Anam Cara: Who’s Who?

 

Frank and Sue McDermott are the co-founders of Anam Cara Educational Support which they created in October 2006. Blessed to have been married for thirty six years, Sue and Frank have four grown-up children and two grandchildren.

 

Anam Cara is a new creative ministry that offers to walk alongside professional colleagues in a spirit of positive and enthusiastic support, rooted in Christ. Anam is Gaelic for soul and cara is the Gaelic word for friend so ‘Anam Cara Educational Support’ attempts to be much more than an advisory service or a consultancy service. 

 

While Sue and Frank, and indeed other colleagues do offer advice and consultancy, they try to offer a deeper sense of professional and pastoral companionship.  They see ‘Anam Cara’ in all its work as nurturing human wholeness through professional and pastoral support rooted in Jesus Christ.  They both acknowledge that there is no distinction between the sacred and the ordinary and therefore all courses, conferences, retreats, pilgrimages, CPD opportunities and school visits are rooted in their Catholic Christian Faith.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having taught in both primary and secondary schools, Frank specialised in SEN and was Head of the Doncaster Teaching Support Service before being appointed headteacher of a Catholic Primary School in Doncaster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank retains an advisory/consultancy role with the Diocese of Hallam. He also acts as facilitator on a number of diocesan and north-east regional courses, including having responsibility for an NCSL / CES funded website at  www.nedfos.org.

 

He is Director of the well-respected and popular North-East Diocesan Sabbatical Programme which is now in its eighth year. Seventy five headteachers and twenty nine long serving members of staff have thus far experienced sabbatical.

 

Frank’s grandmother is in the Guinness Book of Records! He is a Trustee of Rainbows, founder of Encircling Publications, is co-author of ‘Communities of Hope: Developing Collaborative Ministry in the Local Church’ and has a passion for Catholic education. He is currently preparing a Prayer Journal for publication. He also loves red wine!

 

Frank and/or Sue may be contacted on 01302 846532 or at anam.cara@btconnect.com

 

 

 

 

Sue taught in two primary schools in Manchester and Darlington prior to taking time out as a full-time mum.  When not teaching full-time, Sue was also a ‘Brown Owl’ for a large Brownie group, a parish catechist, and facilitated a parent and toddler group.  As the children grew older she worked part-time as a special needs teacher, specialising in autism and had responsibility for adult literacy in Doncaster.  On returning to full-time teaching Sue taught for a time with Frank before being appointed deputy head in a Doncaster school. 

Prior to creating Anam Cara with Frank, Sue was a well known and respected headteacher of a Catholic Primary School set in a mining community in North Nottinghamshire.

 

Sue retains her role as parish catechist and also works part-time as a Development Worker for Rainbows South Yorkshire, a bereavement support programme for children and young people. She began playing the piano in 2004 and is a keen ‘quilter’.

After eight years service as headteacher, Frank worked nationally for two years as the Professional Development Officer for the Catholic Education Service (CES). In 1994 he was appointed Director of Schools for the Diocese of Hallam, a post he held for twelve years, until September 2006.  As Director of Schools, he had a wide brief, covering all aspects of a diocesan education service including responsibility of the Diocesan Inspection Service, religious education and the formation of staff.

Anam Cara Educational Support

                                                                                                                                                                                                 "no distinction between the sacred and the ordinary"