Senior Leadership

I feel very fortunate and privileged to be the Deputy Head Teacher at Ash Green Primary Academy – a school I have not only watched grow but have grown with. Being a part of the Ash Green family, in a trust that is committed to ‘great learning opportunities for all’, has allowed me to develop an extensive insight into leadership and management, whole school assessment and strategic direction and school improvement, all whilst managing a full time class teacher responsibility. I am passionate about school improvement and creating world class opportunities in an education system that is inclusive of all, no matter what a child’s background or circumstance and really do believe that this can only be achieved through a deep rooted commitment to ‘achieving the best, together’.

My educational philosophy is one which I feel is quite unique, in that it has been largely influenced by my time spent with the Ash Green family and its leaders who have nurtured me and guided me to become the confident leader I am today. Over the past six years, I have molded a philosophy of education which continues to guide my own practice both inside and outside of the classroom, as both a teacher and a leader. It is a philosophy that has been sculpted from my own personal beliefs and moral compass about teaching, learning and more importantly, my knowledge of children. I have an unshakeable belief that every child has the right to a world class education. I have come to fully appreciate how we, the educators, are the decisive element within the classroom. It is my own personal approach that creates the climate for learning. It is I, the educator, who possesses the power to make a child’s life joyous or miserable; it is I who provides a source of inspiration or cradle of doubt. I have the ability to humour and the ability to help a child heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a child feels humanised or dehumanised and so, I have an unwavering commitment to an educational ethos where every child is placed at the heart of every decision, action and belief. I have an unshakeable belief that the secret of education lies in the respect shown towards the child – educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all and it is our duty as the educators to serve each and every child. In doing so, every child has a champion – someone who refuses to give up on them, someone who is committed to finding their ‘best me’ and someone who is there to light the way. It is a philosophy that focuses on the child as a whole and triangulates fully with our Ash Green Values: Brave, Humble, Caring, Creative, Inquisitive and Independent. For me, children are the beating heart of education.

Prior to my role as Deputy Head Teacher, I held the position of Assistant Head Teacher at Ash Green Primary. During my time as Assistant Head Teacher, I also successfully taught Year 6 and together, the team celebrated a wealth of successes and achievements. In 2018, our school was placed top of the local authority for the percentage of children achieving the expected standard in Reading (98%). Alongside this, I have watched all of my Year 6 cohorts achieve a number of personal bests, including;

• In 2018, 100% of my Year 6’s achieving the expected standard in Reading
• In 2019, 100% of my Year 6’s achieving the expected standard in Maths

Prior to joining Ash Green Primary in 2016, I worked in a one form entry school with high numbers of disadvantaged pupils – a stark contrast to the context I am working in today. Before this, I worked in a large international school teaching Year 2 in Doha, Qatar – teaching the English National Curriculum to a class of 17 different nationalities.

It is a real privilege to be Assistant Headteacher here at Ash Green Primary Academy and a part of the Societas Trust. The school, trust and community have a real family-feel and I thoroughly enjoy coming into school every day. I am passionate about school development and improvement and as part of my role, I will be supporting the Ash Green team in further developing and extending their teaching and learning skills.

I am now in my ninth year of teaching, after graduating from Sheffield Hallam in 2012 with a BA Hons in Early Years Education. I have worked in childcare settings since the age of 17 and previous to teaching at Ash Green, I have taught both Y1 and EYFS in two Stoke on Trent schools. Teaching Early Years is my passion, and I am so lucky to be able to say that I absolutely love everything about my job. During my teaching career, I have been fortunate enough to develop my skills as a leader, alongside supporting others with developing subject knowledge and their own teaching abilities.

I work hard to be the best teacher that I can and will always look to develop my own skills in order to provide the best knowledge, education and care for the children that I work with. I am a firm believer that the EYFS is such an important stage in any child’s educational journey and is fundamental to developing a positive attitude to school life. I believe that if we can support children by instilling a love of learning from a young age, children can reach their potential and achieve anything that they like! Teaching is an immensely rewarding career and I could not be more proud to be a part of the Ash Green Primary Academy family. My time at Ash Green has already been incredibly supportive and has developed my teaching and leadership skills immensely, I look forward to embracing my next challenge as Assistant Head Teacher and supporting all within EYFS & KS1 with achieving the best, together.

Miss Bullock: ‘After eight fantastic years as classroom teacher at Ash Green Primary Academy, I am delighted and excited to have the opportunity to take on the role of Acting Assistant Head Teacher. Ash Green Primary, it’s children, parents and wider community are like my extended family, and I feel overjoyed in accepting the role to be part of the already well-established and successful senior leadership team. After being a middle leader since January 2022, I have already had an impact on the development of our school, particularly through my role as pupil premium and behaviour lead.

My desire to create a vibrant, dynamic, yet caring learning environment stems from striving to deliver outstanding practice and providing accessible learning opportunities for every child. I am a firm believer that each and every child should be nurtured, challenged and developed, no matter their ability or background. Our school vision and values are at the core of my own ethos, and I take pride in being fully aware and up to date regarding the current education landscape, including understanding the context and needs of our school.

I hope that during my time as Acting Assistant Head I am able to positively impact and help develop our school into an even better learning environment for our children, and I look forward to taking on the next academic year together as a team.’

Mrs Mitchell: ‘I feel very fortunate and privileged to be appointed as Acting Assistant Head Teacher at our school where I have been part of the Ash Green family for eight years. I am a staff Governor and truly committed to our school vision, ‘achieving the best, together’ working alongside our highly skilled teaching team.

I have over thirty years’ experience working in Brands Marketing, Higher and Primary Education. I have worked in Primary education for over seventeen years, taught in every year group and in five different school settings so that I can offer a breadth of knowledge and experience.

I have a strong belief that every child can achieve highly if we provide stimulating learning experiences. This triangulates with our school values; creative, caring, inquisitive, independent, humble and being brave. I am passionate about offering our children experiences that enable the school values to flourish in each individual.’