Headteacher Jonathan Mellor says he loves being on ASCL Council. Here, he shares his passion for school leadership, Council, and all things sport.

Smiles all round

Tell us about your role 

This is my 17th year as headteacher of Limehurst Academy, an 11-16 school in the heart of Loughborough town centre in Leicestershire. It's a great school with lots of cultural diversity, and it's also a happy and successful school, despite having a high proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and higher than average numbers of students with SEND. We constantly encourage students to choose to be positive, and we all try to model this. The best compliment I ever had was from a visitor who said that we were "the smiliest school that she had been in". 

Why did you decide to become an ASCL Council member? 

I am into my third year as Chair of the Conditions and Employment committee. I love being on this committee, which I consider to be the trade union arm of ASCL, where we represent members' interests. There is always plenty to discuss as we try to shape ASCL policy in order to improve members' pay and conditions. 

Current hot topics for us include the Employment Rights Bill, which is reaching its final stages in Parliament, and the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, currently in the House of Lords. Both of these will have huge implications for ASCL members. We will also be preparing ASCL's response to this year's School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) remit letter. 

One of the 'perks' of being chair of the committee is that I am part of the ASCL delegation, which gives oral evidence to the STRB committee. This is quite daunting, but also very satisfying knowing that you are acting in the best interests of our 25,000 members. 

Why did you decide to get into teaching/leadership? 

I didn't always want to be a teacher by any means, but once I found teaching, I knew it was the vocation for me. I have been lucky to work in some brilliant schools, with some wonderful people. My leadership journey has very much been about being in the right place at the right time, but I do love being a headteacher because it allows you to have an impact on such a large number of staff and young people. 

How do you like to unwind? 

I'm a bit of a sports nut and play football a couple of times each week. I also enjoy watching live sport. I have season tickets at Leicester City Football Club and Leicestershire County Cricket Club, but I also enjoy watching rugby, basketball, athletics - anything really. Watching an Ashes test in Australia, and travelling to watch the British & Irish Lions play in the southern hemisphere, are both firmly on my bucket list. 

Tell us an interesting fact about you or your school 

Limehurst Academy serves quite a large Bangladeshi community, and the first footballer of Bangladeshi origin to play in the Premier League, Hamza Choudhury, is a former Limehurst student. 

What's your favourite book and film of all time and why? 

I'm a bit of a horror buff, so both would probably come from that genre. I'd say my favourite book is The Stand by Stephen King. My favourite era of horror movies is the supernatural movies of the 1970s and 1980s so, I'd probably go for The Omen as my favourite if I had to pick one. 

What advice would you give to someone new to leadership? 

First, look after yourself. You're never going to be at your best if you're not doing that. Second, look after your staff. If they feel valued, appreciated, and cared for, then they'll pass that same care on to your students. 

ASCL Council 

For more details on how you can become a Council member, please email ASCL Deputy Director of Policy Julia Harnden at Julia.Harnden@ascl.org.uk For further information, see www.ascl.org.uk/council

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