The role of a secondary school chaplain could appear from the outside to be hectic and daunting, particularly in an era of social media and budgetary challenges.
This is by no means the perspective of Mark Pimlott, Open Academy’s long-serving Chaplain, who keeps his ministry straightforward: no matter your role in the school community or the severity of a problem, he’s available.
While confidential chats can take place in his office located at the heart of the modern Open Academy building, which was officially designated a Church of England school in 2024, the entire site is his pastoral domain – or further afield when he is drafted in as auxiliary minibus driver for school trips!
“I’ve had really important conversations in stairwells, in the car park; just by being in the right place at the right time,” Mark explained as he discussed his approach to chaplaincy.
Having trained as a mechanical engineer, Mark’s career led him to the innovative Open Road Norfolk alternative provision – a specialist automotive workshop and training facility that provided young people with a safe place to learn in a way that best suited them.
Much of what he took from that role he now practices at Open Academy, in a chaplaincy role he’s held for 12 years.
“A lot of the students are at an age which can be a teetering point, where they could head in one of two directions. My role, as I see it, is to help them realise they are better than they might think, smarter than they might think and, most importantly, that they are loved and cared for.”