- Posted by: Educators Wales
Every pupil, every opportunity, every day: Leading with purpose.
Can you tell us a bit about your background and what inspired you to become a Headteacher?
I trained as a Secondary Mathematics Teacher in Oxford and spent the first few years of my career working in a Secondary Modern School in Princes Risborough teaching Maths. I then moved back to Wales in 2005 and worked in Ferndale Community School at the top end of the Rhondda Valley for over 13 years. During that time, I progressed from Second in Mathematics to Deputy Headteacher.
In 2017, I was appointed as the Executive Headteacher of Idris Davies School. The first English medium all age school to be opened in Wales following the amalgamation of two primary schools and a secondary school with over 900 pupils on roll.
I have always been passionate about making the difference to the lives of the pupils that we serve in our roles and ultimately, there can be no more rewarding a role than serving a school as headteacher and knowing the difference that you can make to learners and the whole community.
I have always been driven by the vision of creating a school environment where pupils are able to achieve the best version of themselves despite any barriers they may face. That they are provided with the provision, opportunities and experiences that broaden their horizons, raise their aspirations and allows them to develop into respectful, successful, thriving individuals who are proud of their heritage, proud of their community and proud to be themselves and what they have, and will achieve.
What do you love most about your role in education?
I consider myself to be incredibly lucky to be a headteacher and lead a whole school community in striving to achieve our best for the learners of our school. I truly believe that a school can only achieve its best for its learners by working in partnership with its local community.
The role of Headteacher is incredibly diverse, with no two days ever being the same. It is a genuine privilege in this role to be able to lead such diverse teams across so many aspects of the work of a school. To create the environment and opportunities to not only grow your learners within the school but also the staff who work with them and see all members of your community thrive, together.
What do you consider your greatest achievement as a Headteacher?
I would consider my greatest achievement as a Headteacher to have led the establishment of Idris Davies School 3 to 18. The amalgamation of three schools to create a new all age school provided us, as a community, with the unique opportunity to design and develop policies, systems and procedures that catered for the entire age range of pupils, and a curriculum that catered for the needs of all pupils across the entire learning continuum.
By the very nature of the school, in that it was the first 3 to 18 all age school in Wales, it drove all tiers of leadership at the school to be innovative in developing our practice, challenge the status quo and work closely with our cluster primary colleagues to design provision to fit the needs of our community.
What are the most rewarding aspects of your job?
The most rewarding aspect of the role is that you leave work on a daily basis knowing that you have made a difference.
It is very easy sometimes in our roles in education to become caught in the busyness of a school day, or term, and forget to reflect on the impact of our roles and what we have achieved collectively as a school community. The challenges that we face in education at present are substantial, but we must never lose focus or sight on our core purpose and that is striving to create the best learning environments for our pupils that cater for all of their needs.
There can be nothing more rewarding than being able to celebrate with pupils their successes knowing that their achievements have been made possible because of the care, support and guidance that your school community provides to support them in overcoming any barriers that they may face to achieve their best.
Can you share a particular moment or experience that stands out in your career?
There are so many moments and experiences from across my career that stand out for me. The key feature of all of them is being able to stand alongside you learners, their families and communities and celebrate with them their achievements and successes.
To feel the pride of knowing that they are where they are and have achieved what they have achieved because of the culture and community that the school wraps around them to foster their talents, support their needs and develop them as individuals that when they leave your school community will have the skills that allow them to lead successful lives where they will thrive and achieve what they are capable of achieving.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering a career in teaching?
To spend time in a school, with children and make sure that you are certain about wanting to teach. It is such an incredibly rewarding career but at times it can be challenging, it can be difficult and the learners that need you the most can sometimes be the hardest to reach.
It is the passion to make a difference to the lives of such children, through teaching, that will give you the determination and resilience to break down those barriers, build that trust with those hard-to-reach learners and make the difference to their lives, and allow them to strive for their best despite the challenges they may face in their lives.
What qualities and skills do you think are essential for success in the education sector?
Resilience, determination, empathy and the desire to make a difference.
The ability to listen to pupils, to understand their needs and to cater for these needs; it is only when we do these things that we build trust with our pupils, that they know that we care and want the best for them that we will ever actually be successful in our roles.
Teaching is all about relationships; about being the champion that some of our learners have never had, and possibly will never have, apart from the adult that support them, care for them and teach them in school. It is therefore essential that none of us in education underestimate the impact that we have, that we never underestimate the difference that we can make and that we make sure that the one chance that a child has at education is their best chance that sets them up effectively for the rest of their lives.
What do you think are the key qualities that led to you being awarded Headteacher of the year?
I have always been incredibly passionate about making a difference to the whole community that you serve as a Headteacher. That you take the time to listen to the needs of all your stakeholders and that you strive to cater for these needs through all that you have the power to make a difference to in your role as Headteacher.
It was such a privilege to be named as Headteacher of the Year, and I feel very proud and honoured to have received the award, but feel that is very much testament to the hard work and dedication of the teams that I have led, and the passion and determination that they have shown to make a difference to the lives of the pupils that we serve in order to achieve the school motto of providing every pupil, with every opportunity every day.
What are your future goals as an educator?
I have been fortunate enough to have been appointed as the new Headteacher of Aberdare Community School in the Cynon Valley. I very much look forward to working with the community in Aberdare to continue building on the excellent work that the school has already undertaken to make sure that we continue to meet the needs of our learners and excel in all aspects of our provision.
I think it is essential as leaders in education in Wales we hold the strong belief, and guiding principle, that we are all responsible for providing the best possible education for all learners in Wales. I look forward to continuing to further fostering collaborative relationships at Aberdare Community School with other schools across Wales to share and develop best practice to meet the needs of all of our learners.