I am delighted and proud to be the Headteacher at the City of Derby Academy. My educational philosophy is to provide all students with an engaging and enjoyable learning experience which will develop both academic and personal success. For this to happen, every decision I make as a school leader has to be for the benefit of every child.
I have been in education for nearly 20 years working in a variety of schools; starting from my training year in Sheffield to schools in Rotherham, Tamworth, Etwall and now Sinfin. I have been a Senior Leader since 2010, progressing to Deputy Headteacher in 2013 and a spell as Acting Headteacher before achieving my first substantive Headteacher post at the City of Derby Academy.
My job as Headteacher is the best in the world and I enjoy every day. Since joining the City of Derby Academy I am proud by the engagement, curiosity and passion of my students as well as the commitment and dedication of my staff whose ‘why’ is to improve the life chances for all of our students.
I also believe that academic outcomes are important, however, we should not measure the success of our students by their examination results alone. We should strive to develop skills such as self-confidence, self-belief and self-esteem so students are equipped to be successful in their next stages of life.