Patricia Robson, a devoted primary school teacher, published poet, and ardent supporter of the BBC and the European Union, has died from cancer at the age of 83. Known for her socialist principles and as a loyal Guardian reader, Robson's career flourished during an era when educators were granted significant creative freedom.
A Life Dedicated to Education and Storytelling
Born in Raynes Park, south-west London, to Marion (née Pasby) and transport manager William James, Robson attended Tolworth Girls' School before training at Gloucester Teacher Training College, now part of the University of Gloucester, from 1961 to 1964. Her first teaching post was at Sherwood Park infant and junior schools in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where she worked from 1964 until 1977.
A natural wordsmith, she had a gift for capturing compelling phrases, which she wove into her storytelling and poetry. In the 1970s, she pioneered an innovative approach to drama, gathering a group of Kent teachers to form 'The Tree of Tales'. This collective would visit schools after hours, staging improvised historical dramas with children on themes like the Pilgrim Fathers and the Peasants' Revolt, guided by a narrator.
A Varied Career and Creative Retirement
After her initial role, Robson served as a peripatetic drama teacher for Kent for two years. She subsequently taught at Horsmonden primary (1979-82) and Rusthall primary (1982-85), before becoming deputy head at West Kingsdown primary (1985-88). Her expertise led to her appointment as the national curriculum advisory teacher for Kent County Council from 1988 to 1992, followed by a decade as its teaching course leader.
In retirement, her creativity continued to shine. She developed a captivating one-person show for schools, where she would appear as a sleeping figure under an embroidered bedspread filled with story-provoking objects. She also led poetry groups for people with dementia and their carers, and was a central figure in the University of the Third Age poetry group in Mayfield, East Sussex.
Literary Legacy and Personal Life
Robson published five volumes of poetry. Her final poem was composed orally in the Hospice in the Weald, dictated to a nurse after she lost the ability to write. The nurse recalled Robson stating during a pause, "Just because my eyes are closed doesn't mean I'm not busy thinking."
Her first husband, sculptor John Robson, whom she married in 1965, died in 1987. She later met her second husband through a mutual friend in 1990, and they married on her birthday in 2019. Her writing room was filled with books, her first husband's sculptures, and paintings by her son, Jake.
Patricia Robson is survived by her husband, her son Jake, and her two granddaughters, Jamila and Xanthe.
