Interview with the Headmaster


What motivated you to become a teacher? I didn’t plan to be a teacher, it sort of happened by accident. I wanted to join the army but my Mother was very anti the idea because it was at the time of the North- ern Ireland conflict. I loved playing sport so I went to Loughborough Colleges, as it was then, where I became an international in two sports, and then drifted into teaching!


Describe a normal day I live on site and I get up before 6.00am and am in my office between 6.30am and 7.00am. I may have meetings at 7.30am and I try to spend some time on the car park meeting children and parents as they arrive. I meet with my PA every morning at 8.30am and then go to assembly. The mornings are often taken up with prospective parents, chatting to them and taking them on a tour around the school. I try to visit the staffroom at break to chat to staff and have a coffee with them – time doesn’t always allow this however! I eat with the children at lunchtime and am slowly learning their names – something I have tried to do in every school I have been Headmaster in. Afternoons may be taken up with more meetings with perhaps the Bursar or the Marketing Manager, the Nursery Manager, Head of Pre-Prep or members of the Governing body. I may take time for lesson observations or job interviews if we are recruiting. I’ll go back onto the car park to see children and parents as they leave. We often have academic or management meetings from 4.00pm onwards and when most people have gone home I try and do some work and clear my desk before returning to the Lodge at 7.00pm.


Can you let us into a funny moment It wasn’t funny at the time. I was a very young teacher and had taken a group of 45 14 and 15 year old boys on a lacrosse trip to USA with 4 other members of staff. We were on a train going down from New York to Miami to spend a few days resting before returning home and with scant regard for health and safety (no-one had ever heard of it) all five members of staff went down to the dining car together for lunch leaving no-one in charge if the pupils. We were sitting eating and chatting when, looking out of the window, we saw half of the train – the half that the boys were sitting in, - sail past our half, overtake it and veer off on to a different line! It was quite some time before the two halves were married up again, time spent wondering how we were going to explain how we had lost 45 teenage boys!


Most inspirational teacher you have ever encountered Was a young PE teacher who came to teach for just 3 years when I started Stockport Grammar School, Sid McDougall.


What would you like to say to parents who are considering their child’s future education? Visit the schools, talk to staff and children and go with your gut reaction about whether your child would be happy in that environment. Happy children learn well.


Where do you eat out? We spend a lot of time in Padstow and have systematically worked our way through all of Rick Stein’s eating places – as well as some of the other restaurants there. At home in Northamptonshire we sometimes eat in the Windmill at Badby – or have an Indian take away from this super place in Daventry.


What music do you listen to in the car? I like listening to 5Live radio – news and sports reports. If I do listen to music it’s 60s or 70s stuff!


Which place in the world you like your children to visit? I have no particular place I would say visit, but I do think it’s important for children to go away with school on trips to get them used to being away from home and their mums and dads, but in a safe secure situation with friends and teachers. At Hallfield we take two year groups away. One to Cranedale in Yorkshire and the other to an outdoor pursuits centre in Wales.


It’s amazing watching the children learn to stand on their own feet and grow in confidence.


2009-2010


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