been paid to Frances Thompson, a former teacher at Queen Mary School in Lytham, who has died at the age of 75.
Frances, a native of Dewsbury in Yorkshire, trained as a primary school teacher at Bishop Grosseteste College in Lincoln. After a first teaching post in Birmingham, she joined the staff of Lytham’s Queen Mary School in 1975. She spent the whole of her career as a class teacher in the junior school until her retirement in 2012.
Julian Wilde, the first Principal of King Edward and Queen Mary School following their amalgamation in 1999, greatly admired Mrs Thompson for her individualistic style of teaching.
“Frances was firm but fair, so that the pupils in her year six class always knew where they stood with her. They respected and loved her very much, as did all her teaching colleagues.
I especially valued her forthright views at the demanding time when the two single-sex schools came together when, as the NUT union representative, she always spoke up eloquently and effectively for the welfare and needs of her colleagues.”
John Rice and Ann Nowell, the joint Heads of the KEQMS Junior School, said that Fran Thompson was a tireless worker for the School.
“Fran organised numerous adventures for year six pupils, especially school trips to France, Holland and Belgium. Each was carefully planned with her husband Brian.
Everyone will remember her crazy Christmas classroom too, adorned with flashing desk top lights, a large inflatable snowman and mountains of tinsel.
She was always full of love and concern for her pupils and followed their later successes in GCSE and A level exams with great pride.”
Frances Thompson’s funeral will be at Lytham Crematorium on Wednesday 24th January at 1.15pm, followed by a reception at Fylde Rugby Club.