Throughout my schooling, I maintained a ‘love of learning’. Looking back, I may not always have been particularly good at it – I knew that there were other children who achieved more academically than me but this didn’t dampen the fact that I had a passion for learning and finding out new things. Upon reflection, a career in teaching and learning and one working in school with children has been my vocation. Learning continues to excite me and supporting and facilitating others to learn is something that motivates and really interests me.

I believe that the curriculum should be the heartbeat to a school and one that reflects the passions and interests of the children. As headteacher, I am also a leader of learning and teaching at Park Hill. I expect to see the staff and the children persevere with learning – I believe that it is essential that there is a confidence to make mistakes through trying new things.

Whilst leading a very busy school, I recognise that opportunities to teach are becoming rare but undoubtedly I am at my happiest when I am working in the classroom and surrounding myself with whatever is going on. I aim to be in all of the classrooms at some point everyday.

Outside of school, I try to keep fit and relish a game of squash. Football is another of my interests and the football team that I support is Leicester City – the Premier League Champions of 2015 – 2016 – a testament to all that with great team work and passion, you can achieve anything!

I have been at the school for 11 years which just shows what a fantastic place it is. I love working here because of our wonderful children, who never fail to make me smile, supportive parents and dedicated colleagues.

Park Hill is my fourth school in a twenty six year career and whilst here I have had many responsibilities and challenges that have kept me busy. I’ve even grown to love data.

Within education, I very much favour a child-centred approach, which encompasses the development of the whole child through a range of learning experiences, both academic/non-academic, and every decision that I make in school has the children at the heart of it. I believe that school should be a fun, exciting place where pupils can learn in a safe environment and be willing to take risks when trying out new ways of learning. My purpose, through team work at Park Hill, is to play a part in developing happy, caring, thoughtful human beings who will feel confident about their abilities and recognise their importance in the world when leaving. All of our pupils are given an equal opportunity to be successful and have strategies to cope with any obstacles that may arise as they grow and learn in society today.
When I’m not at school, I’m looking after my two teenagers and doing all the things that mums do.

In my spare time, I love to watch Birmingham City Football Club – someone has to – and I’ve just discovered Clubbercise which takes me back to my youth. Holidays abroad, sunshine, live music, singing in a Rock Choir and reading are my other passions when I’m not at school.

For me, school was an opportunity to see my friends and to kick and throw a ball around, but all that changed when I was seven and moved into Junior School. I was mesmerised by my Year 3 teacher, Mr Hughes, and my love of learning was born. I remember how the whole class hung onto every word he said and how we all wanted to do our best for him; he was someone who we looked up to and aspired to please. Before I met Mr Hughes, I was very much fixed mindset; I believed some children were more intelligent than me and that if I couldn’t do something first time, there was no point in trying again. My teacher tapped into my competitiveness (something that I later realised wouldn’t work with a lot of other children!), and my enjoyment of learning and education began. All through my school life, I have always been drawn to teachers who could not only get the best out of me and my peers by tapping into our various personality traits, but teachers with personality; teachers who inspired me with their knowledge, humour, and anecdotes. I soon realised that teaching was the career for me and knew exactly the type of teacher I wanted to be.

Watching the ‘lightbulb’ moments in the classroom always gives me a thrill, and I believe it is our role and responsibility to ensure we do our best for children to reach their potential. My passion is the curriculum and I love to see and hear the children talking about their learning as enthusiastically as they do at Park Hill (although I have no doubt that they “did nothing at school today,” when asked by parents at home!). I am really excited about my new role as Deputy Headteacher and I will ensure that I work my hardest to support and inspire teachers and lead the continuous improvement of our curriculum to meet the needs of every child in the school.

In my spare time, I enjoy playing rugby and cycling, and passionately follow the Wales rugby and football teams. I have a very funny and inquisitive little boy, and another baby on the way, and really enjoy spending time with my family… especially going on holidays!