The Headmaster, colleagues and pupils pay tribute to our trail-blazing Head of Learning Enrichment, Sarah Codacci Pisanelli who sadly passed away over the Christmas holidays.
I was devastated by the news of the tragic and premature death of Sarah Codacci Pisanelli over the Christmas holidays and I’m sure many Harrodian parents, pupils and staff, past and present, will share my sadness. For eight years until her retirement last summer, Sarah was both the Head and the beating heart of Harrodian’s Learning Enrichment team. But her close and productive relationship with the school went back much further than that.
As a parent (with husband Giulio) of three Harrodian boys – Cosimo, Matteo and Riccardo – Sarah quickly made a big impression on all of us in the early 2000s as a thoughtful and dynamic Committee Member of the Harrodian School Parents’ Association. Trained in the world of finance, Sarah decided to refocus her talents on education by training in the ‘noughties’ as a Special Educational Needs (SEN) specialist. When, as a newly qualified teacher, she asked me if she might be able to help our Learning Support team out, I was delighted to take up her offer.
Whenever a child she knew was taking part in an extracurricular activity, he or she was sure to find Sarah standing on the touch line or sitting in the front row offering visible support.
James Hooke
The impact of her arrival was immediate. Working initially as a part-time SEN Co-ordinator in the Prep and Pre Prep, Sarah quickly found herself more and more in demand and her skills and personality made her the natural choice when in 2014 we were recruiting a leader for our expanded Learning Enrichment team. Highly intelligent and shrewd and equipped with a sharp sense of humour, Sarah was, as the tributes of her team attest (see below) a ‘fountain of knowledge of all things SEN’ and she had a special talent for unpicking the diverse intellectual and emotional conundrums that can hold young people back in the modern world.
All her wisdom was complemented by the supportive warmth and kindness she brought to her relationships with colleagues, parents and, above all to pupils. Down the years, I was always struck by how often she went out of her way to support her pupils beyond the learning environment. As the pupil tributes below illustrate, whenever a child she knew was taking part in an extracurricular activity – public speaking, sport or a dance show – he or she was sure to find Sarah standing on the touch line or sitting in the front row offering visible support.
Our Learning Enrichment Department continues to reflect the strengths and values Sarah championed, nurtured and epitomised
James Hooke
Today under the superb leadership of her successor Ruth Andrews, our Learning Enrichment Department continues to reflect the strengths and values Sarah championed, nurtured and epitomised. It remains a special corner of our friendly school, a place in which pupils can find specialist help to discover their individual strengths and to achieve their best. We have Sarah to thank for that and we will be using the special assemblies scheduled for next month both to commemorate her passing and to celebrate her special legacy.
Special assemblies to celebrate the life of Sarah Codacci Pisanelli will be held in the Theatre later in the spring term. Dates will be confirmed as soon as possible and parents will be welcome to attend.
She was a fountain of knowledge of all things SEN and was always our first port of call for advice, support and leadership
Learning Enrichment team members
Harrodian Learning Enrichment team
Sarah was very self-effacing and hated being in the limelight, she was incredibly thoughtful and always took the time to listen. She was a fountain of knowledge of all things SEN and was always our first port of call for advice, support and leadership.
The pupils were always at the heart of everything she did. She championed all our neurodiverse students and was their biggest advocate.
She had a super power - a natural instinct to really understand a child and see the parts that are hidden to everyone else.
Erica Torres, Learning Enrichment teacher
Erica Torres, former Harrodian Learning Enrichment teacher
Sarah was the mega brain that we all adored. She had a super power - a natural instinct to really understand a child and see the parts that are hidden to everyone else. If you think you understand a child, then you went and spoke to Sarah and she would suggest something you hadn’t thought of. It was a privilege to work under her wing.
We clicked immediately. She was so good at listening that I didn’t have to explain myself at all. She just got it.
Artemis, Lower Sixth Former
Artemis, Lower Sixth Former
Mrs Codacci became my mentor when I started GCSE year. We clicked immediately. She was so good at listening that I didn’t have to explain myself at all, she just got it. We had a very close relationship which we maintained on email even after she left the school. She came to watch when I played cricket on the Harrodian pitch and she sent three letters by post to support me in the run up to my GCSEs. We only worked together for a year but over that time I grew to know that she really cared about me. That’s a really great, special feeling to have.
Lucy Thomas, Head of English
In the English department we all knew Sarah to be awesome but I think we only just realised what a superwoman she was after she retired in the summer and the sheer amount of what she achieved on a daily basis came to light. She successfully juggled a huge variety of jobs whilst still being the most stylish and chic member of staff and her ability to find the fun in even the most trying of times was an enviable skill. Her devotion and admirable commitment to making sure every pupil achieved their best and got the support they needed knew no bounds. We will remember her for being a figurehead for Harrodian values, an inspirational colleague and a fantastic friend.
We will remember her for being a figurehead for Harrodian values, an inspirational colleague and a fantastic friend.
Lucy Thomas, Head of English
Jessie, Lower Sixth Former
Mrs Codacci struck the perfect balance between strictness and fun and that made the Learning Support department a lovely relaxing place where you felt you could just be yourself… She made you feel that she cared personally about you as a person. I told her I was performing in the dance show one year and she promised to come along and watch. And on the night there she was in the front row…
She made the Learning Support department a lovely relaxing place where you felt you could just be yourself
Jessie, Lower Sixth Former
Sophia, 15s pupil
Mrs Codacci was someone who really positively impacted my education, and shaped aspects of my working life with encouraging words which will stay with me forever. Her loss will cause much grief as she helped and cared for so many students at our school, as well as me. I am looking forward to remembering her life in our special assemblies. She was a great teacher who deserves to be honoured and celebrated for the difference she made for so many.
She was a great teacher who deserves to be honoured and celebrated for the difference she made for so many.
Sophia, 15s Pupil