It’s mid-August as I go to meet Sarah Jones, the new[TC1] Principal of Tavistock College, the car park is half full and the school is buzzing with builders and staff. Sarah greets me in a colleague’s office as hers is undergoing refurbishment, and I thought schools were shut in the holidays!
Born in St Ives, raised in Plymouth, and educated at Exeter University where she studied Bio Chemistry, Sarah considers herself a local girl who understands rural issues. She has been teaching for 26 years in five different secondary schools, her last Lipson Cooperative Academy as Vice Principal. She tells me “I am not a job hopper. Although ambitious, I like to invest time and energy to each job, to see the children all the way through from when they join the College to when they leave.” [TC2]
She has a Masters degree in Leadership in Education and is currently studying for her Doctorate, although has taken a two year hiatus from the program in order to focus entirely on her new role at Tavistock College. Sarah is quick to pay tribute to retiring Head, Helen Salmon whom she feels has done an excellent job in getting the school back on track. “We are aligned in our thinking and I hope to continue and develop the outstanding progress that Helen initiated”.
Excited about her new post, Sarah is looking forward to starting the new term. She hopes to be a very visible presence, to interact with children, parents and staff. She says “parents are experts on their children and teachers are experts on learning. We must form a positive partnership for the benefit of our children”. She has met the teachers at Tavistock already and says she has a strong team. “We all have a role at the school. My aim is to allow teachers to teach and children to learn”.
“Children must be happy and successful, in all senses. Our aim at Tavistock is to offer an excellent curriculum alongside a wide selection of experiences and activities to ensure that all children have the opportunity to make the most of themselves and feel engaged in their school”. Sarah explains how cooperation and democracy are the underpinning requirements for the children to feel ownership, to take responsibility for their school and their own learning. She would like all pupils to feel proud of their school and for all parents to speak highly of Tavistock College. In order to achieve this, Sarah hopes to listen to the many groups already set up at the school and to take the time to meet parents and get to know their children. She knows that there may be issues that need to be resolved but hopes that she will be judged by how the school handles these problems.
Sarah tells me that Tavistock College is very well placed within the community and she hopes to foster those links both through the brilliant feeder primary schools and the wider public. She is already involved with the Tavistock Heritage Trust and feels that when schools and communities work well together the strong bond creates a sense of belonging with both sides benefitting.
As I leave, Sarah says her wish for all children is happiness – in their learning, their place in the community, their relationships and happy to call Tavistock College their school. It is a good wish and I wish her all the best of luck.
[TC1]Principal
[TC2]From when they join the College to when they leave.