Page 16 - link magazine

Sue brings passion for learning to Isambard with new head role

Acting head Sue Banks has been of-
ficially named as the new principal
of Isambard Community School.
The experienced teacher has been
at the centre of Isambard’s school
life since it opened eight years
ago, as deputy head under former
principal Rachael Matty who retired
last July.
The decision to promote Mrs
Banks, who had been in the ‘acting’
role ever since, was revealed by the
governors at the end of March in a
letter to parents stating that they
had voted unaminously to appoint Sue Banks: aiming to make
her to the position. Isambard the best school around
She is now looking forward
to pushing ahead with plans to praised the actions of the interim - something that I knew nothing pupils as well as giving them more
improve the school that include leadership team led by Mrs Banks about and it was completely outside say.
strengthening ties with the local putting forward some significant of my comfort zone. I threw myself Mrs Banks said: “My focus is
community. changes to get things back on track. into it and I managed to get a on making this school as great
She said: “I wasn’t given an easy “The Ofsted report , although distinction. as possible. At the moment I am
ride. I had to interview for the job negative, was actually better than “It made me realise that I had looking for consistency throughout
like everybody else and fit it around we expected and we are doing all a passion for learning and that the school. We might be doing well
my existing duties as if I was apply- we can to address the issues that invigorated me as a teacher. This is in one subject but we need to be
ing from outside of the school. were raised,” she said. something that I want my staff to doing well in all of them.
“I had made it a condition of me “One thing that I’ve learnt have as well.” “We also need to strengthen our
being in the acting head role that I during my time is that the teachers Mrs Banks spent most of her ties with the community. At the
would not be handcuffed into just themselves should always have that career in Birmingham at the same moment we have space for more
being a caretaker and was able to passion for learning. My background school and only left to start in pupils and we want parents to see
proceed with significant changes.” subject is science but when I first Luton once her children had left us as the good school that we are
An Ofsted inspection carried out started with Mrs Matty back in school themselves. so that they send their children here
last November flagged up that the 2003 in Luton, she told me that my Since September she has and not drive them miles to another
school required improvement but subject would be food technology introduced several plans including when they can walk or cycle within
setting in maths and a policy called the local community.
‘behaviour from learning’ which no “That will hopefully come with
longer allows low level disruption time as they see things improving.
in class and there are now plans to As our school motto says there’s ‘no
revamp the rewards structure for end of possibilities’.”

White Rabbit drops in
for Ofsted party

To celebrate their rating as Good by the school in April 2013, and the
Ofsted, youngsters at Hazelwood team she has built around her.
Academy in Toothill enjoyed a The report commented: “The good
private screening of Home at Cine- quality of teaching, including the
world on Shaw Ridge on 26 March, teaching of reading, writing and
and nursery children entered the mathematics, has led to pupils’
world of Alice in Wonderland where increasingly good progress since the
they encountered the White Rabbit academy opened.”
in their search for Easter Eggs. Hazelwood converted to academy
The Ofsted inspectors found that status in June 2013 under the aus-
Hazelwood is a good school in pices of the Academies Enterprise
all areas of work and particularly Trust (AET) to rectify this history of
praised the leadership of head- underachievement.
teacher, Suzanne Lloyd, who joined Search Google: hazelwood academy
16 swindonlink.com n May 2015