March 2013

The know zone

  • Level heads
    The courts may have their work cut out coming to terms with the complexities of legal agreements regarding academies. Richard Bird investigates... More
  • Fiscal focus
    In tempestuous  nancial times, it pays to focus on a few, pragmatic aims while the storm of cuts, initiatives and other upheavals rages on, says Sam Ellis. More
  • A golden opportunity?
    Of all the issues facing schools and colleges, accountability continues to be the thorniest and least understood by government, says Brian Lightman. More
  • Lead vocals
    Quotes from Robert Jarvik, Tom Peters, Thomas Edison, Ken Blanchard and Robert Allen More
  • Reviewing the Situation
    As Fagin contemplated his future in Oliver! he wondered how he might ‘win friends and influence people’. Today’s school leaders will recognise some similar dilemmas. More
  • A baptism of fire
    Linda Rodham became head of Wellfi eld Community School in Wingate, County Durham in January 2012 and found herself under pressure from the word go. More
  • Degrees of separation
    Do you welcome the government’s proposal requiring new teachers to have at least a 2.2 degree, or do you think it could restrict who enters the profession and that it could have an adverse effect on future teacher numbers? Here, leaders share their views. More
  • Simply Brilliant!
    The Brilliant Club widens access to top universities for outstanding students from non-selective state schools. More
  • Adding value
    Headaches, often associated with stress, are suffered by us all at one time. Usually characterised by a constant ache on one or both sides of the head, mostly, they are benign, and more simply irritating and disruptive to our daily life. However, when a headache persists, or is accompanied by other symptoms, you should seek the advice of a GP. More
  • Leaders' surgery
    The antidote to common leadership conundrums... More
Bookmark and Share

Linda Rodham became head of Wellfi eld Community School in Wingate, County Durham in January 2012 and found herself under pressure from the word go.

A baptism of fire...

What’s your school like?

When I arrived it was a failing, really run-down school that had fallen out of favour with the community and the roll had dropped from 1,000 to 648. But attainment has risen and I want it to become a first-choice school and a centre for excellence and community activity. We are undergoing a £7.5m refurbishment under Building Schools for the Future (BSF).

You’ve seen quite a bit of Ofsted

On day six of my new headship the school had a no-notice section 8 inspection on the new January framework. Then in September, six days into the new term, I had a call to say a section 5 inspection on the new September framework would begin the following day. Results had improved in my first two terms but progress and attainment in GCSE English and maths remained below national averages for the fifth successive year and the school was put in the ‘serious weaknesses’ category.

Is that why you became an academy?

I found out that it was government policy to force schools in a category to become sponsored academies, even though Ofsted had vindicated my approach and strongly noted the strength of senior leadership and management. It seemed incredible that I could lose my autonomy as a headteacher, or worse, after just two terms. A solution came from the local authority (LA), me and an outstanding school in the county. We will be a sponsored academy, but with partners who have confidence in us to continue the rapid improvements we have started.

You have a habit of joining troubled schools. Do you need the challenge of turning a place around?

It’s an important factor, yes; no one should have to travel miles to attend a good school, and living in a non-affluent area should not mean your local school is not a good one.

One of your community projects is a football academy. How does that work?

We use the academy, run by former Sunderland player Martin Gray, to raise sporting and educational aspirations and to improve behaviour. The students get to play football, meet the players, watch big games and receive professional coaching but, in return, they have to do their homework and behave positively. Boots have to be cleaned properly and they have to look smart all the time. That’s had an impact on school uniform and the overall effect has been massively positive.

Did you always want to be a teacher?

I didn’t come into the profession until I was in my thirties. I had my family quite young and worked briefly for BT and the civil service but I hated office work. I played some sport and coached netball at a local comprehensive and became interested in school life. Within seven years of starting, I was an assistant head.

And two of your three children are now teachers

I didn’t actively encourage them. If anything, the long hours I always work should have put them off but it didn’t. At home, we always emphasised the importance of education. A lot of my students don’t get that kind of support and if we don’t help and give them the best advice, who will?

  • Interview by John Holt

Pro.file

Do you know an ASCL member with an unusual story, interesting background or exceptional achievement to share? If you’d like to recommend someone else or yourself to appear in a future profile, email leader@ascl.org.uk

Linda Rodham

LEADING READING