Mr Green - An exceptional and inspirational teacher, sadly missed
13 November 2026
Mr Iain Green, our much loved Curriculum Team Leader for Physics sadly passed away on Saturday 7th November, following a courageous 7 year battle with cancer.
Mr Green joined Stroud High School in 2003 as a Physics teacher and became Curriculum Team Leader for Physics in 2009. During more than two decades of service to the school, he touched the lives of thousands of students and made an immeasurable contribution to our community.
He was an exceptional and inspirational teacher. To students, he was a true original, a one off. With his enthusiasm, curiosity and ever so slightly "mad scientist" approach, he made learning feel like an adventure. His love of Physics was infectious, but it was his genuine care for young people and his commitment to helping them flourish that made him such a special teacher. Students and colleagues alike loved being in his company.
You were as likely to see him racing down the school drive on a bicycle, cheered on by students timing and calculating his speed, as you were to find him launching flying eggs across the field. Every activity was rooted in science, but more importantly, every activity drew students in, from the reluctant physicist to the budding expert. This was his gift.
He wanted the abstraction and complexity of his subject to be real to his students. He regularly brought engineers and industry specialists into school, creating opportunities for students to connect their learning with the working world. Over the years, hundreds of students presented their work to teams of local companies as part of their Bronze, Silver and Gold CREST Awards. Even during the later stages of his cancer treatment, he continued to support a group of Year 13 students working towards their Gold CREST Award.
He carried his own intellect with remarkable lightness. Students were often unaware that they were grappling with some of the most complex scientific concepts because he made learning feel so natural, so enjoyable.
And then there was his sense of fun. He would arrive at the Sixth Form Prom dressed as a Victorian gentleman, complete with top hat and tails, while his annual Darth Vader costume for World Book Day became a tradition (we never got to the bottom of what book it was). Our community has always prized warmth, humour and a sense of fun, it is because of people like Mr Green. He lived those values. There was nothing performative about his eccentricity, nothing affected, he was simply and authentically himself, and we adored him for it.
More than anything, though, Mr Green was one of the warmest and most positive people you could ever hope to meet. He had a remarkable ability to bring light into a room and to find joy and possibility in whatever he was doing. His wife, Becks maintained that his passion for teaching, and his sense of wonder about the world, never diminished throughout his illness. The world needs more people like Mr Green.
For those of us fortunate enough to have worked alongside him, we will remember Mr Green not only for what he did, but for who he was. He was kind, generous, fun, passionate and, above all, utterly authentic. He made our school a better place, and he leaves behind a legacy in the countless young people and colleagues whose lives are richer for having known him.
A tribute page dedicated to Iain's memory is available HERE.
