Carin Messent Obituary
Carin Messent, my wife, passed away at the age of 59 due to a stroke. She was an outstanding English teacher and eventually became the Head of Carlton Academy in Nottingham before progressing to the Director of School Improvement and Quality Assurance at the Redhill Academy Trust.
Carin was an influential figure in schools and made a lasting impression on her students. She was able to communicate with them in a respectful manner, and her competency and fairness towards both pupils and staff were commendable. Everyone respected and admired Carin for her wonderful personality and genuine warmth.
Born in Bristol to Michael Davis, an engineer at Rolls-Royce, and Judy Holbrook, a housewife. As a child, Carin was independent, spending her time roaming around, swimming confidently in rivers, playing in the woods and exploring the quarry nearby. This adventurous spirit and self-reliance manifested in her entire life.
At 16, Carin left Chipping Sodbury School and joined Barclays Bank as a cashier for 18 months. Later on, Carin began training to become a nurse at the Bath Royal United Hospital. However, she ended her training early to get married and moved to Nottingham. After a short-lived marriage, she returned to banking as a clerk with the Trustee Savings Bank where she met her second husband, Steve Jones.
Carin went back to school to take A-levels as an evening student; then, she later studied English at the University of Nottingham, where we met in 1993. We got married in 1994, following her divorce from her previous marriage.
Carin started teaching English at Wheldon School (now Carlton Academy) in Nottingham and progressively became the Assistant Head in 2010, the Deputy Head in 2013 and finally the Head of the school in 2016. After retiring from her position, she took up the role of a part-time Director of School Improvement and Quality Assurance at the Redhill Academy Trust in Nottinghamshire. Carin was renowned for providing excellent care and support to both staff and pupils. Her infectious laughter filled the room wherever she went.
Carin is survived by her mother, her two daughters (Ella from her first marriage and Leah from her second), my two children (William and Alice), five grandchildren (Violet, Kit, Louis, Ben, and Harry), and me.
