Local schools, by our experience, are often defensive and are not generally known for their openness. Waterman School is a shining exception to this and over the last four years we have been struck not only by their willingness to share but also the enthusiasm that has been shown at all levels of staff as well as parents and pupils we have talked to. Back in February we talked to Mrs. Welch who was also doubling as executive head of Stambridge Primary. As has almost become a habit we caught up with Rachel again to do a catch-
“A Place to Watch” -
Rochford Life: Rachel thank you for making time to see me at this very busy time of the year, coming up to the end of the Summer Term. How has the year gone?
Rachel: I think I knew we were going to go through big changes with taking on Stambridge as part of the new academy. Obviously in January to February, we were still working with Essex, then came the change to the academy in February, working with a new governing body and ensuring we were fully staffed ready for September, and so it has been managing that. It’s been a full year!
RL: So Stambridge has featured rather high on your agenda this year?
Rachel: Well yes. The recruitment has been quite time consuming. Of course we are now into another change because my role as head teacher across both schools has ended because Mr. Faris is going to be in there as head of school so I can step back and be more strategic rather then only dealing with the day to day things.
RL: Do you see any parallel between what you went through five or six years back and what is now happening with Stambridge?
Rachel: Yes, definitely, but I think Stambridge will be much easier because we haven’t got the high level of deprivation there that we had here and also you haven’t got that ten year period that Doggets had going in and out of special measures; we haven’t got that history, so I think Stambridge will be that much easier to turn around. High quality teachers will also help to raise standards quickly?
RL: You have all the teachers in there that you need now?
Rachel: We have. We are fully staffed in both schools now. In fact it is the first year at Waterman that we have retained all our staff so we don’t have any changes, so we are actually doing a lot of things now that we often have to wait until the new term to do so, for instance, we have just reviewed our behaviour policy. A few little niggles came up in the School Improvement questionnaires that have been out and back again and analysed. There were a few things that we can tackle this side of the break rather than waiting until September and that is the first time ever here that that has happened, so that’s really good. This means we know where we are and what we have got to work on already here while we get on and work with Mr. Faris, the new head of school at Stambridge. Mr Faris has also completed an analysis of questionnaires from Stambridge and has started to gather ideas for school improvement there.
RL: So there’s a certain parallel running between the two schools?
Rachel: Yes, he’s sent out his questionnaires and we’ve had a look at those, building on what was already started and it was pleasing to see that when they came back things that we had put in place – the new policies, the clubs, the new things that we’d introduced – were really positive, so it is building on those now and obviously getting the standards up and so on. We’ve got a good team there and so I think it will be quicker, and with the publicity it will be a case of getting people back. As with Waterman a lot of good publicity will be needed to show what a good school Stambridge is.
RL: So you sound very positive about Stambridge?
Rachel: Oh yes, there is a lot going for it. Small class sizes for the time being can be advantageous, and I’ve said where we can we must do things across the two schools and build on that even more. We have been doing some things together already and that has been good. I’m sure it won’t take very long, unlike here, to get it back up again.
RL: So what will be your numbers here in September?
Rachel: Well, we will be losing 11 going up and we have 15 coming in again we will be over a hundred. I keep saying to people, we went down to 31 here but it shows it can change. I have written to the parents over there and said how brilliant the children have been with their resilience in coping with all that has gone on this year and all the changes. There have been some key parents there who have been supportive and I’m sure they all want it to do well and that’s what we have to continue building on.
RL: And you have a new head lined up for Stambridge.
Rachel: Yes, I’ve got to know Lee through the Trust as he is working at Briscoe currently. We’re in touch every day about lots of different things. He is very enthusiastic and he really wants it to work and it’s his first headship so he’s got a lot riding on it as well. He’s young and very enthusiastic and has lots of energy to drive it forward and has lots of different ideas. He went to visit a very small school with only two classes locally that was ‘outstanding’ and he’s got lots of feedback from there, because that was one of the options earlier on with the difficulties in recruiting, to go to two classes. Financially that would have been a lot better for the school but both of us didn’t feel that was right. When it does start improving and numbers are increasing again, there would be nowhere to put them then, so you have to think for the future as well. Hopefully it will one day go to four classes as we have here, and that’s what we’re aiming for.
RL: Not just in the surviving but growing business then!
Rachel: Well yes. We’ve actually put in a bid for our own Nursery here. The postcode here shows that 40% of children still haven’t got a Nursery place so there is definitely a need in the area. We’ve had some building quotes in for out the front of the school so parents can easily drop off their children. If a decision comes through in the next couple of months it might be next Christmas or Easter that it could be up and running.
RL: May I ask, has your role working with Stambridge meant that you have had to step back from your role here in this school? Have you had to hand over the reins so to speak, to others here?
Rachel: I haven’t really. Some of the day to day stuff Jane, the Assistant Head, has taken on, although she’s new to leadership herself this year as she’s new to the school, and also her class was particularly demanding in a variety of ways. Next year will be easier. Going forward in September I probably will be delegating more to her then as it will be her second year in, she will have got to know the families a lot more and will have gained confidence in herself. Because Stambridge will have a new head of school role, it will mean I won’t be doing as much of the things I have been doing and so I will have more time with Jane here with a bit more of a mentoring role than I have been able to do previously. We would also like to develop Parent Councils for both schools which we hope will help.
RL: So you must be looking forward to the new school year?
Rachel: Yes, very much. A new door is opening at Stambridge with the new staff that are there and they’re fully committed to driving it forward. The governance is nearly there but we are still looking for a parent to be on the governors there and here. With a new Parent Council in the layer below that, that should help because when it was working well previously, for instance with the behaviour policy, we asked for their thoughts as parents and that to me was very useful.
RL: So for here at Waterman next year, what are your hopes?
Rachel: Definitely to raise the SATS results. That’s going to be quite challenging because all the targets are increasing, as you may have heard on the news, and with a new curriculum, the year 5’s will sit the new SATS tests. It will be not so much levels as percentage of children who are on track where they should be for their age and that may be quite difficult because we know many of our children come in at lower levels. That means it’s all about catching up and the requirement is that 85% of them must be age related by the end of Year 6.
RL: Well perhaps we had better stop at that point; I have already taken a lot of your time and I know you are very busy and clearly have some big challenges ahead. Rachel, thank you so much again for giving us your time and for sharing. We will watch with eager anticipation at how Stambridge, and the Academy generally, develops in this coming year. This is definitely ‘a place to watch’. May we wish you well in it. Thank you again.
